June 13-15 Rosicrucian Order, AMORC Convention
Many thanks to the members of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC (a non-profit, educational organization) for their generous donation to Replant New Orleans. Each convention participant will be receiving one of our Tree Charms which symbolize the wearer’s dedication to the environmental restoration of New Orleans. For more information on this year’s convention and the Rosicrucian Order, please visit:www.rosicrucian.org/index.html
April 30th Chaz Fest
RNO will have a table this year at Chaz Fest, so come stop by to listen to some great local music and learn about what we've been up to! This year's line-up includes The Happy Talk Band, Morning 40 Federation, and much more. For more information about Chaz Fest please visit: www.chazfestival.com
March 19th Volunteer day in the Lower 9
with CCI and Historic Green
Our first volunteer project with students from the Center for Cultural Interchange was a blast, so we’re very excited to be working with them again. For this service day we will be planting trees, shrubs, and other understory plants in new rain gardens around the lower 9th ward. Rain gardens are a kind of sustainable gardening method including soil amendments and plants that aid in water absorption, thereby reducing flooding. The new garden sites are part of a large project from the organization Historic Green which is focused on offering sustainable resources to residents of the lower 9th ward from March 8th-23rd.
January 14th - 21st MLK Days of Service
We have been working in partnership with Hands On New Orleans, Interfaith Works, the Fredrick Douglass Community Coalition, and many other community leaders and organizations for this year’s week-long celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Service days will include the establishment of an outdoor classroom and demonstration garden for the biology department of FDHS, educational landscaping, neighborhood cleanups, mural painting, and much more.
Other events that are open to the public include an interfaith dinner, civil rights film screenings, a book giveaway to children, and civil rights-themed workshops. For more information about volunteering or the community events, please email trees@replantneworleans.org or visit www.handsonneworleans.org.
November 7th Central City clean-up day
Volunteers from The Association of Collegiate Conference and Event Directors International joined us for an afternoon neighborhood clean-up through Central City. Carol Bebelle of Ashe Cultural Arts Center graciously chose to speak to the group beforehand, giving them an introduction to the neighborhood as well as her thoughts on the struggles and triumphs of present day New Orleans.
October 20th Volunteer day with the Center for Cultural Interchange
With the help of a group of international high school students and members of their host families, we will be transforming an empty lot in Gentilly into a neighborhood garden. The lot was a lush garden before the storm but has been empty since, so we will be planting trees, building flower beds, and constructing a compost bin to collect weeds, grass trimmings, and other plant wastes. For more information on the Center for Cultural Interchange please go to: www.cci-exchange.com/
September 22nd Global Mala Project
The international yoga community will be participating in the Global Mala celebration from September 21st -23rd in honor of the UN International Day of Peace. New Orleans will be joining the world-wide celebration for peace at an event that has been organized to take place in Audubon Park at the Tree of Life. To our great honor, Replant New Orleans was selected as one of two local non-profits to receive the proceeds from donations given at the event. Please come out to show your support for our amazing community, and to join in sending thoughts and prayers for a more peaceful world.
Where: at the Tree of Life in Audubon Park. (Towards the levee from Magazine)
When: Saturday, September 22nd. 3:00-5:00pm
What: group meditation, chanting of the universal peace mantra, and 108 sets of sun salutations lead by some of New Orleans’ most fantastic yoga instructors.
Suggested donation: $15-$30
Children and families are welcome to join. We look forward to seeing you there!
July 5th Udall Volunteer Day
To help us jump-start our new Compost Cooperatives program, the students participating in this year's Udall Legacy Bus Tour stopped by to give us a hand building compost bins as part of their community service in New Orleans. Learn more about the tour and their biodiesel bus: udall10.udall.gov/udall10.asp
April 22nd Central City Food Forest
One of our long term goals has been to work with the New Orleans Food & Farm Network on the topic of food security in the city. The need for all residents to have access to healthy, safe, and culturally appropriate food is especially pressing following Katrina, as many of the city’s grocery stores and restaurants were damaged and have not since reopened. As such, it makes sense to put the power for food access and production in the hands of residents themselves.
The Central City Food Forest is being created for Earth Day, April 22, 2007. The concept is to plant 100+ food producing trees in front yards of Central City residents during one day of community grassroots involvement. Additionally, two pieces of land will provide anchors for the project: one is an abandoned house lot at the corner of La Salle Street and Felicity Street, which will be turned into a Peace Park in conjunction with AmeriCorps' City Year program, featuring 15-20 citrus trees and an understory of vegetables and edible flowers. The other anchor property integrates food producing trees into the existing Kwanzaa Garden located on Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. Additional trees will be provided by Hike for KaTREEna.
