FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 28, 2015
CONTACT: Dan Miner, 917-319-2924, transition.nyc.hub@gmail.com
Mark Riddle, mrg.riddle@gmail.com
Rockaway Health Festival and Transition Convergence
Event Location: 454 Beach 67th Street Arverne, NY 11692
Saturday, June 27, 10 AM - 6 PM
ARVERNE, THE ROCKAWAYS, QUEENS, NY - Resilient Far Rockaway sets an example for coastal communities and cities throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. As climate change accelerates, extreme weather events will become more frequent. Rockaway residents' commitment to recovery using the Transition Towns process is an example for all extreme weather-exposed Mid-Atlantic communities.
Community Services of Far Rockaway at Battalion Pentecostal Assembly, a leader in postHurricane Sandy recovery efforts, the Mid-Atlantic Transition Hub (MATH), Transition NYC, and the Canary Project, are partnering to produce the Rockaway 4th Annual Community Health Fair and Transition Convergence on June 27, 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM. There is no charge to attend.
The Convergence will promote local climate change resilience, health, community-building, neighborhood food security and production, renewable energy, energy conservation, and creative waterfront restoration. Health resources will include: Free Blood Pressure Screening, Glucose, Spinal and HIV Testing, complemented by herbal medicine, soap and cosmetic product exhibitors and zumba class. Free Lunch will be provided for Rockaway residents while supplies last. Enjoy great food, music, fun and learning activities for the entire family.
The Convergence will feature a Canary Project art exhibition: Re-Claimed: Stories from the Storm; Recovery and Re-Building Life in the Rockaways. This is an exhibition of poignant stories, objects and images of what was lost in the storm and was gained in the aftermath as told by the people of the Arverne neighborhood of the Rockaways.
Transition presentations and exhibits include: urban agriculture, permaculture (a high-yield, chemical free landscape and garden design system), contaminated soil remediation, food preservation and water catchment systems. They will be joined by resilience resources such as ham radio systems for emergency communications, NYC Emergency Management's Community Emergency Response Team, NY State and National Grid's energy conservation and solar programs; green jobs training programs; advocates for bicycling, composting, bee keeping, chicken husbandry, and aquaponics. Rockaway initiatives will include Ocean Bay Community Development Corporation and local activist groups. Guests may participate with Rockaway Seedball advocates in exciting waterfront restoration by spreading mudballs containing seeds of native vegetation to replant and stabilize sand dunes. Families and children will enjoy a host of activities, music and cultural performances reflecting Rockaway's diverse communities.
Transition Neighborhoods: grassroots, neighbor-led community organizing
The Transition movement is a neighbor-led community organizing response to climate change, resource depletion and financial instability, with over 1,100 local initiatives in 44 countries and over 150 in the US. It starts with a series of small group meetings. The Transition Neighborhoods process, adapted to the specific needs of NYC and other urban communities, invites neighbors to strengthen their sense of place, build relationships as they map their neighborhood's current state of resiliency, looking at food, energy, water, waste, consumption and transportation. The goal is to proactively move communities away from reliance on fossil fuels, toward a much more resilient, improved quality of life. Transition Groups are forming in the Upper West Side, Brooklyn, Washington Heights, the Rockaways, and other NYC neighborhoods.
Visit website for more information: https://midatlantictransition.org
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