About Us
Photo: Liz Christy, sourced from greenguerillas.org
Our History
In 1973, a young artist and avid gardener, Liz Christy, organized the Green Guerillas, a group of activist gardeners. They would go around the city and throw “seed green-aids” over fences of vacant lots. They planted sunflower seeds in the center meridians of busy NYC streets and put flower boxes on the window ledges of abandoned buildings.*
The Green Guerillas turned their attention to a large debris-filled vacant lot on the corner of Bowery and Houston streets. They banded together to clean up the vacant lot and turned it into a productive community garden, known today as the Liz Christy Garden. The Green Guerillas began rallying others to use community gardening as a tool to reclaim urban land, stabilize city blocks, and get people working together to solve problems.*
Today, there are more than 600 community gardens in all five boroughs of New York City. Green Guerillas helps communities sustain community gardens, produces community harvests, and engages and educates youth.
What We Do
Check out some of our programs
Youth Empowerment Pipline
A youth-driven training pipeline that creates a viable pathway to employment and leadership within the food justice movement.*
Coucil of Gardeners
A cross-borough group of community gardeners coming together to initiate collective action and build social capital.*
Harvest for Neighborhoods
Distributions of supplies to food-growing community gardeners in Harlem, central Brooklyn, and the South Bronx.*
How You Can Help
See what people are saying about the community gardens around the city.