DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen

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<ŝƚĐŚĞŶ'ĂƌĚĞŶƐ Gilles Goepfert, Li-‐Anne Tan & Marta Monteso Cullell GEDS -‐ UOC -‐ 2012-‐2013 Table of Contents Executive summary .............................................................................................................................................. 1 1 2 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 2 1.1 Why School Kitchen Gardens? ........................................................................................................ 2 1.2 Why do we need a holistic approach? ......................................................................................... 4 The story this project wants to tell ....................................................................................................... 5 2.1 3 ǥ .......................................................................................................................................... 5 Making it happenȂ Holistic school kitchen gardens design guidelines .................................. 8 3.1 SET UP THE VISION, MISSION & OBJECTIVES OF THE KITCHEN GARDEN PROJECT
8 3.2 DEFINE MEMBERSHIP OF THE PROJECT: HOW WILL YOU GET ORGANIZED & MAKE DECISIONS? ........................................................................................................................................ 10 3.2.1 Create a membership protocol ............................................................................................................................... 10 3.2.2 Establish a decision-‐making procedure that is clear to all ......................................................................... 11 3.2.3 Prevention and management of conflicts ........................................................................................................... 12 3.2.4 Personal empowerment and leadership skills................................................................................................. 12 3.2.5 group Suggested procedure to ensure all group members are empowered to serve the purpose of the ǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥǥ13 3.2.6 How you are going to get organized? ................................................................................................................... 13 3.3 DEVELOP A SWOT ANALYSIS FOR THE PROJECT ............................................................... 15 3.4 EXPLORE EFFECTIVE WAYS TO RECRUIT MEMBERS AND EXPAND PROJECT OUTREACH ....................................................................................................................................................... 17 3.4.1 ǯǣ ....................................................... 17 3.4.2 Internal and external marketing of the garden-‐ ǲǳ
environmental engagement with a larger community ..................................................................................................... 18 3.4.3 Real versus Token child/youth participation .................................................................................................. 19 3.4.4 Moving Students from digital living to eco-‐living........................................................................................... 20 3.5 IMPLEMENT ECOLOGICAL DESIGN TO ENSURE PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE ..................................................................................................................................................... 21 DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens ii 3.5.1 Assess for Climate Change ........................................................................................................................................ 22 3.5.2 Water .................................................................................................................................................................................. 25 3.5.3 USING PERMACULTURE TO PLAN SCHOOL KITCHEN GARDENS .......................................................... 29 3.5.4 Energy cycling Ȃ Catching and storing energy ................................................................................................. 35 3.5.5 Green Building ................................................................................................................................................................ 38 3.6 ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY AND ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF THE PROJECT ..... 40 3.6.1 Stakeholders & Investors: ......................................................................................................................................... 40 3.6.1.1 School & teachers : ...................................................................................................................................................... 40 3.6.2 Forms of Investment in the School Kitchen Gardens Project .................................................................... 42 3.6.3 Ways to attract Investment Support .................................................................................................................... 43 3.6.4 Production of Information Kit to attract financial and In-‐kind support .............................................. 46 3.7 STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY BONDS & RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE ............ 46 3.7.1 Recognising the importance of rituals and celebrations:............................................................................ 47 3.7.2 Creating a mandala calendar of rituals and celebrations: .......................................................................... 47 3.7.3 Making the entire process as participatory as possible: ............................................................................. 49 3.7.4 Keeping the costs low and recycle/re-‐use the materials where possible: .......................................... 49 3.7.5 Ensuring that celebrations include an element of inter-‐species connection, to heal the divide between humans and the earth ................................................................................................................................................... 49 3.7.6 Incorporating the voices and needs of other kingdoms of nature in the design .............................. 50 3.7.7 Ensuring Nature plays a role in the Design of the School Kitchen Gardens: ...................................... 51 3.7.8 Addressing spirituality in the design of School Kitchen Gardens: .......................................................... 51 3.8 4 EVALUATE, RECEIVE FEEDBACK AND TWEAK THE PROJECT AS NECESSARY ...... 52 3.8.1 Creating Indicators: ..................................................................................................................................................... 52 3.8.2 Create space for reflection and analyzing impact: ......................................................................................... 53 3.8.3 Accepting feedback ...................................................................................................................................................... 54 ANNEX: Links to relevant school and food regulations in Malaysia and Spain ................ 55 DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens iii Gilles Goepfert Li-‐Anne Tan Marta Monteso Cullell DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens "Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find resources of strength that will endure as long as life lasts." ~Rachel Carson Executive summary The goal of this project is to develop a set of design guidelines to create holistic School Kitchen Gardens, fully integrating the four main pillars of Ecovillage Design Education: social, ecological, economic and worldview. Creating the School Kitchen Gardens, through these guidelines, will tap into their potential to build solidarity, sustainability practice and love for the Earth/Gaia amongst children in industrialised and non-‐industrialised countries. The project also explores the potential to connect schools and children from different countries, North and South to build a network of shared learning and inspiration to reconnect children to their own land and traditional food. In order to develop the design guidelines in a way that that can be applied in real life, the case study observes two different contexts: the European-‐ Mediterranean and South-‐East Asia using as examples a school in the Island of Mallorca, Spain and the French School in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 1 It is important to note that the school chosen in Mallorca has not directly participated in the development process of the project and therefore remains just an example of what could be done in a similar context. The information gathered comes from parents of children attending that school. On the other hand, the school in Kuala Lumpur has participated in some ways in the development of this project and is likely to implement it. 1 Introduction 1.1 Why School Kitchen Gardens? /ŶŵĂŶǇƉĂƌƚƐŽĨƚŚĞǁŽƌůĚ͕͞ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝƚǇĂŶĚƐƚƵĚĞŶƚŝŶƚĞƌĞƐƚŝŶŬŝƚĐŚĞŶŐĂƌĚĞŶƐŝƐŝŶĐƌĞĂƐŝŶŐ͕
particularly due to the intense media focus on issues such as food miles, packaging, and the cost in terms of nutrition, the economy and the environment of prepackaged and fast food. The popularity of gardening and cooking television shows also provides an impetus for people to explore growing and preparing their own produce. In response to this, there is a wide range of outreach programs and tertiary and privately-‐run courses available. There is a growing ĞǆƉĞƌƚŝƐĞŝŶƚŚĞĚĞǀĞůŽƉŵĞŶƚĂŶĚŵĂŝŶƚĞŶĂŶĐĞŽĨ^ĐŚŽŽů<ŝƚĐŚĞŶ'ĂƌĚĞŶƐ͘͟ School Kitchen Gardens have been established in several countries for some time now. In Australia, for example, there is a lot of evidence available on the positive and big impact of their use. Here are some good reasons, according to the Australian New South Wales Department of Education and training, http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au/env_ed/assets/pdf/pts_gannon_kitchen
gardens.pdf : ͞dŚĞƌĞŝƐĂĐŽŵƉůĞǆŝƚǇŽĨƌĞĂƐŽŶƐďĞŚŝŶĚƚŚĞĞƐƚĂďůŝƐŚŵĞŶƚŽĨ<ŝƚĐŚĞŶ'ĂƌĚĞŶƐǁŝƚŚŝŶƐĐŚŽŽů͕
including: developing awareness for the environment, engaging students in their learning, fostering community participation, increasing self-‐ esteem improving diet, increasing physical ĂĐƚŝǀŝƚǇ͘ ͞School kitchen gardens: the outdoor classroom, a meaningful and authentic place of learning: The creation of a food garden with a diversity of plant species inevitably creates a habitat for countless species of animals. Students can see first hand the symbiotic nature that exists between species -‐ the grub eats a plant and grows into a butterfly and the butterfly, in turn, pollinates other plants. The presence or absence of bees or birds can influence the setting DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 2 of pumpkins and cucumbers. Students are not just learning to identify and label things but to understand species behaviour. Students who have access to a garden at school gain knowledge through interaction and observation of the natural world. Children also display a connection and a sense of responsibility for the environment when they have a role in its creation and maintenance. Hands-‐ on experience in a garden will enhance and reinforce the study of units such as >ŝĨĞǇĐůĞƐ͘͟ According to Ă ƐƚƵĚǇ ŽĨĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ ůŝƚĞƌĂƚƵƌĞŽĨ ƐĐŚŽŽů ŐĂƌĚĞŶƐ ŝŶ ͞dŚĞ ŚŝůĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ 'ĂƌĚĞŶ͗ Ŷ
Evaluative Review of the Benefits oĨ ^ĐŚŽŽů 'ĂƌĚĞŶŝŶŐ͕͟ :ŽƵƌŶĂů ŽĨ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚĂů ĞĚƵĐĂƚŝŽŶ͕
WINTER 2009, VOL. 40, NO. 2: Moore (1995) reported that the school vegetable garden was the most feasible pedagogical vehicle for promoting daily environmental learning in his project's fully redesigned schoolyard. In particular, annual vegetable and flower gardens enabled a yearly full start from bare soil. Each year, students could be full participants in designing the garden and the act of regeneration, the regenerative act of embedding tiny seeds in dirt and food-‐scrap compost, and nurturing those seeds during their transformation into flowers or vegetables. Researchers have frequently commented on how excited children were to put their hands in dirt. Birds, insects, spiders, weeds, and mammalian predators were players in this process, so that the school's environmental complexity flourished. Food production connected students to sensual pleasures, sustenance, and the agri-‐systems of daily life in and beyond the school. Butterfly, habitat, and pond gardens required less summer maintenance and also provided diverse opportunities for observing natural systems. Educators found that gardens produced the ecological diversity that had been missing from mono-‐cultural schoolyards, allowing children to work directly with energy transformation and entropy. A school garden can be a frequent, if not daily, experience, a place owned by the students. With attention, gardens can also create delight and pride and foster the kind of unfettered play that children create in simple hidden spaces (Mergen, 2003). These gardens can be private spots for observing, fostering the imagination, or simply reading among the fava beans (Brynjegard, 2001). Uniformly, the qualitative studies of kindergarten to sixth-‐grade gardening that are summarized in Tables 5 and 6 showed the following positive behavioral and social outcomes: heightened motivation and enthusiasm, improved sense of self, teamwork, community, and parental involvement. The amount of structure that children encounter in relating to a garden may determine whether they benefit both cognitively and ĞŵŽƚŝŽŶĂůůǇ;dŚŽƌƉΘdŽǁŶƐĞŶĚ͕ϮϬϬϭͿ͘͟ From an environmental perspective, school gardens may seem to researchers to be a limited substitute for redesigning the whole schoolyard or for interacting more closely with nearby DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 3 landscapes (http://www.csupomona.edu/~smemerson/business318/articles101/childrens%20gardens.pdf) 1.2 Why do we need a holistic approach? The added value of the project and its Design Guidelines resides in two main pillars: a. Bringing all the EDE components to the well-‐established idea/practice of School Kitchen Gardens; to maximize its potential and use them as an effective entry point to bring sustainable social, ecological, economic and new worldview inspiration and practice to children and citizens. b. Opening a door for children (and their families and teachers) to experience their true essence as members of the broader human family (beyond their family, region or country) through connecting and learning from children in other countries, walking the path of reconnecting to the land, enjoying the growing the food with their own hands and reconnecting to their own traditional food and values. In the development of the Design Guidelines, the team has explored and integrated different ĂƐƉĞĐƚƐƌĞůĂƚĞĚƚŽŝŵƉůĞŵĞŶƚŝŶŐĂ͚ŚŽůŝƐƚŝĐ͛^ĐŚŽŽů<ŝƚĐŚĞŶ'ĂƌĚĞŶƐƚŚƌŽƵŐŚ͗ Ɣ Exploring and testing avenues for public financing support; Ɣ Exploring financing and logistical support by other actors; Ɣ Assessing the expectations and concerns of school members; Ɣ Consulting children and learning about their dreams; Ɣ Exploring the potential for collaboration with local farmers; Ɣ Bringing in promising practices and design based on permaculture, biodynamic horticulture, designing through mandalas etc; Ɣ Exploring ways to Integrate local gastronomy as a way to reconnect to the value of what comes from the land, the local; Ɣ Exploring ways to connect the children, parents and teachers with wisdom from other countries and to visions and practices from other communities in the world; Ɣ Building a sense of caring for Gaia and seeing all humans as one big family. