Climate Action at Milton Community Garden

Aim: To celebrate the food harvest, seasonal produce, and composting practices taking place in Milton.

We will engage the wider community of Milton in Glasgow through climate action celebrating the food harvest, seasonal produce, and composting practices. Community members will engage in shared learning about sustainable living practices. 

There will be showcasing of the beauty of nature and biodiversity in local gardens and allotments. Educational resources from the gardens will inspire community members to connect with nature and adopt sustainable practices.

At Milton Community Garden our approach is informed by permaculture and community gardening principles. Our families are immersed in learning about climate action.

Planting of native plants aims to support a greater abundance of pollinators including a diversity of bees, butterflies, and other wildlife. When used in habitat creation, these plants can also help mitigate climate change as part of nature-based climate solutions. Milton Community Gardens can support a wide range of pollinators and make a difference by helping to reverse the decline of pollinators.

Upcycling is encouraged through the process of reusing old materials and creating something more valuable or of a higher quality within the garden e.g repurposing egg cartons as germination trays, making a cold frame out of an old window, and old pots and pans re-used for flowering plants. Upcycling also supports a circular economy where goods are used and reused multiple times rather than getting discarded after one use. This system is more sustainable because it relies on using what we already have rather than constantly creating new products out of new materials. The benefits of upcycling include minimising the extraction of natural resources, reducing landfill waste and reducing carbon emissions through less manufacturing.

Composting is supported as this reduces waste and protects the climate by reducing methane emissions from landfills. Compost can help improves soil health. Recycling organic materials through composting creates a valuable local nutrient to add to the garden’s soil.

We promote health through our events by involving the whole family in harvesting, preparing and eating our own produce. At our annual harvest event, for example, we eat soup and pumpkin pie often made from our own pumpkins and squashes; so our families learn that not only can you carve pumpkins for Halloween – but that you can easily also use the scooped out insides to make delicious food. We make fresh apple juice from the apples that the children pick from the trees in the garden. The apple juicing always goes down a treat as we use a hand press – thus promoting mechanical (non-electric) methods of preparing and serving juice.

"If we want children to flourish, to become truly empowered, let us allow them to love the earth before we ask them to save it.”- David Sobel

Volunteers and staff involved in Milton community garden will promote its climate related benefits including; 

• Reduction in urban heat islands.
• Provision of ecosystem services.
• Increased storm water retention.
• Reducing carbon emissions by sequestering carbon dioxide through plant growth.
• Promotion of biodiversity and support pollinators.
• Improvements to air quality by absorbing pollutants and releasing oxygen.
• Enhancing soil quality by reducing erosion, increasing organic matter, and improving nutrient cycling.

This climate action will engage with approximately 100 individuals from Milton.

The target audience for our proposed project includes local residents, volunteers, primary school students, youth groups, and after school clubs. By leveraging our existing relationships and networks within the community, we aim to reach a diverse audience and maximize participation in our climate engagement activities.

We will have the following activity stalls in the garden during the harvest activities in the Autumn months of 2024 (September, October, November):

• Apple Press is making fresh apple juice to drink, or bottle and this is an excellent alternative to composting the surplus. Apple juicing can be a really social process and a rewarding local activity. It involves selecting ripe and healthy apples and developing an understanding of the flavours of different varieties. It supports people’s learning about the seasons and reconnecting with nature.
• Apple Spiralizer uses apples harvested from our own trees; people learn about peeling apples and the benefits of local fruit which are nutritious, good for weight management and health promoting. By encouraging the eating of apples from the garden, the project supports heart health, a reduced risk of diabetes, gut health and helps prevent cancer.
• Harvesting Apples Activity; this supports local food production and reduced food miles.
• Nature Crafts (including apple printing; leaf crowns and masks); this is rewarding and helps people to connect with the natural world, using materials that are readily available in Milton Community Garden. They provide endless possibilities for artistic expression and promote a bit of inspiration.
• Pumpkin Carving/Soup Making which is a great way to use up the produce grown in Milton Community Garden. This soup freezes well for up to six months and prevents food waste.
• Gardening activity (to promote grow your own) is supporting organic, nutritious food that helps people stay healthier, and regenerates our environment in Milton.
• RSPB and/ or Froglife visit for some other nature activities and to talk about climate action. This ensure that people of all ages and backgrounds have access to, and education in, the natural world, which can improve mental and physical well-being, and safeguard the environment for the future. By experiencing the wildlife, people are far more likely to take better care of it. If we don’t take the opportunity to ensure that the next generation (and the current generations) nurture a connection to wildlife, and encourage current generations to lessen their impact on our natural world.
• SewingBee which supports clothing creation from recycled materials, and positive environmental impact; as well as skill development, personal development of participants, and sustainable fashion.

The harvest celebrations will also include lunch, storytelling, live local music and other fun activities. We will programme the day based on partner organisation availability and after 3pm families can attend with their children.  Lunch will entail outdoor wood -fired pizza with toppings fresh from the garden, in addition to seasonal soup. Recipe cards will be provided to attendees.

In addition, there will be twice weekly workshops for families with children under 5.

We measure impact through surveys, case studies, video/film and quotes.

Feedback from our parents and children gardening activities in 2023 has highlighted:-

89% Parents said they learnt more about climate change

100% felt more connected to nature

In our 2023 cookery course with adults:

92% Adults said that they felt very confident about reducing food waste after attending the course

100% Parents/Carers said they felt more confident about discussing food waste and food miles with the children.

Our project will promote increased public understanding of climate change, engage diverse communities, and inspire local action.

This project closed unsuccessfully on 7th October 2024