KENNEDY SPACE CENTER GARDEN CLUB

Space Center Workers and Guests are welcome to attend the KSC Garden Club’s Annual Plant Swap. Bring some plants/starters (Please refrain from “Invasives”) and have 1-hour of fun and socialization with like-minded folks! If you forget to bring your starters…come anyway…we don’t care!

A new “Traveling Trophy” will be presented to the person swapping the MOST Plants and your name will be listed in the KSC Daily News!

Thursday, 25 April 2019 from 15:30-16:30

1-mile south of KSC Guard-Gate #2 (On East side of SR-3 across from Solar Farm)

Garden Club Minutes:

Kevin started with treasurer’s report. Club received $250 grant from the exchange. ~$100 in account. Grant not yet deposited. $68 from “Christmas in July.”

Kevin gave over view of grounds to ground and paper straw dispenser project.

Kevin provided status of “Do Not Mow Zone”
Submitted proposal into innovation team
Un-curated Natural Florida wildflowers
Mono-culture makes it more noticeable.

Kerry proposed Veggie Lab tour in September (Gioia will lead). Seven people signed interest sheet.

SSPF gardens are doing well. Hibiscus is doing very well. If they need to add color, additional plants may be added (funded by the club.) Large pots honoring “Hidden Figures” are at the East entrance. SSPF will have their Poinsettia count upped a bit this year.

Curators Discussion: Need drought resistant plants. Sometimes once a day watering is not enough. SSPF is doing starter plants at home. Kevin says start with larger plants. Ed offered palms for shade but Kevin says club can’t dig or do trees.

Kevin would like to have another plant swap in the fall. Ed suggested Fridays aren’t the best. Perhaps try a Wednesday.

Email Status:
From Lakeesha Flowers via email: $68 so far from Christmas in July fundraiser.

From Linda Redmon via email: Statement shows $100 currently in the account $64 in checking, $40.10 in savings.

From Dan McFarland via email: The SPI email asking for python help was a success and the volunteers are currently writing the application. Testing will start after the application is in beta.

Why does Hollywood control the narrative on space and why is it so effective? What is it about their stories that inspire innovators to turn that fiction into reality? Creative Director of his name-sake Studio in Copenhagen, Denmark, Johannes Torpe has inspired audiences at the International Symposium for Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS). NASA Exchange, Public Affairs, Launching Leaders and Spaceport Innovators now invite all KSC personnel to experience this designer and musician’s brand of philosophy for tackling problems with innovative creativity. Join us on Monday, June 18, at noon in the KSC Training Auditorium.

Good Morning Garden Club!

A quick note to keep folks up-to-speed on all the “happenings”.

• We had another highly successful Lobby Poinsettia Display (LPD) for the holidays.  2017 saw us pick-up 3-NASA Centers!!  LPD 2018 will see even MORE collaboration!
• If you drive North on SR-3 (North of NASA Parkway East), you will notice on the East side of the roadway/shoulder across from Roberts Road survey stakes noting the NEW “No Mowing” wildflowers test site!  If you want to be involved in the worth-wild effort contact me.  We can always use some help/private funds.

 

• Watch the KSC Daily News for the following:

We are organizing a Whiffle Ball Tournament for February 9th to raise funds for the Club’s SPRING PLANTINGS!!  I need a Project Manager so contact me if you want to volunteer.

Whiffle Ball Tournament for Spring Flowers-Fund Drive

Your KSC Garden Club is swinggin’ for the fences!  Spring planting season is right around the corner and we need funds to re-plant and refresh our 9-Gardens on Center!  We need funds or is that FUN?! To that end, we have procured an official whiffle-ball set and will organize a full tournament to be held 1-day, February 9^th after work starting at 3pm. This tournament will last 2-hours with the winning team being crowned “KSC 2018 Whiffle-ball Champions!” Please visit our website for more details click here.  Cost is $3  CASH per person at time of event for teams of two to five.  ALL proceeds go directly into the ground!