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 4 2 The story this project wants to tell 2.1 ĨĂŝƌǇƚĂůĞ͙ tŚǇĂŶ͛ƚdƌĞĞƐďĞŽƵƌdĞĂĐŚĞƌƐĂŶĚEĂƚƵƌĞŽƵƌĐůĂƐƐƌŽŽŵ͍ My name is Martina and I am 5 years old. I live in a beautiful island, Mallorca, in a sea that is called the Mediterranean. I like this place; there are high mountains that meet with the sea. I like swimming and seeing the fish under the water. Sometimes I feel like I am one of them, I feel very light and happy. I would spend hours in the water! The other day my brother got upset with me. He caught two tiny shrimps from the water and took them away in a bucket. Later, I took the bucket and brought the shrimps back to the sea. I knew their mum would be sad and ǁŽƌƌŝĞĚ͕ůŽŽŬŝŶŐĨŽƌƚŚĞŵ͘/ĚŽŶ͛ƚƌĞĂůůǇůŝŬĞŝƚǁŚĞŶŵǇďƌŽƚŚĞƌĐĂƚĐŚĞƐĂŶŝŵĂůƐ͘,ĞƚŚŝŶŬƐŝƚŝƐĂ
ŐĂŵĞ͕ ƚŚŝƐ ŝƐ ǁŚĂƚ ŽůĚĞƌ ŬŝĚƐ ĂŶĚ ŵŽƐƚ ĂĚƵůƚƐ ĚŽ͘ / ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ƚŚŝŶŬ ǁĞ ƐŚŽƵůĚ ƉůĂǇ ǁŝƚŚ ĂŶŝŵĂůƐ͘
When I get upset, I tell my mum. I love my mum. She understands me. She explained to me that for many, many centuries, human beings have been living on our planet with the belief that they are superior to everything around them. I know they are wrong. My favoritĞďŽŽŬŝƐĐĂůůĞĚ͞ůů/ƐĞĞ͕/Ăŵ͘͟DǇŵƵŵƌĞĂĚƐŝƚƚŽŵĞǁŚĞŶ/ŐŽƚŽƐůĞĞƉ͘/ƚƌĞŵŝŶĚƐ
me that when I look at the stars, I see myself; that when I look at a pretty daisy, I see myself. And so on, with everything that surrounds me. Apart from fish, horses, owls and dogs, trees are my best friends. Mum once told me that we should all consider the trees our teachers, because they have been there for many years, sometimes hundreds! Like us, they are born very little, from a tiny seed, but they are so smart that can grow much bigger than the tallest person in the world, my dad. Trees have so much knowledge that all the animals like being close to them and even the fungus grow like almost invisible spider webs under them, to feed them and to share the knowledge of the tree with everything that is around him, including an entire forest! Mum says this is how economics in the world should work. I have a favorite tree, in the forest, a willow. Mum tells me that if one day we get there very early, at dawn, we will be able to see the fairies. They come to say hello and ƐŝŶŐƚŽƚŚĞƚƌĞĞ͕ƚŚĞǇĂƌĞƚŚĞŝƌŐƵĂƌĚƐ͘&ĂŝƌŝĞƐĚŽŶ͛ƚůŝŬĞŚƵŵĂŶƐǁŚŽĚŽƚŚŝŶŐƐƚŚĂƚǁŝůůŚĂƌŵ
the trees or anyone else in the forest. I think humans can be friends with nature; because we are nature. However, sometimes humans are mean. School is the place where I spend most of my time since I am 4. I think I would like it more if school would actually be inside the forest. Like this I know all the children could listen and learn DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 5 from its smart inhabitants. But my school is inside a city, and even though I like seeing my school ĨƌŝĞŶĚƐ͕/ĚŽŶ͛ƚůŝŬĞďĞŝŶŐĂƚƐĐŚŽŽůƚŽŽŵƵĐŚ͘tŚĞŶ/ĨĞĞůƚƌĂƉƉĞĚďǇƚŚĞĐŽůĚƚŚŝĐŬǁĂůůƐŽĨƚŚĞ
classroom, I wait till the teacher gives us permission and run out to the playground to meet my friend, the chestnut tree. I feel happier then. Today I went to school looking forward to seeing ŵǇĨƌŝĞŶĚƚŚĞƚƌĞĞ͘Ƶƚ/ĐŽƵůĚŶ͛ƚĨŝŶĚŚŝŵ͘tŚĞƌĞŚĂĚŚĞŐŽŶĞ͍,ĞǁĂƐŽůĚ͕ĂŶĚ/ĚŽŶ͛ƚƚŚŝŶŬ
trees can really move. Their roots are so deep that they just move upwards but cannot walk. I asked my teacher. She told me that the school had decided to cut it, and take the grass out of the playground. It was getting too muddy and kids were getting dirty, she said, so the school has decided to put concrete instead. Concrete? Concrete is not alive! I cried. What am I going to do when I need to leave the cold thick walls of the classroom in search of the ǁĂƌŵƚŚ ĂŶĚ ďĞĂƵƚǇ ŽĨ ŵǇ ĨƌŝĞŶĚ ƚŚĞ ƚƌĞĞ͍ dĞĂƌƐ ĂƌĞ ĐŽŵŝŶŐ ŽƵƚ ŽĨ ŵǇ ĞǇĞƐ͘ ŽŶ͛ƚ ĂĚƵůƚƐ
understand? Trees are our teachers! And we, children, love them! I am scared, I have this awful feeling that if I spend most of the time at school, surrounded by concrete, I will forget that the tree was my best friend, and teacher, and I will become like all these ĂĚƵůƚƐ͕ǁŚŽĚŽŶ͛ƚďĞůŝĞǀĞŝŶ
fairies, or the magic and beauty of nature. No, I cannot let this happen, I will continue to go to the forest and will become so smart that when I grow older I will be able to change the school and make it a place where children can learn the wisdom of trees. By Marta Monteso Cullell, October 2011 DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 6 The story this Project wants to tell is about Nature, about how we are all wedded in Her cycles and how we can consciously embrace these again in the school, so that She can continue nurturing us. This becomes particularly important in a time where the dominant worldview ĐŽŶƚŝŶƵĞƐ ĐƌĞĂƚŝŶŐ Ă ƐĞƉĂƌĂƚŝŽŶ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶ ŚƵŵĂŶƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ƌĞƐƚ ŽĨ EĂƚƵƌĞ͛Ɛ ĐƌĞĂƚƵƌĞƐ ĂŶĚ
systems, and where each time more children grow up in urban settings completely disconnected from what once used to be our home, teacher and provider: Nature. This Project choses the story where children and adults can learn to experience wholeness again in their daily life. There is both wonder and practicality in Nature to learn from: from seed to soil to cultivation to harvest, to nourishment and waste reuse, connecting the whole cycle rather than staying with the broken parts of the food industry. This is reflected in the natural food growing cycles, in the collection of waste for compost and biogas and in water. In these cycles lies the sacredness of life that we are all part of. The sacredness not only comes from the actions that we take part in as part of Nature but also from how we approach Her with respect and connectedness, through celebration and attending to her cycles As told in Elizabet SahtŽƵƌŝƐ͛ ͞ĂƌƚŚĚĂŶĐĞ͕͟ EĂƚƵƌĞ ĨŝŶĚƐ ǁĂǇƐ ƚŽ ĂĚĂƉƚ ĂŶĚ ĨŝŶĚŶĞǁďĂůĂŶĐĞ
and resilience, when toxic waste is generated, from many failuresͶof organisms dying, new adaptations take place for new balance. Such can be invaluable life learning points for students. This Project promotes: reciprocity and mutual growth; listening to Nature; interdependence and interconnectedness; respect and beauty. We see them as intrinsic qualities of the kind of humans that we will need in order to restore the balance on this planet. This Project tries to bring long term change in our societies through children and their environment, moving from a wheel of domination, competitiveness, separation and destruction to a wheel of collaboration, respect and harmonious growth for the benefit of all. We are aware that if this change is not pursued soon, we will all face long-‐term food insecurity, environmental degradation, lack of natural resources, ill health, increased disasters. More profoundly, we will experience a lack of identity as a human race, forgetting our essential interconnection with Nature, its beauty and abundance. What the world desperately needs today is to respect and carefully nurture the natural resources that are still on the planet, starting from the soil, closing cycles again and working for regeneration instead of degradation. Through childhood, children remain somehow connected to a sense of wonder, driven by a unique and almost scientific curiosity towards life and Nature. We just need to find the best ways to tap into this sĞŶƐĞ ŽĨ ǁŽŶĚĞƌ ĂŶĚ ŶƵƌƚƵƌĞ ŝƚ ƐŽ ƚŚĂƚ͕ ĂƐ ƚŚĞǇ ŐƌŽǁ͕ ƚŚĞǇ ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ŽŶůǇ
DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 7 maintain it but they also transform it into the necessary knowledge, skills and determination to ĨŝŶĚƐŽůƵƚŝŽŶƐƚŽƌĞƐƚŽƌĞEĂƚƵƌĞ͛ƐĂŶĚŚƵŵĂŶ͛ƐďĂůĂŶĐĞ͘ŽŶƐŝĚĞƌŝŶŐƚŚĂƚŵŽƐƚĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶƐƉĞnd most of their time at school, schools become an obvious starting point to bring this change. 3 Making it happenʹ Holistic school kitchen gardens design guidelines This Project offers a set of guidelines to all those schools and parents that want to work towards bringing the change mentioned above. We suggest starting small, according to resources available. Creating the School Kitchen Garden and implementing some Permaculture ĚĞƐŝŐŶƉƌŝŶĐŝƉůĞƐĚŽĞƐŶ͛ƚŚĂǀĞƚŽďĞĂŶĂŵďŝƚŝŽƵƐƚĂƐŬ͖ŚŽǁĞǀĞƌƚŚĞĐŚĂŶŐĞƐthis will bring are invaluable. In order to make the guidelines useful for schools in different contexts we have chosen two schools: in the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, Spain and the French School in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Both schools present very different characteristics: one is partially public, the other is private; they are affected by different climates and cultures and have access to different levels of resources. However, in both cases, establishing the School Kitchen Gardens following a holistic approach will bring immeasurable potential for change at all levels: personal, social, ecological, economic and of worldview. The Project team applied each guideline to the project development process itself and directly to the two schools in focus. Each guideline therefore contains real life examples and analysis of the two schools-‐to make it more easily applicable should you wish to start your own holistic School Kitchen Garden. There are eight basic design guidelines to get started: 3.1 SET UP THE VISION, MISSION & OBJECTIVES OF THE KITCHEN GARDEN PROJECT DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 8 The vision and mission will be your compass throughout the implementation of the project and your reference point to evaluate where you are going. Without a clear and common vision endorsed by all stakeholders the mission of setting up a holistic kitchen garden at the school might be weakened or fail down the road. According to Diana L. Christian (2003, Creating a Life Together. Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities, New Society Publishers), the group common vision: ͻ Describes the shared future you want to create ͻ ZĞǀĞĂůƐĂŶĚĂŶŶŽƵŶĐĞƐǇŽƵƌŐƌŽƵƉ͛ƐĐŽƌĞǀĂůƵĞƐ ͻ Expresses something each of you can identify with ͻ Helps unify your effort ͻ Gives you a reference point to return to during confusion or disagreement ͻ Keeps your group inspired ͻ Draws out the commitment of the people in your group sŝƐŝŽŶŝƐƚŚĞƐŚĂƌĞĚĨƵƚƵƌĞǇŽƵǁĂŶƚƚŽĐƌĞĂƚĞ͕ǇŽƵƌƐŚĂƌĞĚŝŵĂŐĞŽĨǁŚĂƚ͛ƐƉŽƐƐŝďůĞ͘/ƚŝƐŽĨƚĞŶ
ĞǆƉƌĞƐƐĞĚĂƐƚŚĞ͞ǁŚŽ͕͟ƚŚĞ͞ǁŚĂƚ͟ĂŶĚƚŚĞ͞ǁŚǇ͟ŽĨǇŽƵƌĞŶĚĞĂǀŽƵƌ͘/ĚĞĂůůǇŝƚ͛ƐĚĞƐĐƌŝďĞĚŝŶ
the present tense, as if it were happening now. Mission or Purpose expresses the vision in ĐŽŶĐƌĞƚĞ͕ ƉŚǇƐŝĐĂů ƚĞƌŵƐ͘ /ƚ͛Ɛ ǁŚĂƚ ǇŽƵ ǁŝůůďĞƉŚǇƐŝĐĂůůǇ ĚŽŝŶŐ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ ĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐŝŶŐ ĂƐ ǇŽƵ
ŵĂŶŝĨĞƐƚ ǇŽƵƌ ƐŚĂƌĞĚ ŝŵĂŐĞ ŽĨ ǁŚĂƚ͛Ɛ ƉŽƐƐŝďůĞ͘ 'ŽĂůƐ ĂŶĚ KďũĞĐƚŝǀĞƐ ĂƌĞ ŵŝůĞƐƚŽŶĞƐ ǇŽƵ
commit yourselves to accomplish in the short or medium term. They are measurable; you know when you have accomplished them. (Source: Gaia Education Social Dimension Handout page 9) This team jointly identified the following vision, mission and objectives in relation to this Project: Ɣ 'ƌŽƵƉ͛Ɛ sŝƐŝŽŶ͗ "Public and private schools across the world become an expansive space where children, families and teachers enjoy a deeper connection with Gaia and gain the tools to co-‐create a sustainable world". Ɣ Summarised vision statement: "Schools worldwide become Gaia's expansive and loving classrooms" Ɣ 'ƌŽƵƉ͛ƐŵŝƐƐŝŽŶ͗to promote and support the creation of School Kitchen Gardens that build solidarity, sustainability practices and love for the Earth/Gaia by developing a set of Design Principles based on the four ecovillage design education pillars. Ɣ Objectives: i. To identify within each of the four ecovillage design education pillars which are the two or three most relevant aspects for the design of holistic School Kitchen Gardens; ii. To develop design principles based on permaculture and adapted to the tropical context in South East Asia and the Mediterranean; DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 9 iii. To map existing School Kitchen Gardens networks and initiatives in the North and South and design a creative way to build interconnections. 3.2 DEFINE MEMBERSHIP OF THE PROJECT: HOW WILL YOU GET ORGANIZED & MAKE DECISIONS? 3.2.1 Create a membership protocol The membership protocol is geared towards ensuring meaningful participation of members in the direction of the Project study as well as its purpose. Based on our experience during the development process of this Project, the group identified the following basic tenets of our membership protocol: Ɣ Ensure interest to ensure participation Ɣ Jointly decide on important issues, work sharing and timeframe Ɣ Respect work allocation and time frame once agreed Ɣ Be open to feedback and to consider alternatives Ɣ Verbalise the thinking process and assumptions Ɣ Strive for clear communication and rapid response time Ɣ Ask for help when stuck Ɣ Laugh Ɣ Share personal or work issues that may affect fulfillment of your commitment so that remedial actions can be agreed and initiated For a School Kitchen Garden group membership protocol, the idea is to reach as many children as possible, so that all children are participating almost by default. The access could be structured in two ways: ͻǁŝƚŚŝŶƚŚĞĐƵƌƌŝĐƵůƵŵ;ďŝŽůŽŐǇ͕ŐĞŽŐƌĂƉŚǇ͕ƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐǇĂŶĚĞǀĞŶ>ĂƚŝŶǁŝƚŚĂůůƚŚĞ
