Guerrilla gardening is when a person or group of people sneak onto a neglected, ugly spot, clean it up, and plant a garden in there. They essentially make an abandoned spot into a space that's useful for the surrounding community. Sounds nice, but technically such a group is breaking the law by trespassing onto property that they don't own and don't have permission to change. So it is possible to be arrested for this activity. Which brings me to my disclaimer: No, I am not recommending that you go out and start illegally planting tomatoes all over the place. I am not suggesting that you do anything at all. Your life is your own responsibility. Do as you will with it.
In the case of these videos, however, all turned out ideally. Todd Bieber and his gardening vigilantes grew a bountiful little garden, helped build community in an urban environment where people are notorious for keeping to themselves, and inspired the owners of the plot to continue keeping the space pretty and productive.
In the case of these videos, however, all turned out ideally. Todd Bieber and his gardening vigilantes grew a bountiful little garden, helped build community in an urban environment where people are notorious for keeping to themselves, and inspired the owners of the plot to continue keeping the space pretty and productive.
Unless you live in a more urban area, these videos will probably not seem applicable to your life. But before you write this off as something useless to your country life, give some thought to how Todd increased the sense of community in his neighborhood. It's a strange paradox that for all the people living piled on top of each other in cities, there is usually very little real community. Most barely know their neighbors.
Oh, but now wait a moment. Barely knowing our neighbors pretty much sums up all the rest of our neighborhoods too, doesn't it? Urban, suburban, rural, sub-rural. It doesn't matter. A lack of community is prevalent in them all, and our lives are less rich for this sad state. Todd and his crew helped reverse that in one growing season! That's the kind of success that we can all learn from.
I want to give an honorable mention to Steve Howard over at www.borntofarm.com, whose Grow Your Grub podcast turned me to these videos in the first place. Check out Steve's podcasts and YouTube videos! He's a great old guy, and shares his gardening experience freely.
Oh, but now wait a moment. Barely knowing our neighbors pretty much sums up all the rest of our neighborhoods too, doesn't it? Urban, suburban, rural, sub-rural. It doesn't matter. A lack of community is prevalent in them all, and our lives are less rich for this sad state. Todd and his crew helped reverse that in one growing season! That's the kind of success that we can all learn from.
I want to give an honorable mention to Steve Howard over at www.borntofarm.com, whose Grow Your Grub podcast turned me to these videos in the first place. Check out Steve's podcasts and YouTube videos! He's a great old guy, and shares his gardening experience freely.
No comments:
Post a Comment