Join us for a special evening featuring Audubon CT/NY and local food and plant experts where we will explore the powerful intersection of ecological gardening, local food security, and community collaboration. Like many communities, Greenwich faces the challenge of ensuring access to fresh, healthy produce for all our residents. Thankfully, a collaboration among the Greenwich Audubon Center, Neighbor to Neighbor, and Food Rescue US aims to combine forces by increasing the availability of fresh, healthy produce for those experiencing food insecurity through ecological gardening practices that provide fresh, healthy food for birds and other pollinators too. Together we hope to build a more resilient and equitable local food system and reduce food waste. 

Potluck food and hors d'oeuvres will be provided by Happiness Is Back Country Market along with organic wine from The Study Fine Wines! Bringing a dish to share is 100% optional but if you do, please make sure you include a notecard listing ingredients. Bite size sharables are preferred as the Center has limited capacity to provide serving and eating utensils. 

6:00 -6:30pm: Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres; 6:30-7:30pm: Presentations and panel  

This

event is FREE but RSVPs REQUIRED HERE to determine capacity

Suggested Donations encouraged. Your contributions greatly help to support the Greenwich Audubon Center's conservation and education efforts. Thank you! 

American Goldfinch. Photo: Lucy Franco / Audubon Photography Awards

SPEAKER BIOS:

Joyann Cirigliano is the Bird-Friendly Communities Senior Coordinator for Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary and Audubon Center. She is also the proprietor of Joy’s Forever Endeavor, a ecological garden design and mentoring company. She is an “ecoscaper,” environmental educator, and natural historian. Joy is passionate about ecosystems, and the profound effect humanity has on nature – for good or ill. She is a Certified Nursery and Landscape Professional (CNLP), and National Wildlife Federation Certified Wildlife Landscape Professional.  She has worked in the horticultural industry, focusing on ecological and sustainable landscaping, for more than 30 years.  

Joy has presented at numerous venues including: Cornell Cooperative Extension, Managing Landscapes Sustainably and Living Landscapes conferences, Metro Hort's "Plant-o-Rama", Sierra Club and Audubon Meetings, Libraries throughout the Long Island Library network, and local garden club events.  

Joy is the creator of the “HELP: Habitat and Ecosystems Land Pro” endorsement program. This 15-hour, 3-day program teaches landscapers, arborists and other horticulture professionals how to shift their traditional business model to a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly model, and how to monetize the ecological landscaping model. She is currently working on “HEAL: Heathy Ecosystems for Any Landscape”, a 3-hour in-depth “Native plants, ecological landscaping and healthy practices” program created for Master Gardeners, Do-it-Yourselfers and the general public, which uses the same principles as the HELP Professional program. 

Joy has been involved with Audubon level for over 17 years. When asked if she prefers flora or fauna, she responds, “I prefer canines best – except when they eat my raspberries!”  

Karen Saggese brings a multifaceted approach to addressing food insecurity, waste, and climate change. Equipped with a BA in Art History and a JD in Global Law and Policy, she combines creative problem-solving with legal acumen.  Driven by a passion for food justice and environmental sustainability, Karen actively leads efforts to transform the food system. She is a community builder and advocate, serving as Co-Site Director for Food Rescue US Fairfield County and Co-Director of the Greenwich Food Alliance, where she fosters collaboration and drives tangible results. Her engagement with the CT Zero Waste Coalition and the CT Food Sovereignty Collective highlights her commitment to systemic change. Locally, she contributes through board service and volunteering, demonstrating a holistic dedication to building a more just and sustainable future. 

Eunice Burnett has been a Greenwich resident for over twenty years and has served on the  Audubon CT/NY Advisory Board for over sixteen years, where she is particularly focused on the Bird Friendly Communities initiative and Native Plants for Birds.  In addition, she is a board member of the CT Chapter of the Nature Conservancy and is the Vice President of Land Conservation for the National Garden Club of America’s Conservation Committee. Eunice spends much of her time gardening sustainably on her own property with a focus on native plants and furthering the mission of ecological land management on other private and public lands. 

Frank Feroleto brings 15 years of hands-on experience to Feroleto Garden Co., a business dedicated to empowering households to grow their own organic, nutrient rich food. Specializing in home-scale regenerative agriculture, Frank utilizes sustainable growing techniques to help turn backyards into bountiful and beautiful ecosystems.