botanical names); or ͻƚŚƌŽƵŐŚĞǆƚƌĂ-‐curricular activities, which may be open to other target groups such as parents, local community, other schools etc. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 10 A project steering group is recommended to provide some guidelines for activities within the garden, harvest and update a possible roster of activities to be done and match them with groups of gardeners. 3.2.2 Establish a decision-‐making procedure that is clear to all A decision-‐making procedure can be created following questions such as: භ
භ
භ
භ
භ
භ
භ
Are all decisions equal in importance, scope? Who should decide what decisions? What decision-‐making method must be used for each type of decision? How often do we want to gather to make decisions? For how long? What are our basic agreements for meetings? How will we ensure that our decision-‐making process is truly participatory, inclusive and fair? භ How will we solve conflicts arising in decision-‐making? භ How will we communicate the decisions to the group? Important decisions on the direction, ultimate intent, and structure of the Project should be taken by deep discussion to clarify issues and challenge assumptions. This will allow for informed decisions to be taken by consensus. Once the vision, mission, objectives and structure of the Project have been agreed, the sharing of workload is jointly decided by trying to balance the interests and skills of the members, while trying to ensure an equitable way of resolving issues that may arise. This is done by deep listening and using non-‐violent communication techniques, ensuring that there is no misunderstanding about the role of each member and their expected contribution. Some tips that have worked for this group: ͻdŽ ĞŶƐƵƌĞ ĞĨĨĞĐƚŝǀĞ ĚŝƐĐƵƐƐŝŽŶƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŵĞĞƚŝŶŐƐ͕ ĂŶ ĂŐĞŶĚĂ ƐŚŽƵůĚ ďĞ ĐŝƌĐƵůĂƚĞĚ ĂŶĚ
agreed (e.g. by email, verbally to students, through printouts) prior to the scheduled meeting. ͻdŽƚƌǇĂŶĚŐƵĂƌĂŶƚĞĞĐůĂƌŝƚǇŽŶĚĞĐŝƐŝŽŶƐ͕ǀĞƌďĂůĚĞĐŝƐŝŽŶƐĂƌĞƚŚĞŶǁƌŝƚƚĞŶĚŽǁŶĂŶĚ
published in spaces accessible to all. Lack of response within 7 days is taken as assent to allow the group to move forward. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 11 3.2.3 Prevention and management of conflicts Conflict if and when it arises, may be addressed by first reconnecting to the common ground of mission, vision and objectives and target group (e.g. children). This will help re-‐establish the connection to the purpose of the Project. It is important to clarify the source of the conflict and why it arose. The group will benefit from understanding which needs were not addressed or which ground rules are perceived as not being respected. The focus should be on learning from the conflict, exploring ways to prevent it in the future and re-‐establishing common ground to find a way forward. 3.2.4 Personal empowerment and leadership skills Given the diversity of the membership in the Project team that the school will create (which will include children of different ages, parents, teachers, volunteers and others) it is essential to find ways to address the power dynamics within the group and to ensure every member has an equal voice to convey their inner wisdom. ͻ Plan to find all the required team members Establish a vision of who would be the ideal members, map your contacts, including other existing School Kitchen Garden initiatives. ͻ Find dynamic ways for leadership to be distributed This should be decided jointly by the full group. As an example, some of the ways leadership can be distributed could be: Option 1 (more traditional): distribute leadership through division of tasks. Each member leads the group in his/her specific task and one of the members connects all tasks/pays attention to all the interconnections (this role would be distributed through rotation). Option 2 (more revolutionary and fun): Visit to a natural ecosystem, observing leadership dynamics in it. Each member would connect to one specific component of the ecosystem and observe how this component (e.g a tree, mycelium, the water etc) manifests leadership in that particular ecosystem (how and when is taking a leadership role and why that is necessary for the ecosystem). The group would share the wisdom acquired through that connection and define, inspired by that, their own way of distributing leadership. What are some of your own ways to distribute leadership? DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 12 3.2.5 Suggested procedure to ensure all group members are empowered to serve the purpose of the group x
ͻ
ͻ
Start each meeting with a connecting exercise: meditation circle, song, tapping into Nature or a speaking circle (where members feel free to express their needs/concerns/feelings). In all communications of the group: a) Encourage lots of individual freedom and personal discoveries within the framework of the common vision; b) Recognise that every single person in the group is a gift and has the ability to tap into higher wisdom inspired by Gaia. Ensure that whoever takes the leadership turn integrate all the aspects of the holistic leadership triangle (Goals ʹ Process ʹ Relationships) Integrate bonding activities (art, creativity, celebration) frequently. 3.2.6 How you are going to get organized? Each school can choose the best way to organise in order to ensure the success of the kitchen garden project in their own context. We are sharing here the recommendations given by the Eco-‐schools program, which we found very useful: Setting up a committee: The committee directs the operations of a school's programme. Whatever form it takes, it must fulfill the purposes listed below and be student led by:, x ensuring that the entire school knows about Eco-‐Schools and will receive regular updates x developing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating the school's environmental policy that addresses the environmental concerns of the school community x ensuring that all members of the school community (especially pupils) are represented in the decision-‐making process x providing a link between pupils, teachers, senior management and the entire school community and, ideally, the Local Community, integrating the programme within the School Development Plan and local ecological agendas. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 13 There is not one particular way to set up the committee. It might grow from a group that is already active in the school or be set up from scratch through nominations from the head of school or the pupils. It is crucial that pupils are represented in the committee and ideally selected from their peers after the prospective candidates explain why they are volunteering to be on the committee (this could be done during a school assembly). These pupils should be chosen (or ideally, elected) so that they represent the whole school. An ideal Committee will also represent the views of the wider, local community as well as the whole school. Members could include: ͻ pupils from every year -‐ it is essential that pupils have a high representation on the committee ͻ a member of the school board ͻ other teachers ͻ a parent or guardian ͻ non-‐teaching staff, e.g. the janitor, facilities manager, business manager, catering supervisor, or health educator ͻ a representative from the local community ͻ a representative from a local environmental organisation How often the committee meets is decided by the school, however some schools have found that they need to meet more regularly in the beginning, until the programme becomes established. Committees should keep records of their decisions in the form of minutes. These should be shared at school management meetings, with all classes/year groups and displayed on a notice board. Key issues should be raised at school assemblies and with the wider community when possible. Wherever possible, it is recommended that pupils carry out the minuting process and the subsequent dissemination of information. The sense of democracy involved, and the motivation in resolving initiatives brought forth by the students themselves are products of this process. If your school is an infant school/nursery, you may decide that formal meetings are not practical with such young children. You can still, however, have Committee members who discuss issues, make decisions and update others regarding particular projects. Suitable avenues for disseminating such information could be via circle time or through practical activities. It is also recommended that you think of ways in which to ensure the continuity of Committee plans and knowledge from one school session to the next. Pupil members could, for example, serve a 1.5 year term with an overlapping 'handover' phase to make sure that new Committee DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 14 members are not 'starting from scratch'. Continuity planning is also essential to ensure that a school's eco work survives if a key member of staff leaves the school. 3.3 DEVELOP A SWOT ANALYSIS FOR THE PROJECT Before starting any implementation, it is important to analyse the strengths, the weaknesses, opportunities and threats/challenges of the Project so that you can address them in advance. The model grid which you may find suitable to apply is this: Using that module, the SWOT analysis we applied to the French School in Kuala Lumpur and the Spanish School in Mallorca looks like this: STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES ͻdŚĞ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚŝĞƐ ĨŽƌ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƚŝŶŐ
children to the cycles of nature, experiential learning in interconnectedness are tremendous. ͻ'ƌŽǁŝŶŐ ƚŚĞŝƌ ŽǁŶ ĨŽŽĚ ŐŝǀĞƐ ŐƌĞĂƚĞƌ
perceived value to the food they eat. ͻ'ƌŽǁŝŶŐ ĨŽŽĚ ĐĂŶ ŚĂǀĞ ƐŽŵĞ
challenges in terms of growing enough food for supplying to the canteen. ͻZĞƋƵŝƌĞƐ ŐĂƌĚĞŶŝŶŐ ŬŶŽǁůĞĚŐĞ ĂŶĚ
permaculture expertise for long term sustainability in organic food growing, DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 15 ͻ>ĞĂƌŶŝŶŐ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚŝĞƐ ĂƌĞ ƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ ĨŽƌ
other areas in terms of water purification treatment of effluence and biogas treatment also gives children tangible experience of the potential for humans to positively and negatively impact the environment. which can be prone to pests, inclement weather etc. ͻ&ŽŽĚ ŐĂƌĚĞŶƐ ĂůƐŽ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞ ŽŶŐŽŝŶŐ
maintenance and care, which need to be addressed during times such as holidays and long breaks. ͻ ƉŽƐƐŝďůĞ ǁĞĂŬŶĞƐƐ ŵĂǇ ĂůƐŽ ďĞƚŚĂƚ
food gardens are not conventionally aesthetically pleasing. Plans many need to be made in the school extension design for placement of a less aesthetic but practical garden. OPPORTUNITIES THREATS ͻdŚĞ ^ĐŚŽŽů Žŵŵŝttee seems to have some support for green initiatives. And the School Kitchen Garden project, which is to be rolled out in conjunction with the School extension already has a design brief which has a strong environmental sensibility. ͻ<ŝƚĐŚĞŶ ŐĂƌĚĞŶ project will have some strong structures as there are plans to be part of the Eco Schools network. ͻdŚĞƌĞ ŝƐ Ă ŐƌŽǁŝŶŐ ĞĐŽůŽŐŝĐĂů
movement in Mallorca, with a strong emphasis on food and seed savings. This brings momentum and potential support for school food gardens initiatives based on permaculture. ͻWŽƐƐŝďůĞ ƚŚƌĞĂƚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ^ĐŚŽŽů <ŝƚĐŚĞŶ
Garden will be the lack of buy in from teachers in the adoption of the program in the curriculum, which can scupper the existence and the long-‐running sustainability of the programme. ͻdŚĞ ƐĐĂůĞ ĂŶĚ ƐŝǌĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŬŝƚĐŚĞŶ
garden project will also be determined ďǇ ƉĞƌĐĞƉƚŝŽŶ ŽĨ ƐĐŚŽŽů͛Ɛ ĚĞĐŝƐŝŽŶ
makers of the importance of the School Kitchen Garden in the students learning, and how far they are willing to incorporate the projects needs in the design and construction of the school extension. ͻ ƉŽƐƐŝďůĞ ĂƐƐŽĐŝĂƚŝŽŶ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ĨŽŽĚ
ŐĂƌĚĞŶ ƚŽ Ă ƐƉĂĐĞ ĨŽƌ ͚ůĞŝƐƵƌĞ͛ Žƌ
playground, disconnecting it from the school objectives and diminishing the educational value that this initiative would bring to the school. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 16 ͻWŽƐƐŝďůĞ ůĞŐĂů ůŝŵŝƚĂƚŝŽŶƐ ƚŽ ŐƌŽǁ ĂŶĚ
consume food in the school or develop other relevant practices (e.g. production of compost etc) It is important to identify the strengths and opportunities of the project to strengthen it, at the ƐĂŵĞ ƚŝŵĞ ƉƌŽĂĐƚŝǀĞůǇ ĂĚĚƌĞƐƐ ƚŚĞ ǁĞĂŬŶĞƐƐĞƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŚƌĞĂƚƐ ƐŽ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞǇ ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ďĞĐŽŵĞ Ă ƌĞĂů
limitation in the future. For instance, one of the threats we identified relates to possible legal limitations that you might find in your context. Therefore, in the Annex we have included a list of regulations and links that we have found in both contexts, Malaysia and Mallorca. Even when regulations might sound limiting, there may be space for flexible interpretation of the text or for even changing them through some advocacy or campaigns, joining efforts with others! 3.4 EXPLORE EFFECTIVE WAYS TO RECRUIT MEMBERS AND EXPAND PROJECT OUTREACH 3.4.1 dŚĞŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶĐĞŽĨĞŶƐƵƌŝŶŐƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ͛ŵŽƚŝǀĂƚŝŽŶĂŶĚĨƵůĨŝůůŵĞŶƚ͗ The success of the school kitchen program depends on students experiencing meaningfulness in the activities of the School Kitchen Garden. The goal is to make participation attractive enough for children and teens to join and for parents to support this activity. dŚĞ ĚŽĐƵŵĞŶƚ͕ ͞/Ŷ &ƌĂŵŝŶŐ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚĂů ĐŽŵŵƵŶŝĐĂƚŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ǇŽƵƚŚ ďǇ ƵƌŽƉĞĂŶ
