Green Guerillas!

SUPPORT A STRONG COMMUNITY GARDENING MOVEMENT IN NYC  SUPPORT GREENTHUMB! SAVE THE DATE AND JOIN US Donate NowVisit Our WebsiteBuy GGs GearGGs In Action RALLY TUESDAY, JUNE 5th @ 10 AM ON THE STEPS OF CITY HALL TO CALL FOR FUNDING FOR GREENTHUMB BUDGET HEARINGS JUNE 6th   RALLY TO CALL FOR FUNDING FOR GREENTHUMB JOIN COMMUNITY GARDENERS AND COMMUNITY GARDEN SUPPORTERS TUESDAY, JUNE 5th at 10 AM on the STEPS OF CITY HALL Since 1978, GreenThumb has nurtured community gardening in New York City, assisting over 600 gardens and urban farms and their collective 20,000 members with material and technical assistance. With more people than ever using community gardens to grow food, get healthy, and connect with their neighbors, we need a strong, well-funded GreenThumb program resting comfortably in a strong, well-funded Parks Department. NEW YORKERS FOR PARKS and New York City Council Members Brad Lander, Melissa Mark-Viverito and James Oddo will speak out on the steps of City Hall to call upon the City Council and Bloomberg Administration to work together to restore $33.4 million to the Parks Department’s expense budget. It is important that we also CALL FOR OVER $70,000 in TAX LEVY FUNDING for GreenThumb to replace federal budget cuts, and a lifting of the hiring freeze that hampers GreenThumb's ability to provide critical services to community gardeners. Plan to arrive 20 minutes early, because you will need to pass through security on either the eastern (Center Street/Park Row) or western (Broadway) side of City Hall. Bring signs (no wooden or metal poles), or paint your thumb green! Please also: TESTIFY at the City Council Budget Hearing on Wednesday, June 6, at 3:30 PM at the City Council Chambers in City Hall. The public comment period begins at 3:30, but ARRIVE EARLIER to sign up if you want to speak – the comment period is first-come, first-served. SUBMIT A WRITTEN STATEMENT to the City Council. Even if you cannot attend the City Council public hearing, you can submit a written statement. Email or fax your statement to Tanisha Edwards at tedwards@council.nyc.gov or             212-788-7061       on or before June 6. Indicate that the statement is to be included in the record for the Parks Department Executive Budget Hearing. CONTACT YOUR LOCAL COUNCILPERSON and THE MAYOR. CLICK HERE to contact your councilperson. CLICK HERE to contact the mayor. Ask them to restore funding to the Parks Department and ensure that GreenThumb is fully funded and fully staffed to serve the most remarkable people in NYC - community gardeners! THANK YOU! 　    www.greenguerillas.org   |   info@nycgreen.org   |   t:             212.594.2155         |   f: 800.886.4358

TMTC’s partnership with More Gardens!

4 Sustenance marks TMTC’s 4^th GO GREEN event, and we’re excited to share it with The Planet Connections Theatre Festivity this year.  GO GREEN Originally started as a paper free reading series in a theatre and has grown into an annual outdoor theatrical event. Last year’s event was held at La Plaza Cultural Community Garden on the Lower East Side, and involved over 30 playwrights, directors and performers who worked in teams to write and perform a series of original short plays in 24hours. Rather than printing scripts and using disposable utensils and dishes for our mealtime, we used mobile electronic devices to send scripts to each other and brought dishes, cups and reusable water bottles to the garden with us for the day.

This year, we are excited to be back in a theatre as part of the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, but we also wanted to find a way to keep GO GREEN connected to a community garden. So, in the spirit of our community garden roots we will be partnering with a fabulous organization called More Gardens!

More Gardens! is a group of community people, gardeners, and environmental and social justice activists who promote the development and preservation of community gardens as well as the cultivation of fallow land in New York City. They work throughout the city in East Harlem, The Lower East Side and The South Bronx, interfacing with other organizations and government agencies.

We at TMTC are excited to utilize our production of 4 Sustenance, to connect and encourage audience members to get involved with community gardens in their area.  We have even incorporated this concept into the show itself with our “Seeds 4 Sustenance” campaign! In the final moments of 4 Sustenance, each audience member will be given a small handful of seeds to plant, in their own homes or in a community garden nearby where they live. TMTC and More Gardens! will provide an online list and map of community gardens across the city that will participate in our “Seeds 4 Sustenance” campaign.

