Sponsored Post - iDig2Learn And Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board Tuesday December 6 Joint Fundraiser To Raise Awareness Of NYC Zero Waste Goals At Good Shepherd Chapel, Bid On Auction Items Now - iDig2Learn Celebrating 10 Year Anniversary Too

Roosevelt Island resident and iDig2Learn Founder Chrisina Delfico reports:

iDig2Learn is commemorating 10 joyful years—thanks to you! 

Please join iDig2Learn for a joint end-of-year evening fundraiser with the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board (Manhattan SWAB) to raise awareness of the New York City’s Zero Waste goals and the important programing that both organizations engage in. The fundraiser is on Tuesday December 6  at the historic Good Shepherd Chapel (543 Main Street, Roosevelt Island). Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for a 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. event.

The keynote guest speaker is City Council Member and Chair of the Sanitation Committee, Sandy Nurse, who will present on the topic of “Curbside Organics, Zero Waste & Equity in New York City.” 

“Chair Nurse is uniquely positioned to communicate both the importance of why sanitation and solid waste management issues are crucial to the 8.6 million New York City residents as we all try to achieve our City’s Zero Waste goals. We are looking forward to hearing from her on a variety of topics related to solid waste management like curbside organic collection, zero waste, and some of the exciting legislation before the City Council that relate to those topics,” said the Chair of the Manhattan SWAB Matthew Civello.

TICKETS/DONATIONS

Advance Tickets only: $35 General Public, $25 Teachers/Seniors/Students

CASH BAR following the talk at NISI KITCHEN, 549 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, NYC (across the courtyard)

AUCTION NOW LIVE - very exciting auction items are now available including a very generous 2023 summer pool pass at Manhattan Park's outdoor pool, a night in a King room at the Graduate Hotel and a $125 give card at their Anything At All restaurant to name a few.

Bid here for even more items and watch live as others bid too. Auction items are not tax deductible. Our thanks to our generous donors.

SECURE YOUR SEAT / SPACE IS LIMITED

I’d love for you to buy a ticket to mark our decade, and it would mean so much to me if you could make an additional donation in honor of this milestone to help fuel iDig2Learn’s future growth. We wish to continue to expand the Roosevelt Island tree canopy and the Bellies, Bins and Beauty initiative to more deeply value food. And join us for snacks and a cash bar at Nisi afterward. I hope you can attend!

What started as a teaching garden for youth to grow food and learn about science in 2012, has now expanded into all-age programming that excites the public about the wonders of our natural world and helps us understand how to keep it, and ourselves, healthy. I can not thank you enough for your support, encouragement and partnership over these years.

Together we have hit some incredible milestones, including some of the following highlights:

• Presentation made at the United Nations—”Start Local, Go Global”—spotlighting iDig2Learn’s work in the Roosevelt Island community
• $1.95 million garnered for school green roof through three major advocacy efforts: Mobilizing 2000 community members to vote for and win $1M in Participatory Budget funds and securing additional $500,000 from NYS Assembly Member Seawright and $450,000 from Manhattan Boro President Brewer. Resulted in 6,750 sq. ft. of public school roof being transformed into an outdoor green roof to give students and teachers extended fresh air learning space and replace heat surfaces to cool the city.
• 600+ plants & 8 large summer shade umbrellas donated for Coler Rehabilitation & Nursing Care Center’s outdoor courtyard to increase long-term residents’ ability to enjoy fresh air

Nature Stewardship:

• 6000+ students PreK-8 engaged in nature and garden sessions since 2012; 145 sessions taught in 2021 alone
• 100+ free community workshops & events for all ages spotlighting the wonders of nature
• 6 youth school environmental learning gardens revitalized or created in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens
• 6 nature-themed storytime sessions with the New York Public Library
• 300+ plants donated to the community in the form of windowsill “Plant Therapy” kits
• 116 trees planted and cared for on Roosevelt Island

Waste Reduction

• 21,425 lbs. of good quality items were diverted from landfill and adopted into a new neighbor’s home for free across four Stop N’ Swaps (2018-2022) with GrowNYC plus 4 local groups
• 280,000+ lbs. of food scraps captured for compost since 2015 after successfully advocating, alongside 2 local groups, for the Food Scrap Drop-Off collection on Roosevelt Island which is hosted by Big Reuse, NYC Compost Project now in partnership with Haki volunteers weekly.
• 4,000+ lbs. of pumpkins smashed for compost with Big Reuse and 6 community groups
• 6 plogging runs hosted since 2020 in partnership with Coach Scot’s local youth baseball program (plogging combines picking up litter with jogging to exercise outdoors while cleaning up the neighborhood)

This fundraising night is thanks to a partnership with an all-volunteer board appointed by the Manhattan Boro President to fight for waste reduction in New York City—the Manhattan Solid Waste Advisory Board, known as MSWAB— they have been iDig2Learn’s go to experts on our journey to zero waste as we work with nature. We are honored they will shine a light on iDig2Learn’s work for our first joint benefit on Tuesday, December 6. And MSWAB has graciously set up ticket donation purchases directly to support iDig2Learn.

Please know how grateful I am for your support, which has continued to uplift our important work—creating opportunities for community members to have positive experiences in nature and build our expertise together—making us more likely to care for our world and each other.

With deep appreciation, 

Christina Delfico iDig2Learn, founder

IG:@idig2Learn

iDig2Learn is a project of Open Space Institute, a nonprofit 501(c)3 public charity > which acts as our fiscal sponsor.

Click here to buy tickets and more info about the iDig2Learn/Manhattan SWAB December 6 fundraiser as well as the Live Auction and help celebrate iDig2Learn's 10 year Anniversary.