 

• We are scheduling a Plant Swap (#3) for March 16th.  FREE PLANTS & SMILES!  More to come!

 

• KSC walk-run is KSC Walk-Run for March 13, 2018 and we will have an outreach display, signs, and need 2-folks to volunteer to chat and take e-mail addresses.  You get a FREE Walk-run Shirt!  J Contact me.

 

• Finally, we are proud to unveil our NEW logo!  Some things are worth waiting for!

 

• We continue to try and “Partner” with the Visitor’s Center.   If someone would like to help Project Manage this effort and/or create a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) please contact me.

 

I welcome your comments and ideas for innovation and collaboration as well as how best to grow our vision of “Flowers Make Humans Happy” in alignment with our CORE NASA Mission(s).

 

Respectfully,

Kevin

KSCGC President

Team,

What a wonderful first full year of our Club.  We have come a very long way.  I would like to re-cap some achievements of 2017 and goals going into 2018.

• We have now had our 2^nd Lobby Poinsettia Display event and continue to work for a sustainable event that can go on forever (and that’s a mighty long timeJ). Our fund drive of November netted $219 towards our $700 goal.  Thanks all.
• Our LPD efforts & sponsorship have now spread to 3-other Centers and we have a goal for 2018 to capture all 10 Centers!  KSC can lead in this collaborative event…and will.
• Thru hard work we have maintained 9-gardens on Center with only 1-garden requiring “de-servicing” due to a change in curation.  We plan to bring that Garden back in full-force when the new HQ building becomes occupied so I would not call that a “loss”.
• KSC Got Site approval for the first ever “KSC No Mow Zone Test site 001” for natural wildflowers along SR-3.  I hope thru scientific study and documentation someday there could be a 1 or 2 mile stretch of wildflowers for all to see and enjoy (and educate all including the +1 million tourists on the busses).
• KSCGC has a new logo (to be rolled out in 2018).  I think a lot of folks will be shocked how thought-out and awesome this logo is thanks to a collaborative brainstorming & working effort by the Logo Committee.
•  We make headway on our Automated Eco-friendly drink straw dispenser and hope it can be beta-deployed in the 1^st Quarter of 2018…in our MF Lunchroom.  More to come…
• All our KSC Guard Gates continue to have curation of the planters and flowers located in-front of them.  This was a major goal of the club and these flowers are for all to enjoy as they enter America’s Finest Multi-user Spaceport

Some of 2018 Goals

• Work to “partner” with the KSC Visitor’s Center on what we do and the value we bring to them in hopes of creating a more formal relationship.
• Work with the new HQ floor lay-out folks to allow an “educational” area near the lunch room where eco-friendly education displays can be rotated in-and-out (to include a working veggie display similar to a station hydroponic growth station).
• Deploy the Eco-Straw dispenser to provide an alternate to plastic straws educate and raise awareness.
• Work with the Center as it develops the “no mow” test site.
• Grow our base of members and provide for planting activities, plant swaps, partnerships with other Center Clubs & ERG’s and provide a conduit for eco-education.

I could go on-and-on about the goals but will leave it at that.  Finally, Thanks to all for your encouragement, time and membership in this Club…we never judge and even if you are only a member “at heart” the key is you ARE a member and we are so glad to have you as we shape the future for the next generation.

Best Holiday Wishes to all…and to all…a GREAT day!

Kevin

President,  KSCGC

Fall is here! Time for stuffing our home landscaping with free plants! Your KSC Garden Club is meeting Friday, Oct. 20, from 4 p.m. until ? at Building N6-1009 outside the guard gate on State Road 3 (across the street from the solar farm). We will informally gather there and open our cars/trunks to swap plants! Three simple rules are: NO INVASIVES. (We can educate you if you accidently bring some.) Everything is free! Smiles are required! E-mail Kevin Panik if you would like a personal Outlook meeting request sent directly to you.
POC: Kevin Panik, President KSCGC

Good Morning Wonderful Garden Club Team!

