FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 18, 2026

As we begin to move into fall, Green Ellsworth's Everybody Harvests Community Garden is in full production and ramping up its cooler weather crops--late season peas, fava beans and of course brassicas like kale, broccoli and cabbage.  With 38 different vegetables and herbs available for the picking the garden is a great place for people to sample some locally grown healthy produce for free as well as volunteer and/or learn something about organic growing in Maine.

Through Wednesday, September 30 the garden will be open for public harvesting on Wednesday and Friday from 4:00-6:00PM.  Starting on October 3, public harvesting will move to Saturdays 10-12:00PM.  Harvesters should bring their own containers for harvested produce and check the Green Ellsworth website for weather related cancellations and what is being harvested each week (https://www.greenellsworth.org/action-teamsareas/food-and-farming). 

Volunteer work and learn times are currently on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11:00AM-4:00PM through September 30.  Starting October 3 volunteer work and learn times will be on Wednesday and Friday, 1:00-3:00PM and Saturdays 10:00-12:00PM.  Individuals wanting to volunteer (this is a teaching garden; no gardening experience is required) should contact Mary Blackstone at 207-667-8878 or blackstm@uregina.ca in advance to be prepared for the scheduled work for the day and any weather-related changes.

Located at Frenchman Bay Conservancy's Whitney Forest preserve in Ellsworth Falls, the garden may be accessed by car or on foot via Hannah Way off 1A or the Rail Trail near Tradewinds Mall.  Consisting of more than one-acre of prime soil on farmland of historical significance, this organically managed garden is augmented by the first of four handicapped accessible raised beds which was constructed as a project of the Ellsworth Public Library and mutual aid volunteers. 

The garden has been planted with successive crops for harvesting through December (weather permitting).  Apart from hands on harvesting by the public and nearby schools, produce from the garden has served the Friends in Action meals program and Healthy Acadia's gleaning program which supplies 30 food security organizations across Hancock County.  

This community garden has been generously funded by the Quimby Foundation, the Ellsworth Garden Club and a Maine Community Foundation anonymous donor.  It has been made possible through a partnership involving Green Ellsworth, Frenchman Bay Conservancy, Healthy Acadia and the Ellsworth schools.  The Community Garden is a "small project" within Green Ellsworth's broader efforts to increase public access to locally grown food and strengthen the food system in Downeast Maine.  

For more information or to schedule an interview with photography of the garden contact Mary Blackstone at blackstm@uregina.ca or 207-667-8878.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 11, 2026

Green Ellsworth and the City of Ellsworth invite you to reflect on what you intend to do with that apple core!  They are partnering on food waste prevention initiatives that coincide with the launch of national Food Waste Prevention Week (September 28-October 4, 2026) and International Food Waste Prevention Day (September 29, 2026).

On Tuesday, September 22 (9:00AM-2:00PM) Green Ellsworth and the City of Ellsworth will host Mark King (Department of Environmental Protection) and  Susanne Lee (Mitchell Center, University of Maine) who will address the history, benefits, regulations, current opportunities and practical processes involved in reducing and managing food waste more sustainably.  The focus will be on activating communities, municipalities, farms, local businesses and non-profits to address this issue.  A panel and Informational displays will also address local Green Ellsworth, City of Ellsworth and county-wide municipal, non-profit and business food waste prevention initiatives and supports currently underway and planned. With 40% of our waste stream currently composed of organic matter and the cost of collecting and transporting waste by the ton continuing to escalate, public engagement in food waste reduction is not just an environmental or social issue--it is a matter of financial sustainability for families, municipalities and taxpayers who bear the costs of waste management.

This program will take place in the conference room at the Moore Community Center (125 State Street) and it will conclude at 2:00PM, followed by a 3:00PM ribbon cutting at the Ellsworth Transfer Station to celebrate the City's year-long free food scrap collection pilot program.  This initiative is made possible through a state-funded Community Action Grant and managed in partnership with Chickadee Compost, a local composting business based in Surry.  People are encouraged to bring their apple cores and other food scraps for the ceremonial, no-food-waste pitch following the ribbon cutting.

Other composting options introduced previously by Green Ellsworth in partnership with Chickadee Compost include curbside and neighborhood drop off collection sites as well as school cafeteria composting at the Ellsworth Elementary Middle School.  Ellsworth High School composting will begin later this fall thanks to a generous donation from Hannaford as well as the Community Action Grant secured by the City of Ellsworth and the Hancock County Planning Commission.  

For more information on the City of Ellsworth's composting services go to www.ellsworthmaine.gov/services/trash-collection-recycling/.  For more information on the September 22 program and other composting and solid waste management initiatives go to www.greenellsworth.org/action-teamsareas/infrastructure/waste/community-composting or call 667-8878.

Short form for calendar listing:

Ellsworth, Sept 22, 9:00AM-12:30PM--Food Waste Prevention Program, Organized by the Department of Environmental Protection, Green Ellsworth and the City of Ellsworth.  Free public event.  Moore Community Center, 125 State St., Ellsworth

Ellsworth, Sept 22, 3:00PM--City of Ellsworth Composting Program Ribbon Cutting and Celebration.  Ellsworth Transfer Station/Recycling Center, 11 Industrial Road, Ellsworth.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On November 1 (10:00AM-noon), 3 and 4 (9:00AM-3:00PM) the City of Ellsworth’s Arbor Commission, the Parks and Recreation crew, and Green Ellsworth volunteers will be planting trees all along Foster and Washington Streets in Ellsworth. Members of the public are invited to join the planting process at any point during the three planting times to help plant a tree for Ellsworth.

Volunteers should park at the Ellsworth Shopping Center near Shaw’s and the Foster Street exit. They should wear sturdy water-proof footwear and gloves and they should bring shovels, rakes and/or a wheelbarrow if they have them. There will be extras available if they don’t. Safety gear and equipment operators for the heaviest digging will be provided. The length of time required for the planting will depend on the number of volunteers who participate. Volunteers who cannot stay for the whole planting are welcome to leave early or come late.  

These plantings mark the start of a three-year planting project made possible by a $173,000 Urban and Community Forestry Grant from the US Forestry Service made possible by the Infrastructure Renewal and Jobs Act. These plantings are part of a larger canopy renewal effort being undertaken by the Arbor Commission. Prior to the 1960s Ellsworth’s tree-lined streets (including Main Street and High Street) were the focus of numerous postcards and a cause for considerable pride. With the help of community volunteers and city workers over the next three years, the Arbor Commission intends to begin re-treeing the city and restoring the canopy that is needed now more than ever with our increasingly hot summers and heavier traffic.