The 4 Sustenance creative team will also be joining the community garden movement, by spending time working with local youth from Children’s Magical Garden on garden maintenance, caring for plants, and planting new seeds as needed to create a lush summer garden for the Lower East Side community.

We hope that through our performance of 4 Sustenance and participation in Planet Connections, we will be able to bring the theatre and gardening communities in NYC a bit closer together. And we hope you’ll come join the fun! Visit the 4 Sustenance webpage for more info and to purchase tickets.

A Statement by Mark-Eugene Garcia

Looking back, I think that if I had understood what “gay” meant, I would have known I was gay in fifth grade. It makes absolute sense now. You see, like most school boys, I had a really, really, good friend. And like good friends, we had sleepovers.

Wait. Uh oh! You think you know where this is going, right? Well, I assure you, you
don’t.

My story has nothing to do with the sleepovers themselves. They were typical Ninja Turtle, Super Mario, Camp out in the back yard, Freeze Tag, Pool Party, Hide N Seek sleepovers. My story has to do with after the sleepovers. Because once my good friend (who has never been and is not gay) left…I cried like a baby.

I was so lonely.

I was so sad.

Mario wasn’t as fun without Luigi. It’s not easy manipulating four ninja turtles alone. And lets face it, hide-n-seek just isn’t fun if no one is “seeking.”  I missed my friend. Looking back, I was pretty gay for my friend.  And again, this had nothing to do with sex. Hell, I barely understood what sex was at the time.  In fifth grade “sex” is just a dirty joke.

…For some adults it still is.

What I remember the most is that I wanted him to be my “special” friend who would sleep over every night, stay up late, share secrets with, play Super Mario Bros, camp out with, and generally just be a boy with.  I wanted someone to connect with. I wanted to connect on a level higher than my other friendships. I didn’t know what that was or what it meant.

But I wanted it.

So why go there? Why tell this story?  Because these are the stories that need to be told.

So often image of the LGBT community is connected with sex. If you look in the media,  if you look on FOX News, if you listen to most Republican politicians…we are put in a specific bracket because we have sex with people of the same gender. It’s the first thing people think when we come out to them. There are many people who think LGBT equals sex. They don’t see us as people, but as a sexual act. Because of this, people don’t understand what being LGBT is. This is because they have not heard the right stories.
That’s where GLAAD steps in. With this mission statement:

“The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) amplifies the voice of
the LGBT community by empowering real people to share their stories, holding the media
accountable for the words and images they present, and helping grassroots organizations
communicate effectively. By ensuring that the stories of LGBT people are heard through the
media, GLAAD promotes understanding, increases acceptance, and advances equality.”

GLAAD fights for us. They shield us. They defend us. Most importantly…they humanize us. They show that we are not an act. We are a community. We are stories. We are people, just like them, seeking connection.
My play (un)missed connections is about all about connection. Inspired by craigslist, it deals with eight lonely men reaching out into the void and hoping for that one chance to connect with someone else. They find it in all of the places they shouldn’t. To me, this shows not that they were looking in the wrong places but that connection is everywhere.

This theme of connection isn’t something that is limited to the LGBT community, nor is it limited to the heterosexual community. It’s something that unifies us as people.

We all connect. We all have stories. So get out there and tell those stories.

I am.

And if you think no one is listening, get GLAAD. Oh, and just to bring things full circle. I met a guy eight years ago who is absolutely amazing. We’ve never played Ninja Turtles, but he did buy me the DVD set for Christmas. We did spend a winter playing and passing Super Mario Bros Wii. We do camp out in our living
room. We do stay up late. We do share secrets. And he is directing the play I wrote.

He’s my collaborator and my best friend.

In my childhood I began a search for my special friend. I am happy to say that I found
him.

These are the stories that need to be told.