A quick update (see below). Recall: NEXT Friday is our PLANT SWAP! Come-on-out!! J

Yours in “Flowers Make Humans Happy”,

Kevin

“Coffee to Grounds” Plan
We need a Project Manager for this effort. OSB-1 has been working to kick-off using the guidelines in our APPROVED REC but to have a larger roll-out and a unified effort a PM volunteer will be needed. If we can’t find anyone to be the PM volunteer we will NOT roll this out and will try at another time. (Update 11OCT2017: Project Managers have volunteered! J)

Hydroponic lettuce stations in OUR lunchrooms (VC model)
We introduced this concept during the meeting. GC President has “socialized” this with some NASA folks but no real feedback at this time. (Update 11OCT2017: Morphing into a “Rotational Educational Display Floor Space” in/near (TBD) the 1st Floor NEW HQ Building lunch room). We are still “making soup” on this! J

Automated Cash station for Eco-straws dispenser with “Pay-it-forward” option
During the meeting it was explained this was mostly a SOCIAL EXPERIMENT to see how our Center population would respond if a system to dispense $0.05/paper straw was provided in the lunch room. Daniel has most of the hardware in-house. And we look to have a working prototype maybe end of October. If you would like to learn about Raspberry Pi controllers, and other cool stuff contact Daniel to help-out! ((Update 11OCT2017: A new member has volunteered to do CAD for our Lead Designer Daniel)

KSC Exchange “Spare Change to Gardens” Pilot Project
Once again the Exchange is sooo good to US! J Lakeesha chatted with the right folks and the registers would have a tough time “programming” the round-up option but they CAN program a “hot-key” for maybe a $0.75 donation! So the Exchange is going to work that a little more and we are no targeting a “2017 Christmas Lobby Poinsettia Display” effort JUST LIKE LAST YEAR! This time donations may make it a sustainable effort! More to come!( (Update 11OCT2017: BA and the Exchange working this)

Launch Federal Credit Union
After 4-months of work with our wonderful PARTNER Launch Federal Credit Union…you can now walk-up to the counter and say; “I would like to donate $1.00 to the KSC Garden Club.” NO account number required! They will take your money! NIIIICE!

Partner KSC Exchange Grant ($100) with KSC Visitor Center to Flower-power a mutually beneficial site (TBD)
We highlighted that the LCC Lobby has had our INCREDIBLE Curator Laura providing lobby flowers for our VC Bus Guests as well as our co-worker for over 4-months!. Kevin discussed how we might provide some “messaging” to the Center on this great partnership and extend it to other areas and make it “Sustainable” (maybe a MOU with Visitor Center?). It was also discussed that the large Kenned Entrance Sign (see our Facebook page) could use some garden-scape re-design and a plan for Sustainability. Hopefully in-time we can partner…

Next Club Plant Swap
Friday after work October 20th 3:45-4:15 on SR-3 just outside the gate (OLD Badging station). A meeting request will be sent to interested individuals. (Update 11OCT2017: Meeting Established 5-people confirmed!)

All Hands Planting
Sometime in November (TBD)

Open Discussion
· Dan updated us on the Mulching effort. Data is being collected and a Pilot Project is in the works! Good Work Dan and maybe by spring next year we will have some “Home-grown” KSC Mulch…the sweetest in the Nation! J

· The Nome Garden is in need of a volunteer Curator. If we cannot fins a volunteer in a few weeks we will need to “de-service” this Garden as it is just too much for Steve to handle alone while keeping a WONDERFUL focus his other HIGH-VISABLE Guard Gate #2 Entrance. Please consider coming out of a “BASIC” member to a Curator level! J

· Daniel has developed a “meetings” page on our website which we will managing/updating as needed (Plant swap) and a “Meeting Minutes” page that will house these (and previous) minutes.

· We may develop a survey monkey but need a volunteer Project Mgr. for that. (Update 11OCT2017: Still need a PM)

· Meeting adjourned on-time at 4pm.

