Housatonic Habitat adds a Green thumb to its Green mission

Experts from Sustainable CT, Pollinator Pathway CT, and UConn Master Gardener programs will be on hand Saturday, May 1 from 10 am to 2 pm when Housatonic Habitat for Humanity launches its free Pollinator Pathway workshop during the Earth Day 2021 celebrations at 51 Austin Street, Danbury.

Topics include a focus on soil and composting, introduction to Pollinator Pathways, an overview of pollinators and their place on our planet, alternatives to lawns to create sustainable environments, and a look at how to plant for all seasons.

Housatonic Habitat for Humanity’s Earth Day activities focus on environmental issues that recycle, repurpose and create sustainable change.

Executive Director Fran Normann said, “Earth Day is more than a slogan or a day for us. Our ReStore is a thrift warehouse which turns donated household items and furniture as well as construction mateirals into affordable homes for local working families. We see first-hand the positive impact of thinking green by recycling and repurposing everyday items.”

Normann noted that Housatonic Habitat is pleased to partner with the CT Sustainability (sustainablect.org)

Committee, a diverse partnership of individuals and organizations committed to protecting, preserving and restoring the natural ecosystems. In addition, Housatonic Habitat’s open space at 51 Austin Street is preparing to be a stop on the Pollinator Pathway (pollinator-pathway.org) with the aid of volunteers from the region’s conservation organizations who work together to establish pollinator-friendly habitat and food sources for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinating insects and wildlife along a series of continuous corridors. In the future, volunteers from the UConn Extension Master Gardener (mastergardener.uconn.edu) program, a service-oriented program, will help plan, plant and maintain the space. In addition to volunteerism, the educational outreach enhances UConn’s horticultural education curriculum statewide.

The May 1 schedule is as follows: 10-10:30 Facts about soil and composting (Expert from Pollinator Pathway); 10:45-11:15 Why plant for (Mary Hogue, Pollinator Pathway and Master Gardener); 11:30-12 Beyond the birds and the bees (Expert from Pollinator Pathway); 12:15-12:45 Ditch the lawn for a sustainable garden (Expert from Sustainable CT); and 1:15-1:45 Planting for the seasons (Expert from UConn Master Gardener Program).

Housatonic Habitat for Humanity focuses on making a meaningful difference in the lives of qualified working families by promoting financial stability and self-sufficiency through ownership of affordable homes. Households often consist of those who have limited assets and who have jobs that also have income caps.

For more information about Housatonic Habitat for Humanity, see our website at housatonichabitat.org or our Facebook pages: facebook.com/HousatonicHabitatforHumanity and facebook.com/danburyrestore/. # # #