Compost Campaign Posters, 2013

Marina Zurkow with Stefani Bardin and Brooke Singer — La Castia Verde was a “compost first” garden. This means we built our composting operation before our grow beds. These posters were designed and installed on our fence to promote composting and encourage the neighborhood to scrap save.

Warm Up, 2014

In 2014, we held a poster-making event the day before the large People’s Climate March held in NYC. 

Aerated Static Pile, 2016

In 2016, we designed and built a 3-bin aerated static pile (asp) composter. This machine is solar-powered and blasts air through the bays to reduce labor (no turning piles!) and speed up the decomposition process. We made a how-to video so others could use our design to build their own. 

Build a Bike Rim Compost Screener, 2016

We designed a compost shifter that is made from two bicycle wheels and some hardware cloth. Check out the how-to instructions on YouTube.

Events, 2017

We organized a series of events in the garden during the summer of 2017 with funding from Kiwi Energy. Many featured local artists and included talks, workshops and performances.

Murals, 2018

We commissioned the infinitely talented graffiti artists Loomit, Poem and Bert to transform two walls in our garden into spectacular artworks. Thanks to funding from CCNYC and the landlord of the building next door!

Carbon Sponge, 2018

Brooke Singer, one of LCV’s founding members, initiated a project called Carbon Sponge that explores the ability for urban soils to sequester carbon as a means to mitigate anthropogenic climate change. The work started at LCV and now has other locations throughout NYC.