Environmental Communication Networks Newsflash, No. 79, February 2010 (ec.europa.eu/environmentͬŶĞƚǁŽƌŬƐͬĚŽĐͬŶĞǁƐĨůĂƐŚͬŶĞǁƐĨůĂƐŚϳϵ͘ƉĚĨͿ͕͟ĨŽƵŶĚ͗ ͞zŽƵŶŐƉĞŽƉůĞĂƌĞŬĞǇŝŶŐĞtting environmental messages through to society at large. Children have a role at two levels: they can act as effective intermediaries, transmitting environmental messages to their families, and they represent the adults ʹ citizens, consumers, workers ʹ of tomorrow. These two levers and their significance explain the body of research and numerous actions conducted on environmental ĞĚƵĐĂƚŝŽŶ͘͟ DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 17 If we analyse the School Kitchen Gardens project, through the SMART Criteria project management tool, the benefits of School Kitchen Gardens are measurable, motivational and meaningful (M) in terms of education and development of environmental consciousness and action. Attainable (A), the children are already enthusiastic recyclers as a result of the schools recycling programme, so they already demonstrate an interest in positive environmental action. And time oriented (T), as it will be tied to the school year and the monthly production of food the canteen. A quick run through SMART criteria will sure that your project remains specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-‐bound. For some ideas on how to ensure your projects meet MART criteria, you can look at : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria http://topachievement.com/smart.html http://www.csupomona.edu/~smemerson/business318/articles101/childrens gardens.pdf 3.4.2 Internal and external marketing of the garden-‐ dŚĞ͞ƐĞůůŝŶŐŽĨ
ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚĂůŝƐŵ͟ĂŶĚĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚĂůĞŶŐĂŐĞŵĞŶƚǁŝƚŚĂůĂƌŐĞƌ
community Another goal is that the students themselves and their activities spread the meme of positive environmental action and education to the larger community. Although this is never explicitly articulated to the students, and they are in no way pressurized, the students have the potential to be powerful influencers, with their positive environmental actions and motivations, especially of parents. This has already been demonstrated in the French school in Malaysia, where a recycling program was successfully implemented. Parents were not necessarily active recyclers. But when the school started a recycling programs, the students began to actively recycle bringing recyclables to the school, influencing non-‐recycling families into a new positive habit. This is already having an effect on the school canteen management too, which is a large scale commercial catering operation. The plans for the school setting up a kitchen garden and participation in the eco schools project is driving the infrastructure for biomass recycling. The school canteen will be participating in the recycling of food waste which in contribution to the larger environmental message across the school and influencing this commercial concern. This ĂƐƉĞĐƚŽĨƚŚĞƉƌŽũĞĐƚǁŝůůĨƵůĨŝůů^DZdŝŶŵŝŶŽƌƚĞƌŵƐĨŽƌ͚^͛ĨŽƌƐŝŐŶŝĨŝĐĂŶĐĞΘ^ƚƌĞƚĐŚŝŶŐ͕͚D͛
for meaning, the students become carriers for meaningfulness in terms of real life DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 18 environmental meaning, even to their parents. There is possibility of Relevance too (R), Relevance may be drawn between the action and impact on the environment. For instance, water is recycled to nourish the garden. To make membership recruitment and retention more attractive, some pertinent potential challenges need to be addressed 3.4.3 Real versus Token child/youth participation In a revealing book en titled Children Participation: Theory' and Practice of Involving Young Citizens in community' Development and Environmental Care (Earthscan . 1997). The author, Roger Hart, offers suggestions for involving children in community-‐based projects. A critical point he makes is to avoid efforts that "decorate" or "tokenize " children's connection to the project. since this does not represent true participation. An example of decoration is when children wear T-‐shirts promoting a garden program that they neither planned, nor designed, nor implemented. Token involvement is very common and again, is not true participation. An example of this might be a school in which children are involved in a contest to name the garden, but do not have any input in its planning design, or implementation. In Hart 's eight-‐step ladder of participation, he points the way to projects with increasing degrees of initiation by children. Ranging from "assigned by adults but informed." all the way to "child-‐
initiated projects in which children share decisions with adults. " /ŶƚŚŝƐƉƌŽũĞĐƚ͛ƐƐĞĂƌĐŚĨŽƌďĞƐƚƉƌĂĐƚŝĐĞƐĨƌŽŵƐƵĐĐĞƐƐĨƵůƐĐŚŽŽů&ŽŽĚŐĂƌĚĞŶƐ͘dŚĞƐĞ
points of empowerment and exploration of ideas in the suggested book by Hart was ŚŝŐŚůǇƌĞĐŽŵŵĞŶĚĞĚŝŶ͞^ŽǁŝŶŐƚŚĞ^ĞĞĚƐŽĨ^ƵĐĐĞƐƐ͗,ŽǁƚŽƐƚĂƌƚĂŶĚƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĂ<ŝĚ͛Ɛ
'ĂƌĚĞŶŝŶŐ WƌŽũĞĐƚ ŝŶ zŽƵƌ ŽŵŵƵŶŝƚǇ͟ ďǇ DĂƌĐŝĂ ĂŵĞƐ-‐Sheavly and the National Gardening Association (US) . ,Ăƌƚ͛ƐůĂĚĚĞƌŽĨŚŝůĚͬzŽƵƚŚWĂƌƚŝĐŝƉĂƚŝŽŶ DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 19 Image taken from http://www.shapeupeurope.net/files/media/media152.pdf hŶĚĞƌ ,Ăƌƚ͛Ɛ DŽĚĞů͕ ĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶ ĂŶĚ ǇŽƵƚŚ ĂƌĞ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚĞĚ ĂĐĐŽƌĚŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĂďŝůŝƚǇ ƚŽ
participate till they are able to participate and the level 8 rung of the ladder. 3.4.4 Moving Students from digital living to eco-‐living In this increasingly digital age, being in an urban setting and away from nature can leave students less enthusiastic about nature and gardening. One way to bridge this gap is harness their interest in digital technology and communication for the good of the garden. Digital Technology can be used for garden maintenance and tracking of growth, education and generating publicity for the school is students keep support local community building with the garden through social networking etc. Some ideas in this area would include phone applications such as Plantissimo to support implementation of the schools gardening calendar for planting, fertilising and harvesting etc. ůƚŚŽƵŐŚŝƚŵĂǇďĞŵŽƌĞĚĞƐŝƌĂďůĞĨŽƌƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐƚŽďĞŵŽƌĞĂƚƚƵŶĞĚƚŽŶĂƚƵƌĞ͛ƐĐǇĐůĞƐ͕
this may be a bridge as their interest is built in connecting to the cycles of nature. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 20 Plantissimo issues automated reminder for plants care at various life stages. It also supports to-‐do lists and functions to track garden related tasks and expenses. Another two ideas from gardenabcs.com include ͻ dŝŵĞ-‐Lapse Video ʹ While students are away on long vacation holidays, their learning and interest can still be maintained through time lapse photography. They plant produce in spring and return in late summer to see it fully mature, like 'magic.' One year, Garden ABCs created a time-‐lapse video of the garden -‐-‐ so returning students could ƐĞĞŝƚŐƌŽǁ͘͞dŚĞǇůŽǀĞŝƚ͊EŽƚŽŶůǇŝƐŝƚĂŐƌĞĂƚƚĞĂĐŚŝŶŐƚŽŽů͕ďƵƚŝƚΖƐƐŽŵĞƚŚŝŶŐǁĞŚŽƉĞƚŽŐĞƚ
ƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐŵŽƌĞŝŶǀŽůǀĞĚŝŶĚŝƌĞĐƚŝŶŐŶĞǆƚƐĞĂƐŽŶ͘͟ ͻ/ŵŽǀŝĞ ʹOne of the teachers brings students to the garden to digitally document its growth and the different kinds of fruits and veggies growing. They make this into an imovie to share with other classes. It's a fun project that takes on a different angle every year. It's also a fun way to ease into the new school year, get to know classmates and enjoy some time outside ĚƵƌŝŶŐƚŚĞŶŝĐĞǁĞĂƚŚĞƌ͘͟ Such digital video projects can have multiple purposes, and can be used for fund raising, which will be further elaborated in the section on maintaining the economic sustainability of the garden. If the School Kitchen Gardening club is smaller initially, cross-‐curricular collaborations may be a great way to build community across the school and a subtle way to get others in the school indirectly involved in being environmental messengers. Members of the video, information technology or photography clubs can also be engaged with in these projects. 3.5 IMPLEMENT ECOLOGICAL DESIGN TO ENSURE PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE The School Kitchen Garden must both be ecologically sound and enhance its environment. But it is primarily a tool to teach sustainability in a practical, fun way where students learn by doing and the lessons become embedded at several levels within the pupils. In this section we explore several aspects of sustainability and how they can be expressed in the School Kitchen Garden, giving examples of application at both the sites. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 21 3.5.1 Assess for Climate Change Climate change is a key consideration for kitchen gardens as it potentially has very disruptive effects on temperature, precipitation volumes and regimes, as well as weather patterns. There are two main aspects to the guideline i) assess impact and build resilience, planning for at least 50 years in the horizon or the planned life for the school, ii) observe and record how the kitchen garden contributes to reducing the carbon footprint of the school This process is exemplified below for both sites: 3.5.1.1 Assess impacts & Build Resilience MALAYSIA The pattern of deforestation for palm oil plantation has continued for decades resulting in loss of forest cover and biodiversity, which in turn lowers resilience to climate change. In Kuala Lumpur, the capital, intense urbanization due to population increase has led to a reduction of agricultural, forested or green areas. Road transport coupled with the intensive use of air-‐
conditioning has created an urban heat island which magnifies the effect of climate change. Research indicates an average increase of 1.5 °C in Mont Kiara area where the school is situated. Current assessment by Malaysia weather bureau list the following expected climate change impacts: භ Mean rise in temperature of 1.5°C average. භ A decrease in mean monthly rainfall over Selangor (Kuala Lumpur City is surrounded by Selangor Province) භ Higher maximum and lower minimum rainfall are observed in the future in many sub regions භ More extreme hydrological conditions may be expected Fires deliberately lit for forest clearing in Borneo and Indonesia result in extensive haze blanketing of KL during the dry season, for up to three months. Air-‐borne particles decrease available sunlight and increase the greenhouse effects. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 22 The main threats to the project come from changes in rainfall pattern, longer dry spells (e.g. drought of 1998; 1.8 Million inhabitants affected in Klang Valley) , and excessive peak temperature. The intensity of rainfall, already very high also increases, which may result in topsoil being washed away, so establishing good sources of mulch within the project is paramount. The haze can render outside activities unsafe, especially for children, as it increases the occurrence of respiratory illnesses. There are serious expected feedback loops for climate change in Malaysia, such as acidification of waters, coral bleaching which reduce the ability of the ecosystem to further act as a carbon sink. As temperature increases the remnant forest may become a net emitter of CO2 . Forest fires in Borneo have ignited the underlying peat bog which smolders on below the soil even after the fires have been extinguished by monsoon rains. Excessive temperature can minimized by using net shading, and making provision for hydraulic cooling as well as vertical stack ventilation (e.g. Middle east wind towers) as difference in elevation is available. Rainfall pattern variability will be buffered by irrigation using rain harvested water (see next section) using drip feed system to minimize mineralization of soil. Mulch sources will primarily be from leaf litter collected from cleaning of school pathways as well as grass clippings from the sports field. Protection from wind must be considered, although Malaysia is not within the cyclonic belt, there are early signs of stronger storm events ISLAND OF MALLORCA, SOUTH EUROPEAN MEDITERRANEAN REGION: Mallorca is a relatively small island, so the need for sustainable access to energy is a priority. ĞŝŶŐ͚ŝƐŽůĂƚĞĚ͛ĨƌŽŵƚŚĞŵĂŝŶůĂŶĚ͕ŝƚƐĂĐĐĞƐƐƚŽĨŽƐƐŝůĨƵĞůƐ͕ŶĂƚƵƌĂůŐĂƐƉŝƉĞƐ͕ĂŶĚĞǀĞŶĨƌĞƐŚ
water tends to be costly and risky. Often, accessing those fuels will require transport via the sea. Many of these islands, due to their beauty, location and weather, tend to be the attractive to mass tourists, which multiplies energy consumption at peak times. These needs are so far met via increased use of fossil fuels,. Together with the increase in amount of waste, the island is at risk of damaging its own natural resources and eventually collapsing. If not managed well, many islands in the Mediterranean region, including the Mallorca, will soon find serious energy and sustainability challenges. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 23 Some data on the island of Mallorca: Mean Solar irradiance: 190W/m2 (http://www.3tier.com/en/support/resource-‐maps/ ) Annual average temperature (°C): 17.4 Average annual rainfall in the island of Mallorca is 450mm Climate change implications in Mallorca can be summarized in: increased temperatures, increase drought and increased risks for local ecosystems. The design of School Kitchen Gardens on a site based in Mallorca will have to bear in mind the increasingly challenging climate characteristics and mitigate as possible its impact. This is an excerpt from Climate Change forecasts in the Mediterranean region, published by Greenpeace: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/publications/reports/climate-‐
change-‐and-‐the-‐mediter/?accept=c3b49c61ab1dbe621214848b7479edb5: ͞dŚĞDĞĚŝƚĞƌƌĂŶĞĂŶ
