Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "The earth laughs in flowers." If that's the case, then the Green Guerillas are grinning from ear to ear. While some outreach programs spend a lot of their time working phones and crunching numbers to get work done, this New York-based organization has been brightening neighborhoods and spirits by getting their hands dirty - literally - for 30 years. The Green Guerillas, made up of over 800 volunteers, dozens of employees and generous donors, both corporate and private, have been changing the face of New York for decades using a different set of tools - vegetable seeds, flower pots, topsoil and mural paintings, just to name a few.

In 1973, a young artist named Liz Christy noticed an unsightly empty lot on the corner of Bowery and Houston on Manhattan's gritty Lower East Side. Most people, if they noticed the lot at all, saw only a blank bit of land, something that was attracting empty beer cans and old newspapers. Christy saw something else. Christy saw opportunity in that vacant lot in the form of a living garden.

Christy herself knew gardens to be places of peace and creativity - she bet a garden in her neighborhood could provide the same thing for others, and maybe foster an opportunity for community involvement and neighborhood pride. She was right. For a dollar a month, Christy and a small group of like-minded friends and neighbors rented the lot from the city's Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) office and began what is now known as the Bowery Houston Community Farm and Garden. Calling themselves the "Green Guerillas," these young hopefuls planted their way into the fabric of New York's community gardening network.

In the nearly 30 years that have elapsed since the Green Guerilla's first garden, the work the group has taken on has risen exponentially. Geographically speaking, the group has its work cut out for them. The group branched out from Manhattan several years ago and now does work in several boroughs, including economically disadvantaged and historically tough neighborhoods like the South Bronx. Dedicated not only to the implementation of new gardens in empty spaces, one of the group's main projects is to preserve old or neglected gardens in the city. When a garden isn't taken care of properly (and even when it is) building developers are quick to request to build upon space they rarely see as anything but hot real estate. Through their Garden Preservation Initiative, the Green Guerillas mobilize communities and organize landowners so that valued gardens can remain intact. Fostering threatened gardens has been one of the group's main goals since its inception, and though the Guerillas hate to admit it, times haven't changed that much.

As a result of the latest community garden settlement between the City of New York and the New York State Attorney General, over 100 community gardens are at risk of "development or sale." (NYC Community Gardens Agreement, 2003.) From Manhattan's East Village to Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn, these gardens are being subjected to a "garden review," and, if they don't pass the test, they will be demolished. The Green Guerillas are at the forefront of those individuals and groups fighting to keep the city as green as possible, and they urge anyone who values these urban oases to call or write their City Council members or their Borough President to tell them the same. They also encourage a simple visit to your nearest community garden, and suggest getting involved with the community gardeners in your neighborhood. No matter what course of action one may take to let their voice be heard, the Green Guerillas will be there to provide backup.

Once a garden is on the Green Guerilla docket, help can come in many ways and at many levels, but community gardeners can rest assured that no matter whether they need a magnolia overhaul or need to secure funding for a new project, the Guerillas will be there.

"We've been involved with over 600 gardens in the city of New York," says Rebecca Fergusson, Green Guerillas' associate director. "And more than ever, we're in a unique position right now to respond to the changing needs of the gardeners we work with. What they see as goals are what we see as our main goals, too."

While advocating threatened gardens in the city is considered the primary goal of the group, other programs are currently being focused on as well - the most promising being the Youth Mural Project. Within the very gardens the Guerillas have helped to create and maintain, big, bright murals are being completed by neighborhood children in the name of city beautification. The idea behind the merging of art and gardening through youth is simple, according to Fergusson. "It's our effort to create and support new artists and gardeners by encouraging them to get involved at a young age," says Fergusson. "It also helps instill a sense of value about gardens early on, whether they work on the mural or just enjoy it once its there."

Many take for granted the work that goes into creating and maintaining a living garden in the middle of a large city, but it doesn't scare the Green Guerillas. With financial support from the likes of GEICO Insurance, ConEd and ABC Carpet and Home (plus many others) and the elbow grease of almost 1,000 supporters, volunteers, and donors, the group keeps moving forward. When the goals of an organization are as straightforward as "plant more flowers" or "give a kid a paintbrush," it's hard to get too distracted for long.

Recently, The Cooperator had the opportunity to speak more in-depth with Fergusson about her organization's goals, accomplishments, and upcoming events.

"The amount of help we give varies, but I'd say we've been involved with well over 600 gardens."

The Guerillas are involved with building contractors, schools and community gardeners. How do you make your services known?

"We've been such a strong presence in community gardening for so long, most people hear of us through word of mouth. We have solid relationships with many small gardeners, and we stay in touch with them through mailings and our newsletter. There's some media coverage, too, but mostly the people who need us know who we are."

"We've been working on the Youth Mural Project for about 5 years now. At the moment, the project is run by Green Guerillas, but it may become it's own project in the future."

"There are probably 15 or 16 completed murals right now, all of them in community gardens. As far as how many kids are involved, it's hard to say. We try to recruit as many kids as possible who are actually from the neighborhood where the mural is to be painted. We get kids literally off the street who may be walking by. Some work on the mural for one day, then leave. Some of them come in every day. On one mural, I think it's safe to say there are a 100 kids working at any given time. Some school groups are involved, too."

"It's our 30th anniversary this year and we had a weeklong celebration in mid-July to celebrate all the hard work that goes into running an organization like ours. The celebration was open to community gardeners and Green Guerilla and community garden supporters alike, and there was lots of music and food. We just wanted to say thank you and have a good time."

For upcoming event calendars, contact information, and how to get involved with gardening in your neighborhood, visit the Green Guerillas at