Mark-Eugene Garcia


(un)missed connections plays Wednesday 6/6/12 - 9pm, Monday 6/11/12 - 10pm,
Tuesday 6/12/12 - 7pm, Sunday 6/17/12 - 10pm, Sunday 6/24/12 - 1pm


Tickets are available at http://planetconnections.org/unmissed-connections/


For more information on (un)missed connections please go to our facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/UnMissedConnections


For more information on GLAAD please go to http://www.glaad.org/

Solutions For Coffee by Amada Anderson

I joined the festivity in 2009 and was really inspired by how all the shows were attempting to be green. I already am a recycling, whole wheat and olive oil, save water as much as possible kinda girl but I was really motivated even more by the non-profit organizations that we were partnering with that really were trying to change the community and in doing so change the world. I always am inspired and motivated by the DO MORE GREEN ATTITUDE and I realized the other day that I have been drinking coffee everyday. Everyday I drink coffee. Since I have been unemployed/self employed I usually make a pot of coffee and drink probably 2-4 cups a day. I would then pour out the remaining 2-4 cups down the drain not realizing that I was wasting coffee and money because the next day I could just get up and make more and what's 2-4 cups of coffee? Well, my friend Andrew Rothkin invited me to his house for a read through earlier this year and asked me if I would like some iced coffee. I was like...Woah! Your making it at home!? Wow! Why didn't I think of doing that? So I decided to start saving my coffee and using it the next day. However....I use coffee mate and sugar and I would have to heat it up and mix it and then put the ice in it and that was a little too much work for me in the morning especially after being up all night working on a website or practicing lines for a play. Then I ran out of coffee filters for my coffee machine. I had to have my coffee the next day, this was not something to put off or on hold or could wait...so my very sweet boyfriend Damon took me to the store and while shopping for the recyclable coffee filters I found this little plastic coffee filter. I had never seen one before and was kinda excited to use it and kinda scared because I wasn't sure it would fit my machine but it did and then it was DELICIOUS!  No weird coffee grains left in my cup or anything. It tasted so smooth and AMAZING! Then, in a moment of sheer brilliance as I was getting up to get my second cup/4th cup of coffee that if I put the powdered creamer and the  sugar and the cinnamon (yes, I sprinkle cinnamon in my coffee) into the actual pot and pre-mix it, leave it on the burner for a while, it might keep till the next day as pre-mixed and sure enough it did. I woke up the next day with pre-made ice-cold coffee both to drink at home or on the go. 

It's the little things that we do everyday that can change the world.  One step at a time. This was mine and I am grateful to share it with all of you! 

If you have anything special that you wish to share with our Planet Connections Festivity community please feel free to email Erika Bracy at planeterikab@gmail.com. 

I look forward to seeing you!

"I'm starting with the man in the mirror, I'm asking him to change his ways...If you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself and then make the change!" --Michael Jackson

Charity Profile: STONEWALL Veterans' Association

Planet Connections Theater Festivity is proud to list the renowned STONEWALL Veterans' Association as a Featured Charity!


Stonewall Veterans' Association's Executive Councel is comprised of the legendary Stonewall veterans of the historic 1969 Stonewall Rebellion for Gay civil rights at the landmark Stonewall Club in NYC.  
The seminal event established the modern Gay community and launched the worldwide Gay rights
movement now benefiting millions of people -- Gay and non-Gay -- in civil
rights, marriage, employment, housing, visitation, healthcare, insurance,
legal, right of survivorship and various benefits plus so much more!

Among the STONEWALL Veterans' Association's many regular activities:
* provides "Stonewall" speakers to high schools, colleges, churches,
 clubs, companies, civic groups, symposiums and to other U.S.A. cities
* protects and maintains the Stonewall archives and photo collections
* organizes discussion panels, educational seminars and public forums
* educates the World via approximately 10 million website visits annually
* accommodates SW-vets with physical disabilities or mental health issues
* originators of the "Gay Marriage" movement as of the 1969 SW rebellion
* owns, garages and insures the famous blue 1969 Cadillac "Stonewall Car"
* collaborating on media projects, e.g., the BBC's 1996 movie "Stonewall"
* provides history facts such as Stonewall was a "rebellion" (not 'riots')
* maintaining SVA property and archives at a Manhattan storage facility
* SW-vets being honored at Gay Pride events literally throughout the World
* creating and coordinating advertising and promotion of "Stonewall Era"
* delivering age-related support in many ways to our aging Stonewall vets
* giving opportunities for Gay youth to work for and learn from the S.V.A.
* preparing, planning and executing USA "Stonewall 43" (2012) activities
* leads the annual New York City Gay Pride Parade with the 1969 "SW-Car"

From the legendary Gay (observe the capital "Gay", not 'gay') people who
originated the 'Gay Marriage' movement as of the 1969 Stonewall Rebellion
when, after the first night on June 27th, many signs read: "Gay Marriage"
as well as "Gay Rights" and "Gay Power"; no alphabet GLBT soup non-sense!