region 3 is particularly vulnerable to climate change as over much of the region, summer rainfall is virtually zero. Water scarcity is endemic and changes in the water balance would have substantial implications for, amongst other things, agriculture and water supplies. This vulnerability is compounded by the ongoing desertification of much of the region, together with population growth and poverty in, particularly, the southern Basin. Over the last five years, a number of studies have assessed how climate change may affect the Mediterranean region. From these, it is clear that while many uncertainties remain, climate change will have profound and far-‐reaching implications for the 350 million or so people who live in the Mediterranean region today -‐ and for generations to come. The prospects for precipitation over the Mediterranean region in a warmer world are highly uncertain due to the general weakness of GCMs in predicting regional precipitation. Models offer conflicting evidence over how precipitation may change on average over the Mediterranean region. Two out of three equilibrium experiments presented in one study suggest an overall increase in precipitation across the region (Rosenzwieg and Tubiello, 1997). However, recent transient model runs for the 2020s suggest an overall decrease of between 1.5 and 7.3% (Rosenzwieg and Tubiello, 1997). An indication of the scale of possible changes is given by one scenario based on the output from four climate models. This suggests that temperatures could rise by over 4°C by 2100 over many inland areas and by over half of this over the Mediterranean Sea. Over the same period, annual precipitation is projected to decline by 10 to 40% over much of Africa and southeastern Spain, with smaller -‐ but potentially significant -‐ changes elsewhere. Aerosol emissions may counter some of the effects of greenhouse gases in some areas. But, in the long-‐term prospect remains one of hotter, drier conditions throughout the Mediterranean region as the relative influence of greenhouse gases increases over time. The rate of desertification would increase due to increases in erosion, salinisation and fire hazard and DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 24 reductions in soil quality. As a result, the process of desertification is likely to become irreversible. It is likely that the first impacts of climate change will be felt in the Mediterranean water resource system. Reductions in water availability would hit southern Mediterranean countries the hardest. Even relatively well-‐endowed countries, such as Spain, Greece and Italy, could suffer ever-‐more frequent regional water shortages due to the twin problems of climate change and rising demand. Yields of grains and other crops could decrease substantially across the Mediterranean region due to increased frequency of drought. While losses may be partially offset by beneficial effects from carbon dioxide, crop production would be further threatened by increases in competition for water and the prevalence of pests and diseases and land losses through desertification and ƐĞĂůĞǀĞůƌŝƐĞ͘͟ Because the main threat in a Mediterranean region is the high seasonality of water, water resilience must be enhanced by both rainwater harvesting, wise use by drip irrigation in cooler part of the days as well as using adapted plants which require less water or a drought tolerant especially in the perennial plantings. Seasonal shading might also be used on sensitive plants together with mulching to retain moisture and protect from excessive evaporation. Climate change also increases extremes and there could be colder spells in winter, so appropriate use of seasonal sun traps, dismountable greenhouses and frost protection could be required on perennials and fruit trees. To minimize fossil fuel use, use of PV to power irrigation pumps is recommended. 3.5.2 Water As alluded to in the climate change section above, understanding precipitation and seasonal patterns are key to managing a garden. To avoid relying on piped municipal water, a sustainable kitchen garden must enhance collection and recycling of on-‐site water. Before establishing the garden it is therefore essential to plan for water supply and distribution. Within the context of a School Kitchen Garden it is also important to plan for school holidays periodsʹwhether through manual operation or through full automation. It is best to plan for redundancy and have backup access to municipal supply, natural sources (e.g. wells) or secondary tanks even if the bulk of water is intended to be rain harvested. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 25 The assessment of rainfall patterns and quantities and catchment surfaces is used for the sizing of the system and the planning of the layout and of any mechanical devices required to move the water to its intended distribution point. It is also important to integrate the water supply issue holistically with the school so as to develop as coherent a scheme as possible. For instance, existing water storage or roofs of the school can be easily tapped to enhance water security. Our two examples present opposite conditions in relation to water: one being tropical with an abundance in precipitations, with dry and rainy seasons; and the other being very dry in summer with wetter winter, facing, year on year, lower precipitation rates. These two contexts give a good overview on how to explore different climatic conditions and priorities in relation to water, even if the assessment process is the same. MALAYSIA ʹ FRENCH SCHOOL OF KUALA LUMPUR Because Malaysia is a tropical country with high rainfall (3000mm per year), there is currently little emphasis on rainwater harvesting, except in remote areas with no mains connection. However in recent years, weather patterns have become less predictable, and there have been occasional water shortages in the Klang Valley (Kuala Lumpur watershed). Also, since water distribution has been privatized, water prices have increased. There is currently no provision for rainwater harvesting in the school. There are storm water holding tanks used to slow down water discharge in the drains to minimize flooding risk in the valley below the school. As the kitchen garden integrates into the overall school redevelopment scheme, the current idea is to use the rainwater as an adjunct to treated grey water coming from sinks and showers for use as flush water for toilets and urinals; irrigation for the kitchen garden as well as other non-‐food plantings. Condensation water from air-‐conditioning units will be collected and used as drip feed for marginal plantings, and suspended gardens. Other opportunities to explore are the enhancement of cooling and provision of hot water by running the reused water as cooling medium for the air conditioning units as well as the use of water as cooling agent via sprinkler for evaporation cooling, especially during peak temperature periods. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 26 Post construction building population is expected at 1500 students plus 200 staff, i.e. a load of 1700 person equivalent. In view of the constricted site, extensive constructed wetlands are not considered the best option, the focus of the design will be on using living machines as pioneered by John Todd. Bio-‐
treatment will also be used as a teaching aid for biology and geography classes. The second opportunity is to redirect the drain to the gravity fed storm water tank, previously used to slow the release of roof drainage water, and modify it as a primary settling tank for drain water. This will be used as irrigation for the wilderness area planned between the old and new building. To reduce BOD of the storm water from the old building, the runoff will be fed in a constructed free form cascading stream using the natural declivity, using aerating patterns as well as intermediate reed beds along the side of the building. This is in keeping the design of the building around traditional Feng Shui or Vastu systems by having flow of water, light and air as a key guiding principle in the design. The kitchen garden will follow the same pattern to integrate within the whole. The third opportunity in the new building is to have the garden on the rooftop itself to do direct water harvesting in the kitchen garden area, runoff from green roof areas and the plantings and the rest of the roof will be directed to tank for subsequent use in toilets and showers. The roof size of the new building is 2160 m2. Mean daily rainfall is approximately 18 mm. This gives approximately 40 M3 of water per rain event. Flow pattern sketch: DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 27 MEDITERRANEAN REGIONʹ ISLAND OF MALLORCA ʹ LOCAL SCHOOL Considering the lack of sufficient rain and the limited access to fresh water on the island, accessing and storing water will be a key priority for the school and a conditio sine qua non for the creation of kitchen gardens. ƚƚŚŝƐƐƚĂŐĞƚŚĞĞŶƚƌǇƉŽŝŶƚŝƐƚŚĞƐĐŚŽŽů͛ƐƚƌĂŶƐŝƚŝŽŶƚŽǁĂƌĚƐĂŵŽƌĞĞĐŽůŽŐŝĐĂůůǇƐƵƐƚĂŝŶĂďůĞ
functioning is the kitchen gardens. There is no intention, at the moment, of retrofitting any of its existing design, so we will focus our analysis and recommendations will be on harvesting and storing 100% of the water needed for the kitchen gardens and, eventually, for watering all the green areas of the school. The project team will also analyse different options, opportunities and challenges of cleaning or reusing the grey waters, including from the pool. Baseline: There is currently no provision for rainwater harvesting in the school, nor for reuse of grey water. Water, used on-‐site, for all purposes comes from the municipality pipe system and is paid for by the school. As shown in the base map, the school maintains a big and a small pool onsite. These are the options, we propose, for storage and retention of water for use in the kitchen gardens and green areas of the school: DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 28 a) Rainwater harvesting from roofs This is obtained from different locations on site. Questions that need further research and analysis: How much water will be needed for the kitchen gardens and the school green area throughout the year? ·∙
we need to measure the total number of m2 of green surface (trees etc) on site ·∙
we need to decide how many m2 of kitchen gardens we will create ·∙ once we know the demand, we can decide which roofs would be used for water harvesting (if not all) and how many water tanks will be needed to store the water for use during dry seasons (at least 5 months a year) The formula we will use to calculate the amount of water to be harvested from a particular roof will be: 1 millimeter of rain on 1m² will deliver 1 liter of water into the tank. If the roof is 100m2 and the average annual rainfall in the island of Mallorca is 450mm, the runoff would be 45.000Liters minus 20% to 30% for arising from splash back, gutter leaks and first flush of matter from the roof and gutters. With the supply and demand information we will be able to decide on the ideal water tank size. Tanks will be placed in shaded areas, to avoid sun overheating. b) Creation of wetlands near the pools to reuse pool water to irrigate grass and trees: the cleaned water can be used to water all the green areas around the pools (trees, grasses). Questions that need research: can chlorine and other chemicals used in the pool be effectively digested by a wetland? Which should be the size and characteristics of the wetland to digest these chemicals? What is the regular outflow of water from the pool? How many times is it emptied in the year? Which are the health risks for children of reusing the water of the pool (after going through the wetland) back into the pool (in case this is an option to be considered)? c) Creation of a pond: explore the opportunities and challenges of creating a pond on the site (including official safety regulation, health and sanitation etc). 3.5.3 USING PERMACULTURE TO PLAN SCHOOL KITCHEN GARDENS 3.5.3.1 From Concept Design to Detail Mapping DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 29 Permaculture allows us to design from pattern to details. One key principle of permaculture is zones. Permaculture is a vast subject and we only highlight some aspects as an invitation for more research. One starts with an overall map of the sites, in the form of a sketch or a comprehensive map listing soil types, shading, exposure to rain and sun. The map will gradually include more details as the design progresses. Specific risks such as fire or flooding are taken into account using fire resistant species as barrier or gradually taller trees One basic tenet is that zones that are used most often need to be closer to the main access point. Using the permaculture zones allows us to think structurally about the use of space on a macro level before we plan the details of the plantings. Once zones are defined we can move understand plant interactions, compatibility, complementarity or antagonism to plan the details of kitchen garden and seek to form self-‐sustaining micro-‐ecosystem at various levels. 3.5.3.2 Define an overarching objective for the design For instance the School Kitchen Garden community could decide that their aim is to sustainably produces 30% of its organic vegetarian food consumption, harvests 100% of the water needed to support green areas and uƐĞƐ ĂƐ ŵĂŶǇ ƚŽŽůƐ ĂŶĚ ƐƉĂĐĞƐ ĂƐ ƉŽƐƐŝďůĞ ƚŽ ĂǁĂŬĞŶ ĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶ͛Ɛ
wonder and love towards nature, while learning about its systems. This process is applied to our two examples to illustrate how topography, site structure and aims of the garden combine to inform the design. A. MALAYSIA ʹ FRENCH SCHOOL OF KUALA LUMPUR Zone, elevations, sector plans DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 30 One of the challenges is how to integrate the kitchen garden across the two separate buildings to make it part of the overall design scheme for the school expansion. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 31 In previous attempts at opening the students to gardening, students had planted some trees on the eastern side of the building. Because of the steep elevation of the site and the need to keep spaces for sport activities, the design tries to best utilize the unused areas of the site, while keeping with the zone principle, albeit re-‐interpreted vertically. The first element centers around using the flat roof on the new building as a green growing roof. The zones are set-‐up from the entrance to the roof, which is the closest to the new canteen. The zone layout mimic the flow of the whole building in extending as flower petals from the roof entrance. The roof caters to the most easily accessible portion with the plantings being done in raised beds with circulation spaces around, this is to facilitate garden access and avoid having lots of children trampling the ground . The herbs and salads are closest to the entrance. Then come the annuals. The secondary roof can be used for the forest garden with perennial plantings The last zone is tucked alongside the building and is a transition from trees to rain forest. The elevation is used as the organizing feature oriented along an axis given by the intermittent stream created by the first building rainwater harvesting overflow and/or grey water which runs in a free form cascade (the ponds along the stream are planted with reeds and other aquatic plants to clean the harvested/re-‐used water) from the kindergarten/primary school garden at the top towards the rainforest wild patch at the bottom. There are intermediary ponds at intervals on the way down, to act as buffer irrigation sources as well opportunities for small water gardens. After a pond the water continues its journey across the entire length of the new building to reach the atrium pond. The pond can be stocked with Tilapia for demonstration aquaculture and aquaponics. There is also potential for vertical farming around the perimeter of the car park, this the green climbing wall, where climbing zones are inserted in between creepers planting such as passion fruit, plants to attract pollinators, and some more secluded areas designed for bats and birds nesting sites. Alongside the new building is a potential area to grow staples such as rice using SRI or dry rice methods as well as taro, and sweet potatoes. Fishes and a small number ducks can be kept to limit mosquito breeding. B. MEDITERRANEAN REGIONʹ ISLAND OF MALLORCA ʹ LOCAL SCHOOL DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 32 Zone, elevation and sector plan: Priority things to consider: Water access Should be the backbone of the design, considering the dry conditions in the bioregion. General access (to create and use the kitchen gardens): ͻ,ŽǁĂƌĞǁĞŐŽŝŶŐƚŽŐĞƚŝŶƚŚĞƌĞƚŽĐƌĞĂƚĞŝƚ͍ ͻ,ŽǁĂƌĞǁĞŐŽŝŶŐƚŽŐĞƚƚŚĞƚĞĂĐŚĞƌƐĂŶĚƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐƚŚĞƌĞƚŽƵƐĞ it and harvest?. ͻtŚĂƚǁŝůůďĞƚŚĞƐŝǌĞŽĨƚŚĞĂƌĞĂ͍ĞƐŝŐŶĂĐĐĞƐƐĚĞƉĞŶĚƐŽŶŚŽǁŵĂŶǇƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐǁŝůůďĞƚŚĞƌĞ
