Some more thoughts about sustainable community

One of the other ideas that we looked at during our time at the Grandview Gardens was how to recognise what is a sustainable community? I introduced some 'characteristics' that might be present in a sustainable community and we were going to see if we could identify them during our visit. We spent more time talking and looking at what was happening in the gardens but this is my quick assessment of the things I saw at the gardens and how they connect with what we might expect to see or experience as part of sustainable communities.

Characteristic	What that looked like at the Grandview Gardens
Sharing and collaboration	Uni student with some spare time (looking for work) coming to water the fruit trees Extra seeds and seedlings passed onto others in the garden
Creativity	Use of local resources and materials for the ‘shed’ and shade house
Meaning constructed	Compost heaps communal and close to the plots, covered by black polythene
Dynamic and responsive to change	Using space as it is – low impact to maximise the soil and topography of the site
Builds capacity	Advertising times when you are going to be there if others want support Using a blog to share what is happening in the gardens at different times of the season
Open-ended inquiry	Trying things out with the kumara – Where will it grow? What happens?
Roles/participants having equal value	“Rules” or expectations for access to and working in a plot the same for all
Collective ownership	Shared space of the gardens
Diversity	Range of people from individuals, families, cultures participating in the Grandview gardens
Real contexts	Allotment style gardens where families or individuals have their own plot within a shared space People working to do what is good for them e.g. the gentleman coming to clear away the undergrowth and branches to create his space

Some of the other 'characteristics' that I also included were:

• Negotiation and flexibility
• Integrating across learning areas or approaches
• Being holistic 
• Everyone may be an expert
• Wide range of approaches
• Applying reflective practice
• Developing conceptual understanding
• Local knowledge valued
• Process oriented
• Iterative cycles of learning

Thinking about some of these general guidelines or perspective might be helpful as you start framing up projects and taking action.