Trees Not Trash speaks at Ragged University Talk Nov.29th
Edinburgh: Greening Up Your City by Kate Gilliam and Humpback Whale Behaviour by Dr Alison Craig @ The Counting House
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 29TH 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Guerilla Gardening: Taking the City by Kate Gilliam
International Guerilla Gardener Kate Gilliam providing fresh insight into growing and foraging for food. Through activities such as Seed Bomb making, the Guerrilla Gardener reanimates urban spaces through planting and producing with nature. Kate has helped transform many neglected areas of New York City into inspiring green spaces for the public to enjoy. She has come to spread her vision for guerrilla gardening to the people of Scotland.
Kate Gilliam formed Trees Not Trash, a guerilla gardening organisation in Brooklyn, NY in 2005. Guerilla gardening is a means of transforming neglected neighbourhoods into communities with green spaces, where people can take pride in their streets. Kate has since relocated to Edinburgh where she has just begun the first of Trees Not Trash’s Scottish garden chapter! There is unused land in every city, so grab your shovels, plant some vegetables, and take back public space. Remember, it’s your city! Green it Up! www.treesnottrash.org
Unravelling the Mysteries of Humpback Whale Behaviour by Dr Alison Craig
Humpback whales are 45 tonne giants that live most of their lives below the waves, out of sight of humans. While some mysteries remain, since the mid-1970s scientists have been studying these animals and gradually piecing together the story of how they live their lives. In this talk I will share some of what we’ve learned about humpback whale behaviour over the years.
trees not trash gals transforming space in brooklyn, ny
What if communities were able to make decisions about land usage in their neighborhoods, rather than the Council? What if Parliament or Governments acknowledged that residents are aware of what their community needs, and could effectively manage land usage and determine optimal use for empty buildings, spaces and underused land? Residents should be taking the initiative to participate in
their communities. The local Councils and Government at large can, and
should support positive initiatives like community gardening and food
growing.
Specifically, consider Point 4 of the Introduction:
In developing initial ideas for this Bill we have spoken to many people
across all sectors and from a number of different communities throughout
Scotland. We have heard from those communities, and from many in local
authorities and the wider public sector, of inspiring and innovative
examples of work already being undertaken to support community
empowerment. However, we also heard that much of the success to date has
been achieved despite the current rules and regulations rather than
because of them. This consultation seeks ideas to rectify that
situation.
Our little developing green space/community garden on a patch of unused land alongside the Union Canal was removed today by the Edinburgh Council.
Please see http://innertubemap.com//blog/post/498 for photographs of the removal. Why was it removed? The reason for the removal of our growing
space is unclear: some Council representatives cited a picnic table that
was slated to be installed in that exact location (there were 3 other
locations the Council also conceded could have been used); other reasons
include using Council land without prior permission. This garden was not an act of defiance; it
was an act of community building and civic engagement. We should be
taking initiative to participate in our neighborhoods and take the time
to foster projects that bring communities together and remind us that we
all share the space we inhabit.
TheEdinburgh Council missed an important
opportunity to engage with the public and strengthen support for green
spaces and food initiatives. Public gardening is
not something to forcefully demolish and community growing areas should
not be eradicated by a governing body that does not necessarily
represent the opinions or needs of the populace.These are vegetable
seeds, not bombs. Kale is nothing to be scared of.
It is not just that it makes economic
sense to grow your own food; you have learned something crucial about
the world, your ability to instigate change, the freedom that comes with
being able to be more self-sufficient, and the satisfaction of
acquiring real, useful skills that can be transferred to all sorts of
jobs.
Our community garden received
enormous support from the community. Local children who had never
planted vegetables, sown wildflower seeds or held worms came each Sunday
to help, and the site quickly became a point of public interest. It was
a demonstration of how civic engagement and growing food can build and
strengthen a community.Thank you for your support
Trees Not Trash Community Green Space & Garden
What is it?We started the first of TNT Edinburgh’s community green spaces, on a small stretch of unused land adjacent to the Union Canal in the Shandon area of Edinburgh on October 6th, 2012. This piece of land is generally overgrown with a forest of stinging nettles which gets mown day every now and then. Usually this piece of land is used as a favourite spot for dogs to do their business, so we thought why not repurpose it for usable growing space? After all, we weren't disturbing anything other than the stinging nettles, and the naturalised daffodil bulbs weren't moved. Besides, the neighborhood kids LOVED it.
Where? Why? Why now? I had been intending on starting a new community garden/green space in Edinburgh for some time, certainly since last summer, but hadn’t found the right spot for it yet. I had been eyeing spaces that were far more disused, derelict even, rather than the canal-side space we started with. Although it is a very green neighborhood, there were great reasons to put a tiny community garden in the location that we have chosen: it is public, well-traveled, unused, sheltered, and right next to a water source (the canal!).
Why bother with community gardening?
Gardening and food-growing knowledge builds confidence in people. There is something very satisfying and empowering about growing a vegetable from a seed, watching it turn into a plant, being able to see what it looks like while it is growing, and finally, being able to eat it. That confidence can lead to all sorts of exciting things; children who learn how to garden are then able to teach their friends, or their siblings and parents.
There is a distinct lack of land in Edinburgh for growing produce, as anybody who has been on a wait-list for allotments can tell you (I checked, and most allotment waiting lists near this neighborhood and beyond are on average of 6 years long…). That is a long time to wait to grow your own vegetables! We are doing something on a much smaller level, but encourage anyone and everyone to get involved...and hopefully inspire people to grow their own food as well.
Edinburgh: Greening Up Your City by Kate Gilliam and Humpback Whale Behaviour by Dr Alison Craig @ The Counting House
THURSDAY NOVEMBER 29TH 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Guerilla Gardening: Taking the City by Kate Gilliam
International Guerilla Gardener Kate Gilliam providing fresh insight into growing and foraging for food. Through activities such as Seed Bomb making, the Guerrilla Gardener reanimates urban spaces through planting and producing with nature. Kate has helped transform many neglected areas of New York City into inspiring green spaces for the public to enjoy. She has come to spread her vision for guerrilla gardening to the people of Scotland.
Kate Gilliam formed Trees Not Trash, a guerilla gardening organisation in Brooklyn, NY in 2005. Guerilla gardening is a means of transforming neglected neighbourhoods into communities with green spaces, where people can take pride in their streets. Kate has since relocated to Edinburgh where she has just begun the first of Trees Not Trash’s Scottish garden chapter! There is unused land in every city, so grab your shovels, plant some vegetables, and take back public space. Remember, it’s your city! Green it Up! www.treesnottrash.org
Unravelling the Mysteries of Humpback Whale Behaviour by Dr Alison Craig
Humpback whales are 45 tonne giants that live most of their lives below the waves, out of sight of humans. While some mysteries remain, since the mid-1970s scientists have been studying these animals and gradually piecing together the story of how they live their lives. In this talk I will share some of what we’ve learned about humpback whale behaviour over the years.
Trees Not Trash is a neighborhood beautification project which started in Bushwick in 2004, in a once largely industrial area of Brooklyn that is becoming increasingly residential. Our mission is to transform neighborhoods into communities with green space, where people can take pride in their streets. Trees clean the air, provide shade for people and animals, and create a sense of well-being.
Since its inception, Trees Not Trash has focused on getting free street trees planted by the NYC Parks Department. So far, we’ve had over 2500 new trees planted, and look forward to having many more!
Trees Not Trash has expanded its green reach to Edinburgh and we are currently putting down community gardening roots! Please follow us on twitter for our updates, and check out this blog for news.
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