To check out (and join!) some of these new initiatives, visit the Featured Projects section on our homepage.

To complete a 2013 CBU Mini-Grant Application, you need a healthy food project. Below is a step by step guide on how to get started and list your project on CBU.

Change by Us: How To Start A Project from Change by Us on Vimeo.

Need a few good volunteers to join your project?   In order to be eligible for our mini-grant, your project needs at least 5 members, and this tutorial is designed to help you achieve just that. Watch the video below to learn about promoting your project on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms in order to get as many interested people involved as you possibly can!

Change by Us: Promoting a Project from Change by Us on Vimeo.

Good luck!

->Every tree planted in our city can remove 26 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually, the equivalent of 11,000 miles of car emissions. By capturing this carbon dioxide, urban trees also reduce building energy use and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel based power plants. (Source: Million Trees NYC)

->Planting trees can cool buildings by several degrees and reduce the amount of energy normally spent on air conditioning. (Source: Environmental Protection Agency)

->Farmers markets not only gives us access to fresh, healthy produce—they also reduce our dependence on the fossil fuels and chemical fertilizers used to produce, process, package, and transport the majority of our food across thousands of miles. (Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, EPA)

->Every pound of waste you compost saves 2.5 pounds of CO2 emissions.  By composting the 1,200 pounds of compostable waste each of us throws out annually, the average American would knock off 3,000 pounds of CO2 emissions each year. (Source: TLC)

These are just a few ways that our efforts on the neighborhood level are laying the foundations for a better global environment.  For more info on Earth Day, please visit the official Earth Day website.

Applications are due by May 1, 2013 – apply today and help transform neighborhoods across our city!

To apply, schools must register the garden and submit the application at www.growtolearn.org by May 1, 2013. Need help with the application? Attend Grow to Learn’s grant-writing and garden planning workshops at 51 Chambers Street. RSVP at growtolearn@grownyc.org or online with the following links:

March 27 (10-12:30), RSVP HERE.

April 6 (10-12:30), RSVP HERE.

April 10 (4:30-7), RSVP HERE.

Great projects start with committed individuals, and this Brooklyn Borough Hall-hosted event allowed groups like 462 Halsey Community Garden and Unify and Beautify W. 150^th Street to take it to the next level, discovering new organizing strategies and innovative ways to transform New York for the better.  No matter their passions, attendees were able to find other New Yorkers who could help them achieve their goals for a greener and healthier city.

City agencies like NYC Parks, DEP, PlaNYC, and NYC Service also offered advice on how to access City resources and programs, and Change By Us spoke to attendees about mini-grants and social media.  You can check out the social media presentation here.

And to see some of our favorite photos from the event (including one of GreeNYC’s Birdie presenting Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz with an award), visit our Tumblr!

1. Spend time in a community garden through the New York Botanical Garden’s Bronx Green-Up initiative or, if you’re in Brooklyn, the GreenBridge Community Garden Alliance.  Some great volunteer opportunities are also available at the Queens Botanical Garden and the Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden on Staten Island.

2. Enjoy a late sunset while learning how to do your own outdoor composting.

3. Grow what you eat and eat what you grow by joining Just Food’s City Farms Program.

4. Find a service opportunity that gets you out into the fresh air.

5. Sunny walks through farmers markets aren’t just for the weekend—see which Greenmarkets are open after you get off of work.

These are only a few ways to take advantage of the longer, balmier days of spring and summer.  Have a new idea for improving your community?  Create a project on Change By Us!

Apply by April 30^th and you could receive a grant of up to $2500 to start or expand a community garden, Adopt-a-Bodega, or any idea you have to make your neighborhood a healthier, happier place!

Click here to apply today.

Highlights on the day’s schedule include two Change By Us presentations:

NYC Mini-Grants 101: Grassroots Fundraising for Everyone

Learn about applying for funds to power your greening dreams, and hear from previous grantees!

Making Marketing and Social Media Work for You

Learn marketing, branding and social media skills.

Don’t miss this opportunity to network with fellow community members while learning and sharing new skills.  For more info, please visit the Grow Our Grassroots website or follow the hashtag #GrowOurGrassroots.

Many of you participated in person or online through the event’s full live streaming coverage; check out video highlights from the day here.  TEDxManhattan will be back next year but you can continue the conversation through Facebook, Twitter, or by connecting with other project leaders on Change By Us.