Reforestation

Reforestation

Introduction

Reforestation is a global collaborative project co-ordinated by Future Canvas Inc., to introduce urban agriculture and permaculture to Melbourne’s urban landscape.  Our research shows us that many cities around the world are getting involved in urban agriculture for a range of different reasons.

Future Canvas visited various projects around the world that focused on urban agriculture, community gardening, vertical farming and guerrilla gardening. These projects have all shown strong support for the Reforestation project. These projects include, among others:

The Victorian Eco Innovation Lab has stated that Melbourne needs to develop more self sufficient food systems and has predicted that by 2032 50% of the city’s food supply will be secured within a 100km radius of the city.  Reforestation is designed to educate and inspire people to become more connected to their food supply and to actively green their city.

We see the Garden and the spread of urban agriculture in Melbourne generally offers the following important benefits:

  1. Reducing our contributions to climate change. By reducing food miles - for example, the food for a typical meal can travel more than 2,000km), and chemical and energy input during production.
  2. Water Efficiency. Home grown food has been shown to be more water efficient than broadscale agriculture.
  3. Fresh, nutritious, chemical free food
  4. Community Health, Social and Cultural benefits. To many people, growing food is part of their culture and many culturally significant foods are not available in supermarkets. Encourages children to eat fruit and veg. Tackles childhood obesity Is a healthy, active outdoor activity.
  5. Food shortages & increased prices. Home grown food is more economical for families.
  6. Connection with the environment. Through gardening we connect with our environment and this creates a culture of being in touch with our environment and its needs.

(Future Canvas gratefully acknolwedges the excellent resources at communitygarden.org.au.)

 

Vision

The Reforestation project seeks to achieve the following vision in Melbourne:

“A metropolis alive with music and festivities radiating from a nucleus in the city centre community garden. Reforestation Day will enliven and inspire the city; people will get involved in sustainable urban agriculture in Melbourne’s centre, as well as their local neighborhoods, schools and universities. Groups of people interested in Reforestation will become productive communities through initiatives such as sharing their knowledge on urban agriculture through a central website and permaculture workshops. People will green the institutions that make up their everyday.  The joy of this experience will echo around the world as Re-foresters share their experiences through various media including the internet, television and print”

 

Objectives

The not for profit component of Reforestation aims to achieve the following objectives:

  1. To encourage Melburnians to think more holistically about the sustainability of their lifestyles
  2. To inspire Melburnians to foster urban agriculture projects throughout their city
  3. To re-connect Melburnians with the role that nature plays in cultivating natural foods
  4. The key not-for-profit initiatives which will underpin achieving these objectives include:
    1. Developing a tangible, accessible embodiment of urban agriculture in Melbourne, in the form of an inner city urban garden (“The Garden”). The Garden will be a self-sufficient and self-funded interactive expression of urban agriculture.
    2. Creating an annual day, Reforestation Day, which celebrates the permaculture and the origins of the food we eat.

The Permaculture Research Institute of Australia defines permaculture as ‘the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems.’ Essentially, it is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter, and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way.

 

Why Permaculture?

Systems thinking is the essence of sustainability. That is, to achieve sustainability we need to think holistically, seeing the system as a whole or the forest rather than the trees. Permaculture is a tangible example of systems thinking which puts sustainability (otherwise an abstract and complex concept) into practice. Therefore through Reforestation we can communicate and advocate a culture of sustainable thinking throughout Melbourne.  To Future Canvas, culture is doing and the act of permaculture – is culture. We create culture change through a range of mediums, for example :

  • media communications – such as television and film
  • internet – websites, including on-line media
  • face to face interaction, such as through one-on-one courses
  • action – this is why permaculture is so important for making culture change.  The act of culture change towards sustainability is achieved by planting a garden.

Permaculture and sustainability can be viewed as complex concepts, however, Future Canvas is focused on devising ways of communicating these key concepts in a way that inspires action and awareness. Simplicity is a key catalyst for culture change (John Medea MIT). In essence, complex concepts do not need to be communicated in a complex way. Reforestation will use the mediums described above to communicate sustainability and permaculture simply and, in doing so, inspire Melburnians to engage with each other and improve their city.

 

For Further Information:

Contact Emily at emily.b.brodie@futurecanvas.org

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