#guerrilla gardening

[solarpunkani]

Listen I’m not saying that *I* have the balls to buy a reflective vest and go off on a roadside or retention pond somewhere and start fucking around guerrilla gardening

But I am saying that the past week I’ve driven past many MANY people in reflective vests either doing roadwork or maintaining roadside shrubbery or whatever and the amount of times I considered questioning what the fuck they were doing is zero and the amount of times I would’ve even had the TIME to question what the fuck they were doing is zero

I saw groups of people I saw someone solo I didn’t question it I just figured ‘eh they’re doing SOMETHING and carried on. Depending on the location you pick, anyone who WOULD Karen up and interrogate you won’t even have the time space or ability to

[kropotkindersurprise]

Take up guerrilla gardening to beautify your city and provide food for bees and other insects!

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - November 15-21

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles! (sorry it's slightly late, the links didn't wanna work and I couldn't figure it out all day)

1. Wyoming's abortion ban has been overturned, including its ban on abortion medication

“Wyoming is the second state to have its near-total abortion ban overturned this month[…. Seven other states] also approved amendments protecting the right to an abortion. A lawsuit seeking to challenge the [FDA]’s approval of abortion medication recently failed when the Supreme Court refused to hear it[….]”

2. Patches of wildflowers in cities can be just as good for insects as natural meadows – study

“This study confirmed that small areas of urban wildflowers have a high concentration of pollinating insects, and are as valuable to many pollinators as larger areas of natural meadow that you would typically find rurally.”

3. Paris could offer new parents anti-pollution baby 'gift bags' to combat 'forever chemicals'

“The bag includes a stainless steel baby cup, a wooden toy, reusable cotton wipes, and non-toxic cleaning supplies as part of a "green prescription". […] The city will also have 44 centres for protecting mothers and infants that will be without any pollutants[….]”

4. Indigenous guardians embark on a sacred pact to protect the lowland tapir in Colombia

“The tapir is now the focus of an Indigenous-led conservation project[… A proposed “biocultural corridor”] will protect not only the populations and movements of wildlife such as tapirs, but also the cultural traditions and spirituality of the Inga and other neighboring Indigenous peoples[….]”

5. Denmark will plant 1 billion trees and convert 10% of farmland into forest

“[…] 43 billion kroner ($6.1 billion) have been earmarked to acquire land from farmers over the next two decades[.… In addition,] livestock farmers will be taxed for the greenhouse gases emitted by their cows, sheep and pigs from 2030, the first country to do so[….]”

6. The biggest grid storage project using old batteries is online in Texas

“[Element operates “used EV battery packs” with software that can] fine-tune commands at the cell level, instead of treating all the batteries as a monolithic whole. This enables the system to get more use out of each cell without stressing any so much that they break down[….]””

7. Durable supramolecular plastic is fully ocean-degradable and doesn't generate microplastics

“The new material is as strong as conventional plastics and biodegradable, [… and] is therefore expected to help reduce harmful microplastic pollution that accumulates in oceans and soil and eventually enters the food chain.”

8. Big Oil Tax Could Boost Global Loss and Damage Fund by 2000%

“[… A] tax on fossil fuel extraction, which would increase each year, combined with additional taxes on excess profits would […] generate hundreds of billions of dollars by the end of the decade to assist poor and vulnerable communities with the impact of the climate crisis[….]”

9. Rooftop solar meets 107.5 pct of South Australia’s demand, no emergency measures needed

“[T]he state was able to export around 658 MW of capacity to Victoria at the time[….] The export capacity is expected to increase significantly as the new transmission link to NSW[…] should be able to allow an extra 150 MW to be transferred in either direction by Christmas.”

10. Light-altering paint for greenhouses could help lengthen the fruit growing season in less sunny countries

“[Scientists] have developed a spray coating for greenhouses that could help UK farmers to produce more crops in the future using the same or less energy[… by optimising] the wavelength of light shining onto the plants, improving their growth and yield.”

November 8-14 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[victusinveritas]

[unstalgia]

Seed Bombs are little balls made up of a combination of compost, clay and seeds. The act of using the ball is called Seed bombing, which is the practice of introducing vegetation to land by throwing or dropping the seed bombs. The structure of the bomb enables the seeds to be launched over walls or distances, as the compost and clay act as a barrier to protect and nourish them, so they don’t need to be planted.

