LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN

Save The Community Gardens Of New York City!
Save The Rainforests Of The City!
Help Preserve Gardens Of New York City! We Need You and/or Your Organization To Support The Preservation Of These Gardens!
Please Fill In Your Name and/or Your Organization’s Name and
Fax To: (212) 505-7303
E-Mail: mail@earthcelebrations.com
Or Mail To:
Earth Celebrations
638 East 6th Street
New York, NY 10009
Or Call For More Information:
Phone: (212) 777-7969

SAMPLE SUPPORT LETTER

Dear Elected Official:
I, ______________________________________________,

(name, title, organization)

strongly support the preservation of New York City’s community gardens. We oppose the slated sale and destruction for proposed development that will displace low-income community people and destroy the quality of life of these neighborhoods. Many gardens on the Lower East Side, on the Upper West Side, in Harlem, the Bronx and in Brooklyn, are endangered by city auctions and the HPD plans to release for development. We understand that there is massive community support for the preservation of the gardens and urge city and elected officials to acknowledge this public support by removing these site from pending auctions, sales, and the HPD (Housing Preservation and Development ) list for market- rate development.

In response to the overwhelming threat to these community gardens throughout the City, the New York City Coalition For The Preservation of Gardens has been organized as a city-wide network of gardeners, community centers, local schools, religious institutions, and other community organizations. All of these groups are now working together to save the gardens which have served to transform the neighborhoods as well as the populations which live in them. These gardens provide an invaluable natural, as well as cultural, resource for thousands of people in the community. People have worked together out of their own volunteer initiative to improve their environment, clearing away rubble from neglected vacant lots which were previously dens of crime, drugs and toxic waste. Through years of initiative and hard work, dedicated community members have transformed useless tracts of dirt into beautifully landscaped urban oases.

After over 20 years, the community gardens have become more than temporary use of vacant land. Tourists from all over the world flock every year to visit these magnificent natural sites, providing income to the areas around the gardens, as well as to the City itself. The gardens have also served as catalysts to bring together people from diverse backgrounds in neighborhoods which were often racially and culturally divided. These gardens are the pride and soul of the people and the community; they are ecological treasures which must be preserved for the benefit of future generations to come. I urge you to come out in public support of this vital issue.

Sincerely,