at one time. Structures ŽŶƐŝĚĞƌůŝŐŚƚ͕ƐŚĂĚĞ͕ƚƌĞĞƐ͕ǁĂƚĞƌƉŝƉĞƐƵŶĚĞƌƚŚĞŐƌŽƵŶĚ͙ In Mallorca, the school site is located inland with little exposure to winds. The annual average rainfall is very low and there is no sea or rivers connecting to the area. The sun and potential fire are the key external energies to consider. It will be important to design the site in a way that the hard noon sun in the summer is minimized and any sunlight is maximized in the winter. This can be done by planting, in specific areas, deciduous trees (full of leaves in the summer providing some shade and fresh areas and have no leaves in the winter, allowing the sun to bring warmth). In terms of fire, research on existing firebreaks in the school should be done. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 33 Zones are being planned at a micro (within the kitchen garden) and macro (overall site) level. Micro: apply zones at micro level within the kitchen garden: Zone 1 (the kitchen garden path) here locate things that the school community would be harvesting everyday: e.g. herbs and salads. In Zone 2, a bit further away in the kitchen garden, locate those things that will take a ůŽŶŐĞƌƚŝŵĞƚŽŐƌŽǁ͖ƌŽŽƚƐŽƌǀĞŐĞƚĂďůĞƐƚŚĂƚƚĂŬĞĂůŽŶŐĞƌƚŝŵĞƚŽŐƌŽǁ;Ğ͘Ő͘ĞŐŐƉůĂŶƚ͕ĐŚŝůůǇ͙Ϳ͘
Zone 3: here locate taller plants (e.g. corn, sunflowers), being conscious that they can shade out shorter and faster growing things like salads. This could be used as an advantage if placed correctly, considering the dry climate. How wide the beds and paths will be. Thinner beds than usually recommended (1.20) so that the youngest kids (3 years old) can have easy access. Possibly different gardens responding to different needs would have to be created, considering the different ages. Zones in the site: The zoning has been taking into account two main things: a) the target audience (children from 3-‐8) (as a starter); and b) the existing circulation pathways in the site. Considering that the school has 2000 students, we need to make sure that the zones used do not block existing traffic areas or main playgrounds. Zone 0-‐1: Infants classrooms (key target at first): raised beds and boxes could be designed ĂƌŽƵŶĚƚŚĞƐŵĂůůĐůĂƐƐƌŽŽŵƐďƵŝůĚŝŶŐƐ͕ĂƐǁĞůůĂƐǁĂǇƐĨŽƌƉƌŽƉĂŐĂƚŝŶŐƐĞĞĚƐŝŶƚŚĞĐůĂƐƐƌŽŽŵƐ͛
windows. The objective is to maximize the exposure of the children to the plants even when they are at class. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 34 Note: For the moment children from 3-‐8 will be the target, so we should design the raised beds and the paths according to their size: e.g. thinner beds than usually recommended (1.20m) so that the youngest kids (3 years old) can have easy access. Different gardens responding to different needs can be created, considering the different ages. Zone 2: ĂƉƉƌŽǆŝŵĂƚĞůǇϱϬŵĂǁĂǇĨƌŽŵƚŚĞŝŶĨĂŶƚƐ͛ĐůĂƐƐƌŽŽŵƐƚŚĞƌĞŝƐĂŶĂƌĞĂƚŚĂƚǁĞǁŝůůƵƐĞ
as zone two. The objective will be to grow food and at the same time increase the curiosity and sensory experience of the children in relation to the garden. In this area, two main elements could be introduced: a vegetable garden in the shape of a mandala and sensory paths or small play areas that incorporate textures from nature (wood, soft or spiky grass), smell (aromatic plants such as lavender, sage, mint, thyme, rosemary that are hardy, so can take some pulling from the young children; sight (enhance colours diversity with flowers ..). Overall, this Zone 2 would be designed to create stimulation and to cultivate more intrigue into the natural world. Zone 3: With the same objective as Zone 2, in this Zone 3, located in the green area next to the pools and the tennis courts, secret sensory paths or a living labyrinth could be created. This woulĚ ďĞ ƚŚĞ ƐĞĐƌĞƚ ŵĂŐŝĐĂů ƐƉŽƚ ƚŽ ĞŶŐĂŐĞ ǁŝƚŚ ŶĂƚƵƌĞ͛Ɛ ŵǇƐƚĞƌŝĞƐ͘ Zone 4: around the edges of the school, where trees already exist, is a good location to create a mini food forest. An efficiently designed food forest normally would have seven layers: 1) roots (sweet potatos, carrots, turnips, parsnips) underneath the ground; 2) ground covers above the ŐƌŽƵŶĚ ;ŶŝƚƌŽŐĞŶ ĨŝǆŝŶŐƉůĂŶƚƐ ;ƐŚŽƌƚ ƚĞƌŵ ĂŶĚ ůŽŶŐƚĞƌŵͿ Žƌ ƉƵƌĞůǇ ŐƌŽƵŶĚ ĐŽǀĞƌƐ ƚŚĂƚ ĂƌĞŶ͛ƚ
ŶŝƚƌŽŐĞŶ ĨŝǆŝŶŐ ;ƌŚƵďĂƌď͕ ƉƵŵƉŬŝŶͿ͖ ϯͿ ƐŚƌƵďƐ͗ ƉůĂŶƚƐ ƚŚĂƚ ĚŽŶ͛ƚ grow too big (limes); 4) Fruit trees: cherry, apricots, figs, pomegranates, chestnuts, almonds, 5) climbers (things that grow up the trees); 6) clampers (lemon grass, citronella, bananas, bamboo); 7) dates, palms. Zone 5: is where a wildlife zone can be created. We will use an existing tree or cluster of trees as a starting point. Plant some small trees around them and build a small pond (40cm deep so that kids are not in danger/take into consideration safety regulations) to attract and support wildlife. Create refuge for birds and bats. Add birds feeders and bat houses on the trees in zone 5 plus nearby the kitchen gardens (zone 1). 3.5.4 Energy cycling ʹ Catching and storing energy Again we are using a permaculture design principle to inform our design, the idea here is to think in terms of energy and cycles and to construct cycles which mimic natural cycles. This process is also a good teaching aid to help the students see the world in terms of interlocked DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 35 cycles of energy be it solar, gravitational, nutritional or chemical (carbon, oxygen, phosphorus or nitrogen cycles) In the context of a School Kitchen Garden we consider a few ways to catch and store energy: drip line irrigation, composting, mulching and biodigesting. ͻInstalling drip line irrigation a) connected to a water purifying system (with a grease trap). This will filter the grey water from the school kitchen. Likewise, the overflow that the tank cannot process could go to banana circles planted nearby after being filtered by the grease trap. b) connected to the tanks next to each building nearby where rain water harvesting is stored. ͻComposting Ensures that no organic waste is wasted (either from kitchen or gardens/food forest: create a small worm farm to do vermi compost and engage the students in running long term and short term compost piles. ͻMulching Considering the dry conditions and water scarcity in the bioregion, mulching will be essential to keep the soil of the kitchen gardens and food forest moisture and avoid water evaporation. The leaves from the green areas and food forest can be perfect mulch. ͻBiogas Digesting Energy from canteen food waste can be recycled through a small biogas digester to produce gas for the kitchen stoves. The sludge is routed to the compost heap These elements will be designed following the permaculture energy efficiency principle of relative location. According to which, all elements can have multiple inputs and outputs. By the correct placement of elements, we will create a relationship where the outputs of one element feed into the inputs of another element in our design. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 36 Energy cycles can also be created by maximising input and output connections of the different elements in the site. We start by some input/output analysis of three elements: ·∙ Raised beds inputs: water, time, compost, soil seeds, mulch, bricks or wood, thought, design, CO2. Output: connection, education, food, more seeds, mulch, weeds, oxygen, beauty. ·∙ Food forest Input: water, compost, time for weeding, pruning trees, harvesting. Output: food, mulch, education, connection, wildlife habitat, potential windbreak and provides shade for kids to go and play. ·∙ School Kitchen Input: human hours/paid time, vegetables, gas, electricity, clean water, cleaning products, knowledge. Outputs: cooked food, vegetable scraps (apple cores, pumpkin peels, carrot peels, salad ůĞĂǀĞƐ͙Ϳ͕ĞŐŐƐŚĞůůƐ;ĐĂŶďĞƵƐĞĚŝŶƚŚĞĨŽŽĚĨŽƌĞƐƚƚŽƌĞƉĞůƐŶĂŝůƐĂŶĚƐůƵŐƐͿŶŽŶ-‐organic waste, ŐƌĞǇǁĂƚĞƌ͙͘ The next step could be to extend the analysis to other elements in the site and then analyse all ƚŚĞ ƉŽƐƐŝďůĞ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƚŝŽŶƐ͘ dŚĞ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƚŝŽŶƐ ĂŶĚ ƌĞůĂƚŝŽŶƐŚŝƉƐ ďĞƚǁĞĞŶ ĚŝĨĨĞƌĞŶƚ ĞůĞŵĞŶƚƐ͛
DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 37 inputs and outputs will help us define the most energy efficient location for some of these elements. 3.5.5 Green Building Often, the School Kitchen Garden can be an opportunity to widen the ecological analysis and re-‐
design of the whole school using the kitchen garden as a stepping stone for holistic design. This can be structured as a school-‐wide effort, where group of students work together to re-‐design their own environment and are empowered to become the next generation of green citizens. This section only explores the Malaysian context as the Mallorca school does not yet include new buildings or the re-‐development of existing buildings. With the kitchen garden as a learning gateway to sustainable living, we briefly highlight some guiding principles to maintain a consistency of the approach throughout the project. 3.5.5.1 Developing a statement of design intent ʹ guiding principles Some of the guiding principles used in the Malaysia project are: a. Use design as teaching aid for sustainability, how the building works, building as teacher, a space which shapes worldviews b. Creating a new generation of environmental leaders, opening minds to alternatives way of being in and part of the world c. Appropriate and local sourcing where possible, natural materials preferred, with low embedded energy. d. Cradle to cradle philosophy, plan for decommissioning, reuse of materials, locally sourced materials, get inspiration for local vernacular architecture (stilts, double skin pitched roofs, naturally ventilated. e. Assess Carbon impact both during construction and during operation, appropriate planting for balancing emissions f. Balance functionality and beauty, create spaces for artistic expression by users g. Output reuse : grey water, canteen waste, opportunities of energy production (biogas), composting, grey water lagoon or eco/living machines h. Multiplying opportunities for interaction with the natural environment, mix defined boundaries and blended transitions between built and natural components i. Technology and Philosophy transfer to Malaysia, local engineers, statement of French community commitment to a better environment through intelligent design DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 38 j. Allowing multi-‐purposing to maximize usage k. On-‐site energy production : a demonstration effect (wind, solar, micro hydro, algae) l. Legibility of building intent, ease of operation, effective simplicity m. Biomimicry, metaphor of building as rain forest. Biodiversity enhancement, appropriate planting, educational food production (fish pond, vegetable roof or wall), living building (Banyan, lianas) n. Community embedded, focal point of French/European identity but with a Malaysian twist, open to other schools for sustainability awareness classes, opportunities for parent/children shared activities (e.g. kitchen garden harvest) o. Strive for appropriate rating Living Building Challenge v.2, LEED platinum or equivalent as target (BREEAM Excellent bespoke) p. Climate change adaptation and mitigation, build for a more extreme world, drainage, wind, on-‐site water use (run-‐off to irrigation, use for toilet) q. Solar Cooling, natural cooling and ventilation (wind tower, use of differential pressure, heat, elevation, ground cooling), geothermal cooling, absorption cooling, desiccant cooling, dehumidification of air, waterfall or fountain cooling, r. Emphasise thermal insulation, double, triple skin ventilated façade, algal tube façade s. Use the insights of ecopsychology which shows that students behave less aggressively in natural surroundings, create recreational space which are less harsh and relieve the stresses created by confinement and focus on purely academic subjects by mixing active spaces (sports) with contemplative, quiet spaces. t. Keep at least one space as wild, use principally native species for the rest of the plantings, mimic natural succession patterns for a self-‐sustaining system. u. The appliances are to be chosen for durability, re-‐usable, recyclable and with low operational power requirements. Explore DC alternatives for solar/wind powered elements such as pumps. Explore possibilities for grid connected renewable energy systems with dual metering. 3.5.5.2 Detailed design ideas to make the building legible Key design elements can be used as learning display and teaching aids. a. Wind turbine on top of wind tower b. Display in atrium showing energy being consumed or generated by the building c. Rainwater cascade with mini-‐hydro in roof chutes d. Biodiversity refuge planting with bird, butterflies and other pollinator habitats (bats, stingless bees) DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 39 e.
f.
g.
h.
