What is a global garden?
A global garden is designed to minimise its environmental impact in a world facing climate change and increased demand for limited resources such as water and oil. A school global garden:
- uses harvested rainwater and growing methods which reduce water consumption
- diverts stormwater into the landscape, replenishing groundwater and reducing the risk of flooding
- reduces waste sent to landfill by composting organic waste and re-using unwanted building materials for its hard landscaping
- limits its carbon footprint by using locally sourced re-used and renewable materials where possible
- reduces food miles by growing fruit and vegetables for local consumption
- uses organic methods which do not use oil-based fertilisers and store carbon dioxide in the soil
- includes fruit and nut trees which absorb carbon, produce food and provide shade.
It also is designed to enrich children's learning experience across the whole curriculum, from Design & Technology to Maths and Literacy
- includes plants which are especially suited to exploring the historical, cultural and economic importance of plants, from the Andean potato to the Central Asian apple
- helps a school to achieve the Sustainable Schools Framework and Eco-Schools Programme
- gives children hands-on experience of the 6 Rs - rethink, refuse, reuse, reduce, repair, recycle
- uses the knowledge of plants and growing skills of its local communities
- uses the practical experience of growing to enable children to understand food:
- how it is grown and arrives on our plates,
- how we can grow secure and sustainable food
- how the world can feed itself
- develops an understanding of the role of plants in human history
- enables children and young people to explore how food is grown and consumed in other countriese
- helps to develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and values that they need if they are to make a positive contribution, both locally and globally