Visit our Facebook and “follow” us KSC Garden Club
Website http://kscgardenclub.com

Finally…Thanks to ALL our “BASIC” members…You are making us a FORCE so please consider asking your co-workers to join OUR Club! We want 1000 members by 2018!! We can DO IT!

“Coffee to Grounds” Plan
We need a Project Manager for this effort. OSB-1 has been working to kick-off using the guidelines in our APPROVED REC but to have a larger roll-out and a unified effort a PM volunteer will be needed. If we can’t find anyone to be the PM volunteer we will NOT roll this out and will try at another time.

Hydroponic lettuce stations in OUR lunchrooms (VC model)
We introduced this concept during the meeting. GC President has “socialized” this with some NASA folks but no real feedback at this time.

Automated Cash station for Eco-straws dispenser with “Pay-it-forward” option
During the meeting it was explained this was mostly a SOCIAL EXPERIMENT to see how our Center population would respond if a system to dispense $0.05/paper straw was provided in the lunch room. Daniel has most of the hardware in-house. And we look to have a working prototype maybe end of October. If you would like to learn about Raspberry Pi controllers, and other cool stuff contact Daniel to help-out!

KSC Exchange “Spare Change to Gardens” Pilot Project
Once again the Exchange is sooo good to US! J Lakeesha chatted with the right folks and the registers would have a tough time “programming” the round-up option but they CAN program a “hot-key” for maybe a $0.75 donation! So the Exchange is going to work that a little more and we are no targeting a “2017 Christmas Lobby Poinsettia Display” effort JUST LIKE LAST YEAR! This time donations may make it a sustainable effort! More to come!

Launch Federal Credit Union
After 4-months of work with our wonderful PARTNER Launch Federal Credit Union…you can now walk-up to the counter and say; “I would like to donate $1.00 to the KSC Garden Club.” NO account number required! They will take your money! NIIIICE!

Partner KSC Exchange Grant ($100) with KSC Visitor Center to Flower-power a mutually beneficial site (TBD)
We highlighted that the LCC Lobby has had our INCREDIBLE Curator Laura providing lobby flowers for our VC Bus Guests as well as our co-worker for over 4-months!. Kevin discussed how we might provide some “messaging” to the Center on this great partnership and extend it to other areas and make it “Sustainable” (maybe a MOU with Visitor Center?). It was also discussed that the large Kenned Entrance Sign (see our Facebook page) could use some garden-scape re-design and a plan for Sustainability. Hopefully in-time we can partner…

Next Club Plant Swap
Friday after work October 13th 3:45-4:15 on SR-3 just outside the gate (OLD Badging station). A meeting request will be sent to interested individuals.

All Hands Planting
Sometime in November (TBD)

Open Discussion
· Dan updated us on the Mulching effort. Data is being collected and a Pilot Project is in the works! Good Work Dan and maybe by spring next year we will have some “Home-grown” KSC Mulch…the sweetest in the Nation! J

· The Nome Garden is in need of a volunteer Curator. If we cannot fins a volunteer in a few weeks we will need to “de-service” this Garden as it is just too much for Steve to handle alone while keeping a WONDERFUL focus his other HIGH-VISABLE Guard Gate #2 Entrance. Please consider coming out of a “BASIC” member to a Curator level! J

· Daniel has developed a “meetings” page on our website which we will managing/updating as needed (Plant swap) and a “Meeting Minutes” page that will house these (and previous) minutes.

· We may develop a survey monkey but need a volunteer Project Mgr. for that.

· Meeting adjourned on-time at 4pm.

Visit our Facebook and “follow” us KSC Garden Club
Website http://kscgardenclub.com

Finally…Thanks to ALL our “BASIC” members…You are making us a FORCE so please consider asking your co-workers to join OUR cClub! We want 1000 members by 2018!! We can DO IT!

Today’s meeting was a success! I’m formatting the minutes and will post them shortly.