Isles to Increase Green

Job Training!

Our Training Manager, Andre Thomas (second from right) participated in Round Table led by NJ First Lady Tammy Murphy (third from left) to announce funding to increase training at Isles. The funding will will enable Isles to train under & unemployed NJ residents in green jobs and create a path to employment. Thanks Andre and the whole Isles team who spearheaded this grant application.

An AmeriThanks to our Trenton Climate Corps AmeriCorps Members!

On March 12-18th, a nationwide AmeriThanks was given to the thousands of AmeriCorps members recognized for their commitment to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. At Isles, we’d like to recognize our AmeriCorps members Trenton Climate Corps and give them our very own AmeriThanks. 

The Trenton Climate Corps builds on Isles’ existing youth and environmental services and the Corps Network’s infrastructure and support to address some of Trenton’s most pressing concerns. We partner with a variety of residents, businesses, and other stakeholders to increase the sustainability and climate resiliency of the City and its residents while providing education, workforce development, and life skills to both our Climate Corps members and the residents they serve. The services our Climate Corps members were involved in just this week provide a snapshot of the kinds of work they’re involved in during their time of service. 

In partnership with the Trenton Free Public Library, AmeriCorps member Ben Venkatesulu coordinates weekly club meetings for Trenton students interested in learning more about how to overcome the challenges facing our environment. Ben says he joined Climate Corps because, “It combined my passion for environmental science and community building in a meaningful way. While working with Climate Corps, I have learned more about the process of planning community events and of the importance of community in general.” Ben puts his knowledge to use with the environmental science club. He meets with students in grades 7-9 to teach them how to conduct experiments, complete design challenges, and learn more about the environment and sustainability. One of the recent projects Ben completed with the students was a soil filtration project. The goal was to test how well soil, sand, and gravel were able to filter pollutants out of water. This experiment also covered the difference between pervious and impervious surfaces and how green infrastructure works to improve water quality. 

Through our developing partnership with the Abbott Marshlands, our members completed GIS mapping to identify low lying areas that are easily flooded in the marsh. Identifying these areas will allow them to work on a project to build walkways through the park making it more accessible to the public.

However, their greatest accomplishment during AmeriCorps week was working with community volunteers to remove 850 lbs of trash from the storm drains behind a local elementary school. These storm drains feed water directly into the marshlands and had not been cleaned since 2019! Nurturing this partnership with the Abbott Marshlands will allow us to create a plan to be able to assist with the maintenance of the storm drains in the future.

Strengthening our long-term partnership with Howell Living History Farm, our members cleaned Phoebe's Freedom Garden. This garden was created on the Howell property to be an all edible garden in honor of slaves who farmed in the area. The garden provides a harvest that resembles the produce that Phoebe and her family would have eaten and is available for purchase to the public at the farm. 

The impact our AmeriCorps members in just a short week is nothing compared to the long term impact that they will have on the environment in our communities. Many of them joined just for these types of experiences. Theresa McGuiness said, “I joined Climate Corps because I wanted a hands-on job that combined my love of working with people and with plants. So far, I've learned a multitude of leadership and organizational skills as well as the scope of starting a community garden and creating community events and workshops.”

Terrance Woodard says, “Since being here at Isles, I have learned how to believe in people who may not have the motivation to believe in themselves. I've learned a lot about healthy eating, different plants that help purify the air, how much better it is to grow your own food, and how to lend a hand to those who need it most.” We are happy to have provided an opportunity for our members to learn and grow and we are proud of the evolution of their service. They’re more than deserving of a great AmeriThanks for all that they’re doing for the community and environment.

Since 1981, Isles Garden Support Network has been helping community and school gardens grow in Trenton. Once again this spring, Isles invites you to experience farming the old-fashioned way! On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, a team of horses and staff from Howell Living History Farm will plow the community garden at 81 Chestnut Avenue (between Walnut Ave. and Greenwood Ave). from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Rain date will be either Wednesday, April 6 or Thursday, April 7, depending on conditions.

The Chestnut Avenue garden is the largest and oldest of more than 70 community and school gardens in Trenton, and has hosted Howell Living History Farm plow teams for majority of the last 30 years that this event has taken place. Operated by the Mercer County Park Commission, Howell demonstrates farming techniques used in the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century and in many parts of the world today.

Local school groups will participate in the hands-on event by helping guide the horses and learn about corn shelling, composting, beekeeping, and more.