This technique is used by Guerrilla Garderners. Guerrilla Gardening is the act of gardening – raising food, plants, or flowers – on land that the gardeners do not have the legal rights to cultivate, such as abandoned sites, areas that are not being cared for, or private property.

[your-werewolf-boyfriend]

Me, upon finding anyone near the Mojave that likes plants: "Would you like a seed mix of like 10 native wildflowers to sprinkle in your yard/garden in the spring and have something you only have to water once a week in summer and once a month in winter?"

Anyway, if you live in the Mojave, which is THIS place below here*: 👇

*This map stretches out a bit far and is a little generous, there's a lot of overlap on what plants go to the Great Basin Desert to the north, and Sonoran Desert to the east of the Mojave.

Then let me know and I am more than happy to send you/literally drop off to you seeds! I have been running a small project called Keep Vegas Native! and we are a very small group (for now dormant until the early fall rains come for seed bombing) thats mostly on Telegram - but I have been collecting seeds as they now form, and building kits to drop seeds at suitable sites.

There's also some research I've been doing on how we could possibly use some of our more unique plants to attack and wipe out invasive species. Though this is still in progress as I need to wait collect even those.

Please DM me, please spread this to your plant friends, I'm traveling a LOT during this next year and if I get a couple people who are interested and start their own native garden it will be worth it.

[dipperdesperado]

guerrilla gardening is very cool

I’m really stoked to talk about praxis and solarpunk today. Hopefully, you all know what solarpunk is. I imagine fewer of you know what praxis is. Essentially, praxis is a term, used a lot by leftists, to talk about doing stuff. It’s a practice or activity, informed by theoretical and experiential knowledge. In our goal to create an ecological society informed by appropriate technology, we should think not only about the massive upheavals but the things that we can do right now. That’s where guerrilla gardening comes in.

Gardening in general is activism, but guerrilla gardening is like, super solarpunk. The rundown is essentially when you and/or a group of homies take some love-starved land and turn it into a garden (or just plant stuff there) without permission from the owner of said land. That lack of permission is what makes it guerrilla. This can lead to a better community, and supports abolition (of private property), autonomy, and collective resiliency. Ideally, you can get public support behind ya, and be able to work with the municipality to not get in trouble. The classic asking for forgiveness than permission, until you’re the one that can decide.

Where to Start: X Marks the Spot

When you (and your small-but mighty collective/affinity group) decide that you want to set up a guerrilla garden, the first thing you want to do is find a good spot. It can be that little line of grass that split up two sides of the road, a sidewalk bed, or an empty lot. You want to make sure there’s good sunlight and decent soil. If the soil ain’t good, but you wanna do stuff there, I’d recommend researching how to rehabilitate it. Obviously, that’s more work, though.

Once you have your target spot, you’ll need your tools and plants. Some basic things will be gloves, a trowel, a water source (like a can or hose), and plants/seeds. Some nice-to-haves could be mulch, compost, or soil amendments. It depends on what you’re planting and what your conditions are to know what you’ll need to bring. If you’re in a high visibility area, it could be nice to have some clothing that makes sure you don’t look suspect. That’s probably a good general rule of thumb. Act like you deserve to be in the space because you do! If you look suspect, people will think as much.

Prepping the Garden

Once you have everything you need, you’ll need to get the garden site ready. If you need to clear it out, whether there’s vegetation you’re not interested in, trash, debris, etc., do that. Ideally, you can also improve the soil quality with stuff like compost and organic stuff if you need to.

Time for Plants!

Here’s where the real fun begins. Get some plants going! You want the ones you pick to be a good fit for the target climate and soil. Even better if some of them are edible. When you’re planting, be sure to space the plants out and water them pretty well. If you're planting seeds, be patient! It can take a few weeks for the plants to sprout.

Garden Tending

Now that you have a garden going, it’s time to keep it up. You want to water them regularly and watch out for any invasives or weeds that could crowd out your plants. You might also have to add additional amendments to the soil, to keep the plants happy. Try to make sure to think about and account for issues in the garden. Whether that’s nonhuman neighbors or mean vandals, you want to try to think of ways to uphold the values of the project while protecting its continued existence.

Permablitzing

I also want to touch on some more specific types of guerrilla gardening. Firstly, let’s talk about permablitzing.

