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Issue No. 8
August 2012
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Open Mic Night! 
 
Come join Groundwork Somerville's Green Team, Teen Empowerment, and Books of Hope on Tuesday, August 14th for the 2nd Annual Open Mic Night at the Somerville Community Growing Center. There will be an hour of youth led programming followed by an hour and a half of open mic. Hope to see you there!
Upcoming Events and Meetings

The Growing Center, 22 Vinal Ave, Somerville, MA
East Branch Library - 115 Broadway
End of Summer Bash - August 28
Flatbread, 45 Day St.  
Parks Beautification           
The Green Team Parks youth crew has been working hard all summer maintaining parks and open spaces throughout Somerville. The team just finished its latest project at The Blessing of the Bay Boathouse along the Mystic weeding and planting the Flower Beds in the park. Come check them out!

Interested in helping maintain the beds by either watering or weeding them? Email Jeff, the Parks Supervisor, at [email protected].
 
Groundwork Youth Join Forces with Ocean Ave Pops this Saturday  

Groundwork Somerville's Green Team have been working furiously all summer to cultivate some of the most local and beautiful herbs and produce around. This week, our gorgeous mint and basil will be making guest appearances at the Culinary Cruisers stand at the Union Square Farmers Market in two of their gourmet Ocean Ave Pops: Watermelon Blueberry Basil, and Ginger Mint. We hope this is the start of a long relationship with Josh and the whole Culinary Cruisers crew.

The Union Square Market (Saturdays, 9am-1pm) is a full-on outing for families of all ages with vendors, free samples, and live music. Groundwork is there on August 11 and 25 selling fresh food from the South Street Farm and our Schoolyard Gardens; Somerville Maple Syrup from this past winter's harvest; and with composting demonstrations on demand. We find that kids particularly enjoy the chance to see and pet some of our red wiggler worms. Come see us at the west end of the square.

The Somerville Mobile Market is also on Saturday at 3 different sites throughout the day. This is the place to go to get produce, herbs, fruits and syrup from Enterprise Farms and Groundwork Somerville at very affordable prices. These are brand new sites, and we hope to get a lot people to take advantage of this new service provided by Shape Up Somerville. Crowds are low, so get in and get out with what you need in record time. Times and locations are:

 

10am - 12pm Mystic Housing Development by the playground
1pm - 3pm Glen Park, right in front of the Capuano School
4pm - 6pm Clarendon Hill Housing (NOT CLARENDON HILL TOWERS) right off Powderhouse Blvd behind the manager's building off of the main parking lot.

 

Come out and see us all summer and say hello, even if you are stocked up on everything! 


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Pulling Water Chestnuts Water Chestnuts Everywhere (But Not The Kind You Eat)

 by Chris Mancini, Executive Director

 

This month's article is being featured by Sailors for the Sea in their monthly Ocean Watch Essay series. Based in Newport, RI Sailors for the Sea is a national nonprofit that educates and engages the boating community in the worldwide protection of the oceans. Learn more about Sailors for the Sea here.

 

On Saturday, August 4, 2012, the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyWRA) and Groundwork Somerville made one last summer push in a multi-year effort to eradicate the invasive Water Chestnut from the Mystic River in Massachusetts, and removed a record-breaking 806 20-lb. baskets of Water Chestnuts in one morning! With the help of hundreds of volunteers every year since 2010, we have managed to remove over 250,000 pounds of this detrimental invasive plant, or the equivalent of about 20 acres. By the end of 2012 we expect to have removed another 310,000 pounds, but even so, are barely able to keep up with the frantic spread of this invasive plant. Read More

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Green Team Member Spotlight

Green Team, Groundwork Somerville's Youth Jobs Program, is in full swing for summer 2012! Somerville youth are hard at work managing our schoolyard gardens and maintaining our parks. Here we highlight two of the youth who have been a part of this program all summer.

        Derrell       Zacadia
High SchoolProspect Hill AcademySomerville High School
Age1617
HobbiesFootball, basketball, baseballReading, school
What is your crew in Green Team?ParksParks
What is your favorite thing about Green Team?All of the eventsMaking new friends; improving the physical appearance of places in Somerville
What is your favorite thing about summer?Making money and playing football.A/C, being able to make money, insulated water bottles.
What are your plans after  high school?4 year college to study Communications.Attend college for Medicine
What is one thing you would change about Somerville?Reduce violenceThe violence

 

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There are many ways to join the Groundwork Somerville team - attend ourevents,volunteer,donate, buy from our Farmer's Market booth,"like" us on Facebook, apply for a job or internship, or simply receive and read our newsletters.  Thanks for your support and participation.

21 Properzi Way, Suite O
Somerville, Massachusetts 02143