Apparent services, making visible the organs of the building organism Mesh, sail roof, play with light, shadow and air. Green climbers walls, passion fruits, vertical farming, aquaponics? Amphitheater surrounded by trees, arched planted canopies Again, the idea is to make visible the cycles of the natural world such as nitrogen cycle (Biogas digester), carbon cycle (plants, algae), water cycle (rain water harvesting). These are contrasted with our current industrial processes which have input (consumption) but only waste output. The school therefore must strive to re-‐establish a cycling of nutrients mimicking the natural cycles of Gaia, with the kitchen garden being a prime component to keep a sustainable momentum going. 3.6 ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY AND ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF THE PROJECT 3.6.1 Stakeholders & Investors: The economic sustainability of the School Kitchen Gardens require investments in various forms from its primary & secondary stakeholders. Who are the people in your community who will ensure the success of your Garden based on the SWOT analysis you have conducted? In the case of the French School in Malaysia, it identified these stakeholders who were investors not just in financial terms, but in materials, expertise labour and support. 3.6.1.1 School & teachers : The teachers would be considered investors in the project in terms of time, facilitation and management of the project (educational investment). The school would be considered investors in the project as a contributor of land, and inputs necessary for cultivation, seed stock, soil and other infrastructure. Having consistent, committed knowledgeable teachers and gardening mentors are the key to a successful projectͶfor maintaining membership longevity, meaningful interactions with the environment. dŚĞƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚƌĞǀŝĞǁ͞dŚĞŚŝůĚŝŶƚŚĞ'ĂƌĚĞŶ͗ŶǀĂůƵĂƚŝǀĞZĞǀŝĞǁŽĨƚŚĞĞŶĞĨŝƚƐŽĨ^ĐŚŽŽů
'ĂƌĚĞŶŝŶŐ͕͟ ͞ &ŽƵƌ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƐĞǀĞŶ ƐƚƵĚŝĞƐ ĞŵƉŚĂƐŝǌĞĚ ƚŚĂƚ ƐĐŚŽŽů ŐĂƌĚĞŶƐ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚ ĚĞĚŝĐĂƚĞĚ͕
experienced adult volunteers, master gardeners, or paid coordinators to flourish over time DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 40 ;ůĞǆĂŶĚĞƌĞƚĂů͕͘ϭϵϵϱ͖ƌǇŶũĞŐĂƌĚ͕ϮϬϬϭ͖ĂŶĂƌŝƐ͕ϭϵϵϱ͖dŚŽƌƉΘdŽǁŶƐĞŶĚ͕ϮϬϬϭͿ͙͘dǁŽŽĨƚŚĞ
seven studies noted that many elementary teachers were not agriculture literate and lacked knowledge of basic plant science or plant-‐ŐƌŽǁŝŶŐƐŬŝůůƐ͘͟ ͞/ŶĂ study of 35 schools and 71 Florida elementary teachers who had entered their gardens in a 1997 University of Florida contest (100% response rate), Skelly and Bradley (2000) found that teachers used gardens for EE (97%), to help students learn better (84%), for experiential learning (73%), and because the teacher had a personal love of gardening (6 7%). Most teachers were encouraged by their administration (54%). Also, 85% of students spent between 1 hr (6 8%) and 2-‐3 hr (17%) per week in the garden, but usually they spent more time on gardening subjects in the classroom (Skelly & Bradley). Where gardens failed or where teachers had no opinion over effectiveness of gardens, projects became less successful. Notable were the number of no opinion answers for every category (26-‐40%) and the high percentages of teachers who felt that gardens were not effective, slightly effective, or only somewhat effective. However, some of the gardens at these schools were minimal, and many grew no food. Like the principals, the teachers indicated that lack of time (67%), lack of teacher interest (63%), lack of experience (61%), and lack of knowledge (60%) were major barriers to using gardening for instruction. 3.6.1.2 Students : The students would be considered investors of time and labour in the garden, they are also consumers in terms of the produce which ends up as food in the canteen. Since the focus of this project is also experiential education. The students would also be considered consumers in terms of learning. The success sustainability of the School Kitchen Gardens depends on the meaningfulness of its activities to students. In the Malaysia, there are about 21 competing organizers of extracurricular activities within the French school competing for students commitment. Each student is meant to choose two activities per week. The Goal is the make participation attractive enough for children to join and for parents to support this activity. In Mallorca membership is also on a voluntary basis and attractiveness of membership to students and key along with school and parental support 3.6.1.3 Parents & family members : are additional sources of support for donation of resources and volunteering of time and as sources of moral support of students choices to join the gardens and commit time to its DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 41 activities. They are also the secondary target of the Gardens eco-‐educational goals as children can be an important transformative key in the environmental education of the family. It must be emphasized that this aspect of students as transmitters of the environmental message should take place naturally as a result of their own natural enthusiasm rather than have this role forced upon them 3.6.1.4 Secondary stakeholders: Canteen proprietors are considered consumers as they would be buying produce from the gardens Other members of the local community : children associations, ecological associations, other schools, farmers and other gardening, fundraising and organizational and skills experts. Strong associations with the local community has been identified as an important factor is the long ƚĞƌŵǀŝĂďŝůŝƚǇŽĨ^ĐŚŽŽůŽŵŵƵŶŝƚǇ'ĂƌĚĞŶƐŽƵƚůŝŶĞĚŝŶƚŚĞƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚƌĞǀŝĞǁ͕͞dŚĞŚŝůĚŝŶƚŚĞ
'ĂƌĚĞŶ͗ŶǀĂůƵĂƚŝǀĞZĞǀŝĞǁŽĨƚŚĞĞŶĞĨŝƚƐŽĨ^ĐŚŽŽů'ĂƌĚĞŶŝŶŐ͟ĂŶd has also been described by experienced school community. 3.6.2 Forms of Investment in the School Kitchen Gardens Project Infrastructural and stakeholder support represent various inputs into the project in the forms of these investments. ͻdŝŵĞ Will be required for the actual gardening during semester and vacation, planning, co-‐
ordination, seed saving, preparation of produce in readiness for the cafeteria, fundraising, fostering community with stakeholders, monitoring of project ͻǆƉĞƌƚŝƐĞ Expertise will be required in these areas: master gardening, planning, fundraising, marketing & publicity, compliance food safety protocols for harvest and cleaning and produce, curriculum integration ͻ&ŝŶĂŶĐŝĂů to pay for Education exchanges, infrastructure and logistical needs, tools ͻWƌŽĚƵĐƚƐŝŶ<ŝŶĚ As much as possible, tools and materials will be procured by donation, borrowing and sponsorship first for long term project sustainability DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 42 Some basic requirements for a start-‐up garden include: * gardening tools * soil test kit and amendments * organic material to improve soil, compost * tools * means of watering * materials for raised beds, if using * seeds, starts, plants * supports * protections, fencing, row covers * fertilizers * pest controls, if using * instructional materials, field guides, books * material for walkways * mulch * containers 3.6.3 Ways to attract Investment Support 3.6.3.1 Sale of Vegetables to the school Canteen In the case of the French School in Kuala Lumpur, Initially, the School Kitchen Gardens will be supplying vegetables to the School canteen, once a month based on themes set by the school. Vegetables grown by the students will be sold to the cafeteria matching prices the canteen management is paying to suppliers. This brings the School Kitchen Garden a regular small income. With this option, an issue to address would be with regards to agricultural food safety practices and there are suggested protocols based on government guidelines for Mallorca and Malaysia and other best practices outlined in the Annex. 3.6.3.2 Barter & Seed Exchanges Bartering can be a fair means of exchange for much needed contributions, especially if cash is tight or can be used as a way to educate students in other forms of economic exchange. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 43 It may also be a good tool for the retention of volunteers, who are an important part of the long term viability of gardening projects on many levels including economics. Most community gardens thrive on the expertise of experienced enthusiastic gardeners and volunteers who can upkeep the garden through its different stages, year round. The barter can be a way to appreciate volunteers for work done. It also embraces sustainability principles of equitability. Separately, the schools can also consider seeds and seedling exchanges. This can be an effective way to build up the quality and strength of local seeds, avoiding having to invest in buying new ones (or commercial non-‐ecological ones) and at the same time build sustainable relationships with other institutions including other schools, public institutions or local associations. 3.6.3.3 Complementary Currency Systems & Time Banks Another effective system that could be established would be a time bank to ensure coverage during the holiday seasons. By including in this system other schools, associations and other initiatives, the number of volunteers for harvesting and managing ƚŚĞŐĂƌĚĞŶƐǁŚŝůĞƚŚĞƐĐŚŽŽůŝƐĐůŽƐĞĚǁŝůůŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞ͘/ŶƌĞƚƵƌŶ͕ƚŚĞǇŐĞƚ͚ŚŽƵƌŶŽƚĞƐ͛ƚŚĂƚ
could be exchanged by access to knowledge sharing initiatives (e.g. permaculture ǁŽƌŬƐŚŽƉƐͿ͕ƐĞĞĚƐ͕ƐĞĞĚůŝŶŐƐ͕ĐƌŽƉƐŽƌǀŽůƵŶƚĞĞƌƐ͛ƚŝŵĞŝŶŽƚŚĞƌƌĞůĂƚĞĚƉƌŽũĞĐƚƐ͘ In the Malaysian School Kitchen garden context, the issue of garden maintenance during long school breaks could be addressed by recruiting local stakeholders affected by the new road being built upkeep of the gardens. Partnership is being initiated with the canteen operators who is committed to buying whatever food is being produced, and is interested to spread the idea to other schools for which they cater. This economic relationship could be the basis of structuring a local currency whereby the operator would be using "green leaves" tokens to buy the food from the kitchen garden, participating volunteers and maintenance staff would receive "green leaves" for the hours spent taking care of the Kitchen Garden which they would in turn use to buy meals from the canteen. Past this first experiment, the local currency could be used with parents buying from the weekly market, giving them an incentive to either get involved in the garden, or to garden themselves using seeds provided from the kitchen garden, and then sell back some of the excess produce to the kitchen garden. There are further possible linkages If activities are developed around the processing of foods into preserves, dried or fermented products. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 44 3.6.3.4 Other Forms of Fundraising Since both schools serve students at the secondary level. Older students can be further engaged in projects that involve cultivation greater decision-‐ making and problem solving powers and community engagement. This can take the form of various projects such as : ͻĚŽƉƚŝŶŐĂŶĚĚŽŶĂƚŝŶŐƉƌŽĚƵĐĞŽƌŐĂƌĚĞŶŝŶŐƚŝŵĞƚŽĂǁŽƌƚŚǇĐĂƵƐĞĞŐ͘dŽƐƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ
for a poorer school in community for food, or charitable organisation etc. This is inspired by a school which donates food to a local foodbank. http://www.hortmag.com/weekly-‐tips/dig-‐deeper/annenagro ͻ^ĞůůŝŶŐǀĞŐĞƚĂďůĞƐĨŽƌƉůĂnt seedlings or recycling for money for charitable causes or to fund local or regional eco projects. ͻ ĨƵŶĚƌĂŝƐŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ŝŵŵĞƌƐŝŽŶ ůĞĂƌŶŝŶŐ ƚƌŝƉƐ ƌĞůĂƚĞĚ ƚŽ ŐĂƌĚĞŶŝŶŐ Žƌ ĞŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚĂů
programmes in the region such as eco camps, permaculture/gardening/ecovillage farmstays or youth environmental leadership events. 3.6.3.5 Sponsorship The French School is currently already supported by corporate sponsorship from companies such as Air France and moving companies that find a ready clientele among the French expatriate community in Kuala Lumpur. It may be worthwhile to investigate the possibility of gaining funding from corporations that would like to boost their Corporate Social Responsibility profiles by funding the schools ecological projects. For instance Gardening and companies can be approached to sponsor in-‐kind equipment for aquaponics as part of the closed loop system of the School Kitchen Gardens. For the initial success of the garden though care must be taken in starting experimentally with a smaller size suitable for manageability and expansion as capabilities increase and workable systems are put into place. However, to ensure sustainability and resilience of such initiatives it is important that they are designed as self-‐maintained systems that in the long term will require very little investment or input (Permaculture design provides with the necessary principles and techniques to achieve this). In smaller, semi-‐public schools, like the sample we have DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 45 chosen from Mallorca, it is important that the school can take care of School Kitchen Garden initiatives without the need for external financing. This ensures its sustainability and increases the sense of ownership by students, parents and teachers on the School Kitchen Garden and all their related initiatives. Hence building a greater sense of community for the future. 3.6.4 Production of Information Kit to attract financial and In-‐kind support To attract various forms of financial and in kind support. It can be useful to spend a little time collating a simple Project information Kit, as suggested by the US National Gardening ƐƐŽĐŝĂƚŝŽŶŝŶƚŚĞďŽŽŬ͕͞^ŽǁŝŶŐƚŚĞ^ĞĞĚƐŽĨŚĂŶŐĞ͘͟ The project folder should include: ͻŶĞŶƚŚƵƐŝĂƐƚŝĐĞŶĚŽƌƐĞŵĞŶƚůĞƚƚĞƌĨƌŽŵƚŚĞĚŝƌĞĐƚŽƌ͖ƉƌŝŶĐŝƉĂů͕ŽƌĐŽŽƌĚŝŶĂƚŽƌŽĨƚŚĞ
gardening project supporting the project. This informs the public that this is a legitimate project. ͻĂKŶĞ-‐page project description ͻůŝƐƚŽĨƉĞŽƉůĞǁŚŽĂƌĞƐƵƉƉŽƌƚŝŶŐƚŚĞƉƌŽũĞĐƚ ͻĂůŝƐƚŽĨƐƉĞĐŝĨŝĐŶĞĞĚƐ ͻ'ĂƌĚĞŶƉůĂŶ ͻYƵŽƚĞƐĂŶĚͬŽƌĚƌĂǁŝŶŐƐďǇƉĂƌƚicipants ͻKƚŚĞƌĂƉƉƌŽƉƌŝĂƚĞŝŶƐĞƌƚƐ͘&ŽƌŝŶƐƚĂŶĐĞŝĨƚŚĞƌĞĂƌĞƉŝĐƚƵƌĞƐĂŶĚǀŝĚĞŽƐŽŶůŝŶĞŽĨƚŚĞ
