Wayward Plants was shortlisted for Ben & Jerry’s Core Competition for Sustainable Ideas. Now we’re dreaming of Wayward Flavours … Dandelion? Burdock? Elderflower Ice cream? Any other ideas?
Here’s our proposal:
For the core challenge, we propose to develop a large-scale recycling programme for unwanted plants. Whether redistributing the thousands of plants that are thrown away from major flower shows, festivals and events, salvaging plants in the gardens of housing estates and buildings undergoing demolition or recovering the plants seasonally rotated by council parks and public green spaces, this service would facilitate and support the creation of new community green spaces throughout London. It would create meaningful legacies for both temporary events and historic sites undergoing regeneration.
Through this programme, we would create a new sustainable prototype for community gardens and plant nurseries, one which would counteract a culture of waste and facilitate community exchange. The gardens would be composed of both potted plants that are seeking homes, as well as surplus plants grown in residents’ private gardens, creating urban refuges that are constantly changing, reflecting the transience of modern life in the stories and relationships of people to their plants.
The wayward plant nurseries would function as a social enterprise, – salvaging wayward plants and facilitating exchanges – while propagating new plants in the nursery, to sell to urban growers. The nurseries will function as community centres for training, engagement and exchange, while targeting waste, creating new and inspiring growing spaces, and offering a community resource and platform for engagement.
