BIG!Blooms Overview

Ever wonder what happens when the ugly scaffolding in front of your favorite corner store comes down? Well, after the scaffolding has been used for construction purposes, it is retired and sent to a landfill, to a chipping facility, or to an incinerator. Build It Green!NYC saw an opportunity to help divert the wood from the waste stream and provide free materials to local gardens.

Here are some tips on how to plan and build your raised garden beds:
We recommend that you clean and paint the scaffolding lumber with a non-toxic paint, water based coating, or polypropylene liner. The scaffolding boards are not pressure treated, but may contain chemical from their use onsite. It is impossible for us to test every board. so it is important to take preventative measures when working with salvaged materials. More suggestions from About.com "How To Build Raised Garden Beds"

Here's a growing list of BIG!Blooms Recipients:

Project: Solar One's Green Design Lab (Spring-Summer 2012)

Solar One's Green Design Lab (TM) is an in-depth curriculum and program focused on greening New York City schools.  The Green Design Lab curriculum looks at the school building as both a laboratory for learning and a tool for environmental change. Using a creative approach to problem solving, 4th-12th grade students participate in activities that incorporate science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to explore and then implement what they have learned by saving energy and creating schoolwide sustainability projects.

East New York Farms (Summer 2012)

The mission of the East New York Farms Project is to organize youth and adults to address food justice in our community by promoting local sustainable agriculture and community-led economic development.

Project: Brownsville Student Farm Project (Spring/Summer 2012)

There are thousands of acres of abandoned lots in New York owned by the city.  We are starting with a space in Brownsville. At the corner of Sutter and Rockaway Avenue, across from Public School 323,  is our sunny 8,000 square foot corner lot, currently full of weeds and trash.  We will transform this lot into a urban teaching farm that will beautify the neighborhood, educate local youth, and provide a source of fresh produce for the community. Read an interview with founder Nora Painten here.

Project: Sprout Farms (Spring 2012)

Sprout Farms is a project dedicated to urban agriculture.  We are fiscally sponsored by Open Space Institute, Inc. through its Citizen Action Program.  Sprout establishes educational spaces for students and community members to learn about food systems through gardens and projects related to the food and waste cycle.  Sprout partners with schools to develop educational programming to teach plant care, nutrition, and environmental stewardship.  Sprout's summer programming connects students and their communities with food production during the peak growing season to provide a deeper understanding of the food we eat.  Sprout works to reduce its impact on the environment by using recycled and refurbished materials and partnering with like-minded organizations.

Project: Queens Botanical Garden - Inter-generational Garden  (Spring/Summer 2012)

From thematic gardens and historic plantings recalling QBG’s World’s Fair origins to new gardens showcasing native species and sustainable landscape practices, our collections represent the expert horticultural knowledge, artistry, and commitment to environmental education and public service that have been hallmarks of QBG for more than 60 years.

Project: Brooklyn Queens Land Trust (Spring/Summer 2012)

"Grounded in Community Gardens in Brooklyn and Queens, New York City"

Thanks to the generous support of BIG!BLOOMS, a program of Build It Green! NYC, BQLT has been able to deliver nearly one hundred pieces of lumber to seven BQLT community gardens in Brooklyn and Queens so far this season. The lumber is repurposed from retired scaffolding boards and is used to build raised vegetable beds, an excellent second use for this material. BQLT looks forward to receiving more lumber and distributing it to additional gardens this Spring.