As part of the ‘Sembrando participación: Conocimiento colectivo sobre huertos urbanos en el barrio de Mestalla’ project, the Associació Institut d’Estudis de l’Horta Valenciana has produced free information resources for anyone interested in adopting more sustainable everyday habits.
The project was created to encourage public participation and gain a better understanding of people’s interests, needs and views regarding urban gardens, growing food at home and sustainability.
We therefore ran a survey open to the public and used the responses to create three clear, visual and practical resources on urban gardening and sustainable eating.
Growing in small spaces
You do not need a garden to start growing food. A balcony, a terrace or just a few pots can be enough to create a small garden at home.
This resource offers advice on getting started in a small space, together with examples of plants that are well suited to these settings.
Sustainable eating
The food choices we make every day can also help to build a more sustainable model.
The resource explores four key ideas: choosing local, seasonal fruit and vegetables; reducing food waste; producing less packaging waste; and maintaining a varied, balanced diet.
Home composting
Home composting can turn vegetable kitchen scraps and other biodegradable waste into compost, which can improve soil fertility and add organic matter to our plants.
The resource explains which materials can be composted, which should be avoided and how to begin composting at home.
From the balcony to the neighbourhood
These resources start from a simple idea: you do not need to make sweeping changes to begin.
Growing a few herbs, making better use of food, choosing seasonal produce or avoiding unnecessary packaging are small steps which, taken together, can help make our homes and neighbourhoods more sustainable.
Funded by València City Council’s Department for Citizen Participation and Neighbourhood Action.