Permablitizing is a portmanteau between permaculture and blitzing. Permaculture is a type of gardening and farming that aspires to copy natural ecosystems to create harmonious gardens that are self-sustaining. It generally will include a mix of native, edible, and wildlife-attracting plants. Permablitzing is taking that permaculture idea and rallying the community to create a permaculture garden in a single day.

It looks a little something like this: volunteers collectively design and install the garden. They put in garden beds, plant trees, and shrubs, and install irrigation. There might also be compost systems, raised beds, or accessible walkways through the garden. Permablitzing is great because it’s relatively quick, it’s tangible and immediately garners buy-in. It’s more about finding the space to do this and finding people who are willing to participate.

Seedbombing

If you’re not able to work with a group, or you just want to be able to very quickly deposit new plants in places, you can seedbomb!

Seedbombs are small packages of seeds wrapped in soil that can be thrown or dropped onto the ground. This kinda stuff is great for rewinding and restoring neglected or degraded areas. Just make sure you do research! You don’t wanna introduce invasive or incompatible plants.

The basic seedbomb recipe is:

Soil

Clay or compost

Seeds

You mix them together, roll them into small balls, then let them dry. You can just toss them into your target areas. Seedbombing is great because it’s fun and creative while being a great way to un-neglect neglected areas. You can also do it alone or with the homies. It’s a very flexible guerrilla option.

Final thoughts

One of the most important things to think about when trying to enact social change is aligning your ends (the liberatory future you envision) with your means (the things you do to get to that vision). Guerrilla gardening is great to this end as a form of praxis because it allows for this to be realized in the here and now. It helps us realize that we don’t have to wait until people let us do what we think is right. If you see an issue, you can respond to it. Also, gardening is fun, gets you outside, and allows you to be more connected with the earth, which is just so so so good for you. Be smart, keep each other safe, and good luck with your gardening!

[climatecalling]

When Richard Reynolds first started gardening around London’s streets, he was so worried he might be arrested that he worked under the cover of darkness. Reynolds was one of the UK’s first modern guerrilla gardeners, a movement that encourages people to nurture and revive land they do not have the legal rights to cultivate. ... It’s important to remember that much of the unused or abandoned land that is potentially suitable for guerilla gardening in towns and cities throughout the UK is owned by local councils. Common examples of such locations include broken pavements with missing slabs, wasteland and the central areas of roundabouts. Although much of this land is already open for the public to walk over, actively gardening on it would become an act of trespass. The law of trespass sounds scary. However, gardening on this land would be a breach of civil law rather than a crime. This means that most guerrilla gardeners are unlikely to receive a fine or a criminal record. Landowners do have the legal right to use “reasonable force” to remove trespassers from their land. But, fortunately, it seems most councils have ignored guerrilla gardeners, having neither the time, money or inclination to bring legal action against them. Colchester Council, for example, were unable to track down the identity of the “human shrub”, a mysterious eco-activist who restored the flowers in the city’s abandoned plant containers in 2009. The shrub returned again in 2015 and sent a gift of seeds to a local councillor.

[gardenvarietygay]

Book Review* - On Guerilla Gardening by Richard Reynolds

I don’t read many books, I prefer audiobooks, and I don’t read many nonfiction books in any format. I’m a person who prefers to listen to a fictional story or at least something narrative. However, my husband very sweetly got me this book for Christmas since he knows I’ve been curious about the topic.

The subtitle to this book is “a handbook for gardening without boundaries” but I think that the title alone, which suggests an academic treatise on the broad strokes of a subject ie “On Medieval Chivalric Codes of Honor” or “On Governance” is more fitting. (I believe the actual title Reynolds is referencing is the manual On Guerilla Warfare by Mao Zedong, make of that what you will.) The first 117 pages of this book are pure tedium. If someone needed to be convinced that planting flowers by roadsides was worthwhile, I think the author might talk them into it and back out by the end. Reynolds spends his time detailing real guerilla movements, chastising people for making gorilla/guerrilla gardening jokes, and explaining that flowers are prettier than concrete. I found it muddled, condescending and boring but when I looked up reviews of this book people seemed to think it was refreshing or something.

From page 121 onward, we have the practical advice. Actually, we have some very impractical advice surrounded by way more introduction than necessary. Even though Reynolds has spent 117 pages bashing you over the head with war metaphors, he still feels the need to include yet more war imagery before every bit of advice. I wasn’t offended by the WMD jokes or the frequent references to guns, it was certainly and odd choice but whatever, I was just annoyed that he kept this stupid gimmick up for all 247 pages. Sometimes jokes aren’t bad because they’re offensive, they’re simply not funny.

