This is for all those who live in town, and think that they have no space to grow vegetables, be that because you are living in an apartment complex, in a township, or because you are homeless.
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| http://ttel.co.za/project/1915/ |
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| http://vimeo.com/53501620 |
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| http://ttel.co.za/project/township-roof-gardens/ |
To quote from the above link:
"We know that water comes from the clouds, not from a tap. We know that food comes from the ground, not from a shop in the City. And we know that nature offers us these gifts for free, every day. Yet we deny ourselves the simple opportunities of celebrating this every day.
Why is this so? Are we too busy working? Have we become enslaved to the notion of “buying” goodness? Have we forgotten the difference between theprice of something and the value of something?
We speak of change, we say that want change. But change is not easy. Change takes guts. Change is for the social revolutionaries who are prepared for the consequences of contradicting the status-quo and exposing the lie’s or our consumer-based economies.
We need “every-day” heroes, who are prepared to fight for change, to herald new and meaningful change.
Start with the homeless, the poor - ”in every neighborhood, a revolution”
Thank goodness we have individuals out there who cannot help but inspire us all.
Change - it really does just take one person at a time...
I saw a show on the science channel here recently that said more and more people in our cities are growing gardens in a similar fashion. James Kunstler, in his book "The Long Emergency" predicted some years ago that people in cities would have to grow some portion of their food on site, as fuel costs rose. Looks like you are ahead of the game there in your country.
ReplyDeleteHarry - We have so many homeless people (who have left their homelands in order to "walk the streets of gold") in our cities. And apart from soup kitchens, I have no idea how they obtain any of their fresh fruit and vegetables. Idea's like this were probably instigated in order to fulfill that need, in no matter how small a way.
DeleteVery interesting stuff, Dani! I always feel especially encouraged by school programs that include gardening, some of them in very urban areas where the garden site has to first be reclaimed from what would seem a human-destroyed wasteland. Very heartening indeed!
ReplyDeleteQuinn - Starting kids off young is the only hope for the future of farming - even those kids in city schools who wouldn't normally be exposed to any kids of farm activity.
DeleteI agree - there is nothing more uplifting than seeing schools going that extra mile and adding "informal teaching / opportunities" to their curriculum :)
Dani - i have nominated you for a leibster blog award. you can accept it over at my blog. congrats.
ReplyDelete(i didn't read this post but will be back after i finish alerting my nominees)
your friend,
kymber
Kymber - Thank you so much my friend. I have left my response on your blog :)
DeleteBless you.
no problem Dani...and bless you, too!
DeleteDani - what an uplifting post. and i agree that getting young kids involved at an early age, even if they live in the cities, will go a long way.
ReplyDeleteyour friend,
kymber
kymber - Kids are so eager to learn, and provided they are steered in the right direction, they should make a better job of it than our (my) generation did. I tend to think of my generation as the "make love not war" one, but history is revealing that, in fact, we are more the latter than the former...
DeleteDani - a lot of people have little hope for what they call the "me" generation. i see it completely differently. i think these kids, attached to their i-phones and texting non-stop, have the power to change the world. we were all kids once...and somehow we all grew up. these kids will do the same. they will grow up and who knows? maybe change the world. my fingers are crossed!
Deleteyour friend,
kymber
Me too, kymber...
DeleteI enjoyed the video, it would have never occurred to me that I could put dirt in burlap and use plastic milk crates to grow a garden.
ReplyDeleteI did notice that they locked them in place which would explain why none had been stolen but I will give people the benefit of the doubt.
Free food grown in green public spaces is indeed a good idea.
Mrs B - Milk crates are in great demand by the homeless - they are ideal for storing and transporting their meager possessions.
DeleteI was surprised that the veggies weren't swiped...
Hi Dani! Food can be grown in almost anything that will keep soil in as long as you have enough drainage holes at the bottom. When I was working, we received a lot of mail in black overnight freight bags and that seemed to be a huge waste until I told the ladies in my office that they could actually use the bags to grow veggies in. Nobody believed me until one of them tried. The benefit of those are that they are black on the inside and especially in winter, will absorb the heat during the day and your plants will not die overnight of cold. In summer they needed to be well watered and have a bit of afternoon shade. Possibilities are endless and I like to inform as I meet people who think that they need huge gardens to plant food in. Consider the lowly milk carton, for instance! Like your site!
ReplyDeleteMarlene - That's a wonderful re-use of the freight bags. Excellent idea :)
Delete