The S.V.A. is not a political group (it has a far greater support) and as
NYC Mayor Ed Koch has stated publicly "...and much more political clout"!

Learn more at www.STONEWALLvets.org

See photos of the S.V.A. leading a New York City Gay Pride Parade at:
http://www.STONEWALLvets.org/parade/SW-35.htm

by Lauren M

Charity Profile: To Write Love on Her Arms

Planet Connection Theater Festivity is proud to list To Write Love On Her Arms as one of this seasons Featured Charities.

Two out of three people who struggle with depression never seek help.  Rather than reaching out to family, friends, or other loved ones, they use other means of coping. Destructive means. The vision of To Write Love on Her Arms (more commonly referred to as TWLOHA) is to show those people, stretched to the limits of their strength, that there is community of people, full of love, waiting with open arms to give hope and strength to help relieve their silent suffering. This non-profit organization is focused on helping those who are fighting battles against not only depression, but also addiction,  and self-injury. TWLOHA 's vision also provides support for those who have survived the loss of loved ones to suicide.

In the spring of 2006, TWLOHA was born in Orlando Florida. Founder, Jamie Tworkowski  wrote of his experience of waiting five days outside of a drug treatment center with his friend Renee, as she was repeatedly denied access. He entitled the story “To Write Love on Her Arms”.  You can read the story here: http://www.twloha.com/vision/story/. After realizing the reasons Renee was denied, Jamie decided to design and create t-shirts as a way to help pay for her treatment. Soon after they were printed, band members from Switchfoot and Anberlin were wearing the shirts to help promote the fight against depression and addiction.

In America alone, it is estimated that 19 million people live with depression.  It is the third leading cause of death among those 18 – 24 years old. In the past six years, TWLOHA has responded to over 150,000 messages from over 40 different countries from young men and women who have survived their struggle because of the message of hope and help.

Planet Connections is proud to promote the cause of TWLOHA as it continues to reach out and give hope  All monetary donations for the organization help support the Kristin Brooks Hope Center, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The Self Injury Foundation, Kids Help Line, and many others. TWLOHA is a project for all people regardless of age, gender, race, sexual orientation or religious beliefs. Hope and love do not discriminate - neither does TWLOHA.

Here is an excerpt from the story by Jaime Tworkowski: “She is alive now, in the patience and safety of rehab, covered in marks of madness but choosing to believe that God makes things new, that He meant hope and healing in the stars. She would ask you to remember.” Planet Connection Theater Festivity hopes to spread  their message of hope to all those who come to experience the many stories shared  in June.

If you, or someone you know, can no longer deal with the struggles of life, know there is hope.  You can find that at http://www.twloha.com.


by Jennifer Dobies
edited by Erika Bracy

The Bridal Garden

I have recently come to the awareness that for everything you need there is a place out there that can provide you with it that is also set up to be eco-friendly, socially conscious, and overall beneficial to people and the environment!  What brought me to this realization, you ask?  Ill tell you.  It began with my search for the perfect wedding dress.

My mother recently came to visit from Arizona, and as I am recently engaged, she and I decided to spend some time in Davids Bridal.  Of course, my mother decided the first dress that I tried on was "the one", but being that this is the first and only time I will ever get married, I decided that wasn't a fair assessment.  If I'm going to do this right, I need to try on as many dresses as possible, and then decide at the end what I want.  I'm very glad that I did, because a couple weeks later, my good friend (who loves wedding shopping) sent me a link to The Bridal Garden  http://www.bridalgarden.org/ .  Just as Planet Connections Theater Festivity is New York's Premier Eco friendly and Socially Conscious Theater Festival, The Bridal Garden is New York's only Not-For-Profit bridal boutique, where you can find designer dresses for more than 75% off!  The Bridal Garden is part of the fundraising department for Sheltering Arms Children's Service, which provides education, child care and more for those in need.

First I made an appointment, and then arrived on the 21st with my maid of honor and another good friend.  We arrived on the 9th floor of 54 West 19th street at noon and were greeted by a very lovely woman who directed us to my size.  