Writing style aside, the advice is pretty middling. The plants recommended are just based on the author’s personal experience growing plants on medians in London. Gardening is like politics, extremely local. I’m not begrudging the man his foxgloves and daffodils but they’re just not a good choice for an internationally-distributed book. He actually recommends planting invasive plants (as in plants that he knows are invasive in most places including the UK) so that they take over. He includes the barest of caveats about making sure you keep them in check, however the gordian knot of finding that balance will not be untied for us. Since specific gardening advice becomes useless before it even crosses a time zone, it strikes me that rather than spending 12 pages on plant recommendations, they should’ve simply cut this section or suggested broad categories for the international release.

We are told that seed bombs are the preferred method to scatter seeds and that some people put them in eggshells, some people mould them into guns (just like in war!!), some people put industrial binding agents into them, and some people use a device that somehow uses laughing gas. There are no recipes or real instructions, just anecdotes. There is no explanation of how laughing gas aids in seed spreading, that one might be a joke. On subjects such as water, tools, choosing locations, etc. the advice is very basic but solid enough.

To be frank, once I got into the anecdotes without advice section I started skimming and never stopped. There’s every possibility that on page 240 of this book he really turns things around and makes this mess into a manifesto but I don’t think that would save it for me.

This book left me generally unimpressed. The concept was cute until it was aggravating, the writing was such a repetitive slog that I ended up skimming over paragraphs, and the advice seemed either so specific that it couldn’t be generalized or so basic that it needn’t be printed and sold. The cover is cute, that’s a good thing because it will be staying closed on my bookshelf for a long time. I believe the first edition of this book came out in the early 2000s and it shows. Maybe if I read this book in 2008 I’d have been charmed but in 2024 I’m just annoyed and confused.

*Inspired by @plantyhamchuk’s gardening book reviews.

[roseredsnow]

Before and after of the path I just strimmed!

I don't normally go this way unless I'm taking the dog to the grassy bit you can see on the left to play, but went this way this morning to avoid some dogs he doesn't like and realised it would be a good spot to pratice using the strimmer.

I was gonna get the grass up on the sides but I didn't bring the hoe with me just a paving tool and my back was starting to hurt so job for another day but it's started.

While I know the aesthetic of plants everywhere looks pretty it's sometimes at deterement to accessibility, making sure paths are clear is pretty important.

[valokuvapaivakirja]

Tein kukkapommeja

[solarpunkani]

*poke poke*

*nudge*

You wanna guerrilla garden some swamp milkweed around a retention pond so bad.

[justalittlesolarpunk]

Solarpunk Sunday Suggestion:

Go seedbombing

[bumblebeeappletree]

Richard Reynolds, Environmentalist *www.guerrillagardening.org

Guerrilla Gardening : Why People Garden without Boundaries

"We fight not with guns, but with flowers(우리는 총대신 꽃으로 싸운다)"

한밤중, 버려진 땅에 처음으로 꽃을 심을 때만 해도 리처드 레이놀즈는 자신이 게릴라 가드너의 선봉이 되리라고는 생각도 하지 못했다. 공공장소를 무시하고, 흉물스러운 도시 한 구석을 무관심하게 바라보는 세력과 맞서 싸우게 될 줄은 꿈도 꾸지 못했던 것이다. 더욱이 자신이 범세계적인 운동의 선두에 서리라고는! 하지만 그는 곧 '조용한 혁명'의 중심에 서게 된다. 전 세계에 퍼져 있던 게릴라들이 자신이 경험한 각종 '꽃 심기 전투'의 경험을 나누기 위해 그가 만든 블로그GuerrillaGardening.org에 마구 쳐들어오기 시작한 탓이다. 그리고 얼마 안 가 이 블로그는 전국 방방곡곡에서 활동 중��� 게릴라 가드너들의 베이스캠프가 되었다. 거기���는 황무지를 꽃밭으로 만들 '씨앗폭탄'이 제조되고, 바람처럼 빠르고 조용하게 작전을 수행할 수 있는 '전투 노하우가' 오고간다. 우리의 삶을 황폐하게 만드는 모든 것에 작지만 꾸준한 노력으로 대항하는 사람들, 자연을 배제한 건축과 무분별한 도시계획에 염증을 내는 의식 있는 전문가들, 그리고 자급자족 원칙에 따라 소박한 삶을 가꾸기 원하는 그린 전사들에게 그는 힘찬 위로의 씨앗이 될 것이다.

