AVCSG Newsletter #17
- Christina Wright
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Contact us at: altavistasustainabilitygroup@gmail.com NEW FACEBOOK GROUP: facebook.com/SustainAltaVista/ INSTAGRAM: @SustainAltaVista Help Line: 210-446-8027 NEWS Our micro-gardens grant projects are under way! Check out the Garden Club section for photos and more. We’re having so much fun, building community, and strengthening our eco-system. AVCSG is still working on getting the membership (free) part of the website up so that we can have a Garden Club network active through the site. Stay in touch with us on Facebook in the meantime! You can also follow us on Instagram for photos and events. We'd love if you shared/tagged us with your garden projects!  We kicked off Alta Vista Moves last week and we’re so excited to have this group grow! Meet your neighbors, make new friends, get some exercise, and enjoy spending time in the neighborhood. Join us on Wednesdays at 6pm, meet-up at the Alta Vista Community Micro Garden on N Flores and Agarita. Please reach out to AVCSG if you’re interested in climate sustainability and community resilience work! We need to grow our team! There’s so much interest in expanding the Garden Club, as well as having a tool sharing shed, material reuse, and activating the Food Sharing Network more broadly. The Food Sharing Network is still happening, and currently supports the Midtown Meetup Food Pantry. There’s a small fridge space for garden veggies and eggs. We’re hoping that through the website we can also make a space for exchanging with neighbors more directly. AVCSG attended a Climate Ready Neighborhoods workshop this week to learn more about how to create a strong Community Connectors program. We plan on utilizing what we've learned to grow our group and help our neighbors. Please let us know if you want to become a Community Connector! FYI Did you know that the Alta Vista Community Sustainability Group is a separate organization from the Alta Vista Neighborhood Association?
We’re all about sustainability, environmental education, and community projects. For things like zoning, street work, parking, development, the VIA Green Line, stray or feral animals, neighbor issues, graffiti, squatters, homelessness, or easement maintenance, those are better directed to the D1 Council Office, 311, or AVNA (avna@altavistana.org). Thanks for helping keep things pointed in the right direction and for caring about Alta Vista! GARDEN CLUB AVCSG and the Bexar County Master Gardeners came together at the home of Nora and Izzy for a vegetable garden planting workshop. We had so much fun going to Fanick’s garden center and picking out the okra, bell peppers, beets, oregano, parsley, and mint. At the home of Lisa and Thomas, they have tomatoes, zucchini, parsley, oregano, basil, mint, and sage.  And, we learned so much! Most surprising to most of us was that we were told to pick tomatoes when they are just blushing with a hint of pink. Leave them on the kitchen counter to ripen. That way pests and critters won’t get to them first! We also planted the tallest, largest plants on the west side of the garden since that is the most intense heat part of the day. Fun fact: Aphids spread so quickly because of their asexual reproduction (parthenogenesis), like cloning. One aphid can be born carrying up to 100 living babies! We have also enjoyed our native garden planting days with two gardens started so far! If you’ve been talking non-stop about the weather, the lack of winter, and the heat, and maybe feeling a little sad that your wildflower seeds didn’t take, then you’re not the only one. There’s so much interest and excitement in knowing that we’re making our neighborhood ecosystem stronger, as well as an awareness that we’re adjusting to the impacts of climate change. It won’t stop us, we just need to learn how to adapt, and get ready for the fall! Native Gardeners: Explore the resources on the Native Plant Society of Texas - San Antonio Chapter website! https://www.npsot.org/chapters/san-antonio/ Vegetable Gardeners: Explore the resources on the Bexar County Master Gardeners website! https://bexarmg.org/may-we-help/vegetable-gardening/ ALTA VISTA MOVES Get Ready! Get Moving!  Meet up weekly on Wednesdays at 6pm at the AV Community Micro Garden at the corner of N Flores and Agarita. Bring a small trash bag and gloves to pick up trash along the route - only if you want, we thought it'd be a great idea because there’s so much of it! Kids and family groups are more than welcome. At 6:10ish we’ll head out on a walk to San Pedro Springs Park, follow the trail around one time, and head back. Those who wish to run or bike are more than welcome to start off with the group. Connect with us if you’d like to lead a group walk, bike, run, or stay with those who want to use the time for stretching or light yoga. Stay in touch with us through our website or on social media for updates! INDOOR FOOD PANTRY AVCSG has partnered with Midtown Meetup to support an indoor food pantry! The food pantry has shelves for dry goods, canned foods, and a small fridge space for fresh produce and eggs. Please consider donating food to the food pantry when you can and take what you need! M-F 3pm - 1am and Sat-Sun 12pm - 1am  AVCSG POP UPS Looking forward to April - details coming soon! LOCAL BUSINESS & ORGANIZATIONS Click here to support neighborhood local business and organizations.  Please forward our newsletter to a neighbor as an invite to have them sign up by emailing us to be included in our directory. Not online? This email newsletter can be converted into plain text for easier reading or printing. Spanish speaking only? We need a volunteer who can translate our materials! We’re 90 neighbors strong who are receiving this newsletter now but our potential is exponential! Copyright (C) 2026 Alta Vista Community Sustainability Group. All rights reserved. |
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