Now, the truth is that a lot of these dresses are directly donated by the designer.  Which means that they are in stock sizes (ie size 6).  Some of them are also donated by brides who have only worn them once, and others are given to the Bridal Garden by other wedding dress stores, which need to make room for the new season's dresses.  In a boutique filled with at least 200 dresses, this fact left me with about 12 to try on.  It was kind of a relief, however, since many other places have every single dress in my size, making the process of elimination a little overwhelming.  

Although I haven't found my dress yet, I have decided that no matter where I get my dress from, The Bridal Garden will benefit from my decision.  It just goes to show you that with a little research you can find pretty much anything you are looking for from a place that will give back to society!  

If you have come across a store that gives back, please share your experiences in the comments section below!  Happy Hunting!

Introducing Joanna!

Hey Everyone!

As the Green/Charities Liaison Director, I have asked my wonderful and talented assistant, Joanna, to write for the Greener Blog!  This year we will be focusing on some cool charity stuff, like The Revlon Walk that will be happening in May, and the Charities that we are streamlining to make it easier on Planet Connection's artists to contact and communicate with them!  However, that is still in the works!  In the meantime, January is a good month to start thinking of ways to make this year the Greenest Year Ever.  In that vein, Joanna has given us some tips to start us in that direction!  Charity blogs to come, so keep your eyes peeled!

Namaste,
Erika B.

THE LIVE EARTH GLOBAL WARMING SURVIVAL HANDBOOK: 10 Easy Steps to Help Fight Global Warming: Adapted from Adventure Ecology’s Top 10 for the Planet

By Joanna B.
Charities/Green Liaison Assistant

A few years ago, I came across a book titled The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook (GWSH)
written by David De Rothschild. This book is the official companion to the Live Earth Concerts founded
by Kevin Wall. It outlines 77 essential skills to stop climate change. Here are 10 easy steps you can start
doing Today! This list can be found on page 12 of GWSH.

1. Adjust Your Climate by Two Degrees (Skill #20) pg.48
I hate the cold more than anything; however, in the winter you can find me bundled in sweats
and blankets. It does save on the energy bill.
2. Change a Light bulb (Skill #3) pg.18
Enough said! Change any incandescent bulbs (you might still have in your house/apartment) to
compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs).
3. Stop Appliances from Standing By (Skill #10) pg. 32
People that means your phone, computer, ipad/ipod chargers all need to be unplugged after it
is charged. Another easy way to conserve is to plug appliances, such as TV and gaming systems,
into a power strip which you can turn off when you are not using.
4. Say No to Plastic Bags (Skill #38) pg.80
Take the pledge! B.Y.O.B…and no I don’t mean beer. Bring Your Own Bag whenever you go
shopping. You can use or purchase hemp, cotton, or nylon bags, but what I suggest is checking
out www.terracycle.net. This company takes non-recyclable materials and recycles them. You
can buy a large tote made out of chip bags for around $10 (The price of 3-4 large bags of chips)
5. Shop Locally (Skill #29) pg. 62
Check out the following site for a farmer market near you.
http://www.grownyc.org/ourmarkets I want to draw attention to the At-Market Initiatives.
Some of the markets accept EBT/Food Stamps which I think is fantastic! Now fresh local
produce is more assessable for low income families instead of the cheap processed food most
rely on.
6. Bring Your Own Mug (Skills #18) pg. 44
You can save 10 cents at Starbucks if you bring your own tumbler. Plus, Starbucks, as a
company, is committed to being responsible to the environment and community.
7. Go Public (Skill #36) pg. 76
For most living in NYC, taking the train and/or bus is an everyday thing. Keep it up… or to be
even greener you could do #8.
8. Bike or Walk (Skill #35) pg. 74
This is a healthy approach to commuting. What is better than saving the environment while
getting in a good workout at the same time?
9. Say Yes to Short Showers (Skill #45) pg. 92
We all need to take a lesson from my father. First get wet and soap up your wash cloth/luffa
then turn off the water to lather with soap. Once you are sudsy, turn the water back on to rinse.
Turn the water back off while shampooing your hair. Then back on to rinse. Same thing if you
use conditioner. This could be a little strange at first but think how much water you’ll save.

10. Plant Something (Skills #28) pg. 61
Start a home garden or join a community garden. Quick! Check out http://www.grownyc.org/
ourmarkets, because community gardens fill up fast. If you don’t make it into a community
garden, start by growing a few vegetables in your back yard or on your balcony.

What are some other easy steps we can take to stop climate change?

JMB