When Richard Reynolds planted a flower on unused small plot in the middle of night for the first time in his life, he never expected to be on the forefront of the "Guerrilla Gardening" movement. He had never thought of fighting against the forces that didn't care public spaces and cast a nonchalant look at abandoned corners of ever-sprawling cities. Nor had he dreamed of being at the vanguard of a global movement. But soon he stood at the center of a "silent revolution," as guerrillas around the world raided his blog GuerrilaGardening.org to share their story of flower-planting. There are people standing up against things that make our life dry and dull with small but steady endeavor, concerned experts who find the architecture with no consideration of nature and reckless urban planning sick and tired, and the green troops who wish to lead simple and harmonious life. Richard Reynolds is the seed of consolation and hope for these people.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

'퍼뜨릴만한 가치가 있는 아이디어'라는 정신의 TEDx 행사는 지역에서 사람들이 함께 모여 TED와 같은 경험을 나누고자 자발적으로 만든 프로그램입니다. TEDx 행사에서는 TEDTalks 영상과 실제 발표자의 강연이 결합되어 깊이있는 토론과 교류가 일어납니다. 이렇게 지역기반의 자생적으로 조직된 행사가 TEDx이며, 여기서 x는 독립적으로 조직된 TED 이벤트라는 것을 의미합니다. TED 컨퍼런스는 TEDx 프로그램에 대한 일반적인 가이드라인만 제공하며, 각각의 TEDx 이벤트는 자체적으로 조직되었습니다.

TEDxItaewon wants to give you a chance to network people, share your ideas, make a difference based on international/multicultural area, Itaewon, S.Korea.

TEDxItaewon은 한국의 이태원이라는 국제적/다문화적 도시를 기반으로 하여 여러분들께 사람들과 소통하며 아이디어를 공유하고 변화를 만들어 내도록 기회를 드리고자 합니다.

TEDxItaewon 2012, sponsored by Ministry of Environment, Korea, was held for August 11 (Sat), 2012 with 1,000-strong audience. The theme 'Nature+' of the conference is set to raise public awareness of the nature and awaken communities to the beauty of nature and urban life in harmony. TEDxItaewon2012 consists of three sessions as below, supported by simultaneous interpretation (Kor-Eng);

1. Rediscover the wonder 2. Rebreathe the world 3. Reframe the future

Date : August 11, 2012

Venue : Auditorium, COEX

Size : 1,000 seats

www.tedxitaewon.org

www.facebook.com/tedxitaewon

[psych-is-the-name]

2023 is gonna be full of flowers because I'm going out seed bombing the rich areas of town

[asteroidtroglodyte]

I have trained my ear to hear for the Cracks in Reality; The gap between what a person says and what they believe; the slight delay in the beat that says I am reading off the page as opposed to i speak from within. A spot where I might lodge a prybar of rhetoric; a Crack in the Consensus through which I might reach and change their mind.

I have trained my eye, too, to seek the Cracks in Civilization. Cracks in the asphalt. Forgotten boundary land. Abandoned lots. The Unmanicured earth. Hillsides run riot with invasive Mustards and Rapeseeds. Places where no one will mind a vagrant; places where no one will see me return the seeds to their homelands; places where the mowing mulching munching machines of Empire will not notice the baby Poppy and Lupine and Gallardia before they can unfurl their tiny, delicate, ancient flags.

The Land belongs to them, you know? Actually. We just live here.

There are children in my neighborhood. I point to tiny flowers and say “look. See.” They make sounds of wonder. I put bags of seeds in their hands and tell them they can do magic; they can summon flowers from dead dirt. I tell them the names of flowers and the names of bugs and the names of stones and they gather to listen. They have so many questions. I do my best.

And the Cracks widen a bit.

The chains and bars of Empire rust a bit.

This year, there will be flowers. I know this because last year I planted flowers.

The children will see the flowers, and they will say “those are ours!” They will want to defend the flowers.

If I do everything right, then one day, when they are no longer children, there will be a choice between Flowers and Empire; between yet another strip mall or suburban development or Amazon fulfillment center and

THEIR FLOWERS

And it will hardly be a choice at all.

I can dream. I can try.