Green Thumb, Green War

While the recession seemed to undermine environmental progress, a new trend in metropolitan gardening aims to help the environment and give urban communities a green make over as well.

Guerrilla gardening, a developing form of gardening driven by community volunteers, has become increasingly popular worldwide. Where one normally finds city greenery limited to weeds growing from cracks in the sidewalk, crab grass sprouting in the median, or a ficus tree in the office, guerrilla gardeners have expanded the horizons of urban vegetation.

In the 2000 census, 61% of Americans admitted to gardening, and since then the percentage has grown. Whether for health reasons or for food, figures have shown more and more Americans are committing to a garden in their home, but what about the community?

Green Guerrillas, a guerrilla gardening chapter based in New York City, encourages Americans to think of the community as well, explaining that guerrilla gardeners “provide important services to their neighbors. They connect city kids to the earth. They grow fresh food in neighborhoods with few supermarkets and long lines at soup kitchens. They cultivate green spaces and plant trees in neighborhoods with a dearth of parkland and high asthma rates.”

Guerrilla gardening has become successful in a broad range of cities beyond Green Guerrillas in New York, including London, Copenhagen, Brussels, Melbourne, Los Angeles, and Richmond. Local chapters of guerrilla gardening provide support and information about local digs for potential gardeners. Garden digs in the Southern California chapter include Hollywood, Silverlake, and South Central where gardeners have planted vegetation bordering on sidewalks, in medians, and empty lots.

With such a broad area of influence, individual chapters must be responsible for finding vegetation specifically suitable to their environment.

“There are a lot of factors to consider. You have to ask yourself how much space do you have and what are the surroundings? How often will you be able to take care of the plants, can you water them?...Using native plants is always something I recommend, because they have adapted to the climate and soil conditions of the [area],” one veteran guerrilla gardener advised.

Additionally, legality is another issue raised in concern with guerrilla gardening. While most digs could be considered on public property, dedicated guerrilla gardeners sometimes ignore trespassing laws in order to plant and nurture vegetation.

In addition to adult and college gardeners, high school students seem to be the next group targeted by guerrilla gardening recruitment. In a survey of over 200 Southern California high school students, a little over 45% said they would do something illegal, such as trespassing, in order to help the environment. On the other hand, only 13% of those students actually had experience gardening, which raises the question if they would be willing to try guerrilla gardening.

While students may not have experience gardening, most schools offer programs or classes that interact with agriculture. Some students and teachers suggested high schools offer campus clean up and gardening as an alternative to detention. Doing so would educate students how to go green outside of school without necessarily forcing the subject into the curriculum.

Many advocates for environmental reform agree that schools are responsible in part for the future eco-attitude of the next generation. While schools may not teach students how to make seed bombs or encourage students to trespass, educating students about the environment and how to keep it clean and healthy is a must for the future.

Guerrilla gardening, along with recycling, commuting, and reduced carbon footprints, has the potential to make the world a better place; and whether or not officials take the initiative to introduce eco-friendly measures into schools, the future is still taking a turn for the green.

If you're interested in finding out more about guerrilla gardening, or would like to find out about guerrilla gardening near you, don't hesitate to go to Guerrilla Gardening.