garden receivers of the project folder can also be directed to those links online. 3.7 STRENGTHENING COMMUNITY BONDS & RELATIONSHIP WITH NATURE ͞>ŽŽŬƵƉĂƚƚŚĞ sky-‐ The heavens so blue, the sun so radiant, The clouds so playful, the soaring raptors, The meadows in bloom, the woodland creatures, The rivers singing their way to the sea, Wolf song on the land, whale song in the sea, Celebration everywhere, wild, riotous, Immense as a monsoon lifting an ocean of joy And spilling it down over the Appalachian Landscape, Drenching us all with a deluge of delight As we open our arms and rush toward each other, You and I and all of us, Moved by that vast compassionate Presence That brings all things together in intimate Celebration, ĞůĞďƌĂƚŝŽŶƚŚĂƚŝƐƚŚĞƵŶŝǀĞƌƐĞŝƚƐĞůĨ͘͟ DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 46 [Thomas Berry-‐-‐From Every Being Has Rights, Twenty-‐Third Annual E.F. Schumacher Lectures Stockbridge, Massachusetts, October 2003] 3.7.1 Recognising the importance of rituals and celebrations: Celebrations and rituals are of great importance within groups and communities, but they cannot be imposed on their members, they have to go in line with the group culture, different in each context. When defining celebrations for the school and its community in relation to the holistic School Kitchen Gardens, we need to be respectful of the diversity of religious beliefs and establish rituals and celebrations that most of the children/ school /parents / teachers would be comfortable with. For hundreds of years in all parts of the world humans have been celebrating life and Nature cycles. These are in a way local and universal at the same time and overcome any religious division. 3.7.2 Creating a mandala calendar of rituals and celebrations: The calendar could take place of a mandala (to challenge the mainstream linear approach to the year and to calendars) and be developed jointly by children, parents and teachers at a specific day of the year (e.g. start of the new scholar year ...). The calendar could be divided in the 12 months of the year or in a different, more creative division (decided jointly by all stakeholders). When designing the calendar, attention should be paid to existing traditional celebrations that strengthen community bonds and connection with nature in that bioregion. ^ŽŵĞĞǆĂŵƉůĞƐŽĨůŽĐĂůĨĞƐƚŝǀŝƚŝĞƐĐŽŶŶĞĐƚĞĚƚŽEĂƚƵƌĞ͛ƐĨƌƵŝƚƐŽƌĐǇĐůĞƐƚŚĂƚƚŚĞƐĐŚŽŽůĐŽƵůĚ
tap into: In the Mediterranean region, as in many other regions of the world, many celebrations exist around the local food, land and seasons, with a strong gastronomic flavor. In Mallorca for ĞǆĂŵƉůĞ͕ ƚŚĞ ƐĐŚŽŽů ĐŽƵůĚ ƚĂƉ ŝŶƚŽ ƚŚĞ ůŽĐĂů ĐĞůĞďƌĂƚŝŽŶ ĐĂůůĞĚ ͚>Ă ĨŝƌĂ ĚĞů ƉĞďƌĞ ďŽƌĚ͕͛ ƚŚĂƚ
comes every autumn and has as central element a local vegetable specie: the sweet red pepper, briŶŐŝŶŐŵĂŶǇƉĞŽƉůĞƚŽŐĞƚŚĞƌŝŶĐĞůĞďƌĂƚŝŽŶŽĨŶĂƚƵƌĞ͛ƐĨƌƵŝƚƐ͘ DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 47 In the French school in Malaysia for example, the students may have first hand opportunities to experience many cultural ways of working with cycles. The Chinese population still actively uses the lunar calendar to mark moon phases, harvest festivals and solstice. Malays and Indians have a great deal of folk knowledge of medicinal uses of herbs and spices indigenous to the region which can be tapped on. The Orang Asli (traditional people) of Malaysia have shamanic stories and rituals surrounding native plants and animals of nature that can be explored. Other religious and rituals such as homa therapy (agnihotra) ceremonies which are of the Hindu tradition can be introduced. This is a fire burning ritual using dried cow dung, grain and clarified butter, which has been outlined in the Vedas, the ceremony of agnihotra enhances the energy of the land and the ash can also be used for fertilizer. This can be used to education the students. Such rites and rituals can be incorporated in monthly themes that are decided within the school and part of cultural learning rather than an enforcement of spirituality on the students, fostering experiences of diversity in worldviews but, nevertheless worldviews that respect nature. The core moments of the School Kitchen Gardens celebration calendar could include: Ɣ harvesting and seeding moments in the year Ɣ life (birth) and death of any related member to the school community Ɣ ĐŚŝůĚƌĞŶ͛Ɛ ůŝĨĞ ƐƚĂŐĞƐ ;ĨŽůůŽǁŝŶŐ ĐǇĐůĞƐ ŽĨ ϳ ǇĞĂƌƐ͕ ůŝŬĞ ŝƚ ŝƐ ĚŽŶĞ ŝŶ ƐŽŵĞ ŝŶĚŝŐĞŶŽƵƐ
communities in the world) Ɣ EĂƚƵƌĞ͛ƐƐĞĂƐŽŶƐͬĐǇĐůĞƐ͗ƐƵŵŵĞƌͬǁŝŶƚĞƌƐŽůƐƚŝĐĞ͕ƐƉƌŝŶŐͬĂƵƚƵŵŶĞƋƵŝŶŽǆ Ɣ The moon cycles DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 48 Ɣ EĂƚƵƌĞ͛ƐĨŽƵƌĞůĞŵĞŶƚƐ͗ĨŝƌĞ͕ǁĂƚĞƌ͕ĞĂƌƚŚ͕ǁŝŶĚ Ɣ Love & community We recommend that the celebration calendar establishes connections to the main phases in the journey of birth, maturation and death. The Cycles of growth of plants, trees and fruit, seasonally lend themselves to cycles of birth, maturation death and regeneration. Growing the garden will incorporate many cycles including Carbon, Nitrogen, pŚŽƐƉŚŽƌƵƐ ĞƚĐ͙ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ĐĂŶƚĞĞŶ ǁŝůů ďĞ ƌĞĐǇĐůŝŶŐ ĨŽŽĚ ǁĂƐƚĞ ŵĂƚĞƌŝĂů ĨŽƌ
biomass. For instance soil needs to be enriched by legumes to introduce nitrogen. The Harvest and death of such plants encourage the renewal of soil and enhances the life of other crops. This promotes ideas of how nature wondrously does not waste but incorporates death into her renewal. 3.7.3 Making the entire process as participatory as possible: Each celebration would be organized jointly by the community, the emphasis being on strengthening the bonds within the community, the community with Nature/bioregion and the community with other communities in the world. Celebrations would combine activities that secure a balance between heart/spirit/hands/head; emphasizing creativity and the expression ŽĨŵĞŵďĞƌƐ͛ĨĞĞůŝŶŐƐƚŚƌŽƵŐŚŵƵƐŝĐ͕Ăƌƚ͕ĚĂŶĐĞ͘͘͘/ŶƚŚĞƉůĂŶŶŝŶŐƉƌŽĐĞƐƐ͕ŝƚŝƐŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚƚŚĂƚ
the elder are included (e.g. grandparents of children in the school community, elder/former farmers etc). 3.7.4 Keeping the costs low and recycle/re-‐use the materials where possible: When planning and organizing rituals and celebrations, it is vitally importance that these celebrations incur the minimum financial costs possible. The tools and elements used in the celebration should come from local sources and as far as possible natural elements (gathered in ĂǁĂǇƚŚĂƚƌĞƐƉĞĐƚƐŶĂƚƵƌĞ͛ƐĐǇĐůĞƐͿ͘ŶĞĨĨŝĐŝĞŶƚǁĂƐƚĞŵĂŶĂŐĞŵĞŶƚĂŶĚƌĞĐǇĐůŝŶŐƉůĂŶƐŚŽƵůĚ
ďĞƉƵƚŝŶƉůĂĐĞĂƚƚŚĞŽƌŐĂŶŝǌĂƚŝŽŶ͛ƐƐƚĂŐĞƐŽĨĞĂĐŚĐĞůĞďƌĂƚŝŽŶ͕ƚŽĞŶƐƵƌĞƚŚĞƌĞŝƐŶŽŶĞŐĂƚŝǀĞ
impact on the eŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚĂŶĚƚŚĂƚ͕ĂƐĨĂƌĂƐƉŽƐƐŝďůĞ͕ƚŚĞ͚ǁĂƐƚĞ͛ŝƐƌĞ-‐used as a source for new life and growth. 3.7.5 Ensuring that celebrations include an element of inter-‐species connection, to heal the divide between humans and the earth This can be done through students creating a biodiversity sanctuary of native species in the school to understand the place of humans and all flora and fauna within the framework of nature. Such a project would emphasize and concretise the idea of the value of diversity and the interdependence of species and hopes to restore the connection and bonds between humans and nature. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 49 3.7.6 Incorporating the voices and needs of other kingdoms of nature in the design The design of a holistic School Kitchen Garden should revolve around the idea of re-‐
harmonizing humans needs with those of the pre-‐existing habitat, to show the students the embedded cycles (carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, etc..) in which we live-‐-‐how in fact we are part of nature and would not be able to live apart from Nature. By providing for a variety of habitats the design can give a voice and place to nature as an integral part of the concept. The design could show, for example, that buildings that integrate nature from the onset, make for more pleasant surroundings while at the same time enhance livelihood spaces and opportunities for other species. The design should be inspired by Eco-‐
psychology, which shows that students exposed to Nature learn better and feel less stressed. Students should also be exposed to the ideas of Deep Ecology to make them realize of the rights of other kingdoms with whom we share the Planet. The design should also aim to inspire the students to see how they can restore natural spaces in their own homes by inserting small design elements to remind them of our place within the Web of life. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 50 3.7.7 Ensuring Nature plays a role in the Design of the School Kitchen Gardens: The design should provide for more secluded contemplative spaces where one can meditate or study surrounded by nature, and others where students can interact with their senses of touch, smell and taste to promote and deepen the experience of other kingdoms. Appropriate quotations can be placed at strategic points to induce a reflective awareness of ones surrounding. In keeping with the idea of a design that teaches, the architecture of the school could both contrast and integrates human and natural elements. In the design, nature should be both a teaching aid for subjects such as humanities, Earth and Life science, as well as an opportunity to apprehend the world as a place where we can live in harmony with other Kingdoms. It should aim to make visible the multitude of interactions on which we depend from the very air we breathe, to our need for food and clean water. 3.7.8 Addressing spirituality in the design of School Kitchen Gardens: Spirituality (beyond religion) can be reflected in the design of the gardens by seeking to reconnect the human element within its natural element. The garden is the epitome of a cooperation between human endeavours and natural processes. Through this cooperation there is an opportunity to re-‐enliven a deeper instinctual relationship with nature, and to re-‐
learn to live in harmony with the natural rhythms. The human time stops, and one has to deal with a slower but relentless unfolding of natural processes. On a deeper level the act of eating food produced and harvested directly from the garden forces us to acknowledge our dependence on Nature. Through eating we integrate nature in our very cells and this is made obvious when there is no separation between production and consumption. The cycles of Birth and death, and re-‐integration into a bigger transcendent whole are made visible. Processes such as the germination of seeds and the growth of seedlings makes the mystery of life utterly visible, and through the act of witnessing we are brought to an innate sense of sacredness of life. This vision of bringing back life and nature within the campus, of letting the garden become the teacher is a way to let the spirit in the space where it is normally banished by a way of teaching inherited from Descartes. In that sense, bringing a garden into a school is a subversive way to let the students re-‐appropriate an intuitive way of knowing. The act of gardening itself when approached as a form of active meditation can open the students to a different awareness of being in the world. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 51 Contact with nature and its wonders enhances an appreciation of the small miracles that are present to all of us in everyday life. We may be able to scientifically deconstruct these processes of growth and development, but students can learn that there is much beauty and satisfaction in the first appearance of a fruit, especially if cultivate awareness, care and attention to the act of growing and attentiŽŶ ƚŽ ŶĂƚƵƌĞ͛Ɛ ůĂǁƐ͕ ƚŚƵƐ ƐŚŝĨƚŝŶŐ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĨŽĐƵƐ ĂǁĂǇ
from the exploitation of resources for our needs. While this re-‐integration could be quickened by more directed experiences, it may be preferable to let the garden tell its story naturally, and let the students appropriate its message at their own pace. Because this is a school setting, the innate spirituality of the garden is implied rather forced upon the visitor. Unlike in a religious building, the spirit of the place lends itself to various interpretations depending on the state of readiness of the recipient. There is a co-‐evolution of meaning as the garden works its slow magic on the student gardener. 3.8 EVALUATE, RECEIVE FEEDBACK AND TWEAK THE PROJECT AS NECESSARY Time to time, it is critical to receive feedback for relevance of the project, troubleshooting, and also to keep the project on track for vision, mission, goals and targets set. To ensure participation on all levels, especially children and youth, here are some guidelines: භ Participants identify their own indicators of performance භ Participants perform some form of self-‐evaluation suited to their age and culture භ Have frequent small evaluations, this helps project coordinators to monitor and tweak the project for improvement, relevance and sustainability භ Empower participants to initiate, control, and take corrective action dŚĞ ĂďŽǀĞ ŐƵŝĚĞůŝŶĞƐ ǁĞƌĞ ĂĚĂƉƚĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ ͞hŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ĂŶĚ ǀĂůƵĂƚŝŶŐ ŚŝůĚƌĞŶ͛Ɛ
participation: A Review of Contemporary Literature by Jason Hart, Jesse Newman, Lisanne Ackermann and Thomas Feeny of Plan International http://www.plan.org.au/~/media/Documents/Research%20and%20Reports/Child_Participation
_Literature_Review.ashx 3.8.1 Creating Indicators: Ideally evaluations would include qualitative and quantitative indicators DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 52 3.8.1.1 Quantitative indicators For instance the French School in Kuala Lumpur under the Eco Schools scheme has set some measurable targets under the focus of Environmental wellbeing such as : ͻŵŽƵŶƚŽĨƉůĂŶƚŵĂƚĞƌŝĂůĐŽŵƉŽƐƚĞĚ ͻŵŽƵŶƚŽĨƌĂŝŶǁĂƚĞƌƌĞĐůĂŝŵĞĚĨŽƌƚŚĞŐĂƌĚĞŶ ͻŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚƐŽŝůĨĞƌƚŝůŝƚǇ ͻŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚďŝŽĚŝǀĞƌƐŝƚǇ And some examples of targets set by the school in Mallorca are ͻĂŵŽƵŶƚŽĨůŽĐĂů;ĞĐŽůŽŐŝĐĂůͿƐĞĞĚƐƵƐĞĚĂŶĚƐĂǀĞĚ ͻĂŵŽƵŶƚŽĨƉŽůůŝŶĂƚŽƌƐ;ŝŶĐƌĞĂƐĞĚͿ ͻĂŵŽƵŶƚŽĨƉĞƐƚƐ;ƌĞĚƵĐĞĚͬĞůŝŵŝŶĂƚĞĚͿ 3.8.1.2 Qualitative indicators Children become more engaged in their learning when they can perceive meaning, purpose and relevance to their life and how they are part of nature. This is where it would be useful for them to evaluate their experiences for education and meaning. &ŽƌŝŶƐƚĂŶĐĞ͕ĂƐƉĂƌƚƐŽĐŝĂůǁĞůůďĞŝŶŐƚŚĞƌĞǁŝůůďĞĐĞůĞďƌĂƚŝŽŶƐĂĐĐŽƌĚŝŶŐƚŽŶĂƚƵƌĞ͛Ɛ
cycles and seasons. At these gatherings they can be asked to rate on a scale of 1-‐10 on the projects values and educational goals related to: ͻ Meaningfulness ͻ Learning ͻ Celebration & Fun ͻ Cycles of Life ͻ Community ͻ Their intrinsic experiences of nature and biodiversity ͻ Sustainability and self-‐reliance Older children can also be asked to journal their experiences from time to time. 3.8.2 Create space for reflection and analyzing impact: It is very useful to reflect on how the garden has impacted their learning and views of nature: Program impacts ͻ What do you understand about gardening and how did you come to know it? DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 53 ͻ
ͻ
What have you learnt most from your experience with school Kitchen Gardens? How have your thinking, opinions, and beliefs about the nature changed through this program? Open ended statements that encourage children and youth to reflect the influence on the project ͻ ͞/ŶĞǀĞƌƌĞĂůŝǌĞĚƚŚĂƚƚŚĞƌĞŝƐƐŽŵƵĐŚƚŽĚŽŝŶƚŚĞŐĂƌĚĞŶ͙͘͟ ͻ ͞^ŽŵĞŽĨƚŚĞƚŚŝŶŐƐůůĞĂƌŶƚĂďŽƵƚŶĂƚƵƌĞ from working with the garden are Problems and challenges (related to program content or the process of learning) ͻ What difficulties did you encounter and how did you resolve any problems? ͻ Were there any challenges you haveŶ͛ƚďĞĞŶĂďůĞƚŽƌĞƐŽůǀĞ͍ The learning experience ͻ What contributed to your successful learning? Unsuccessful learning? ͻ Why do you consider it to be successful or not so? Personal opinion and experiences, or statements of belief: ͻ ͞dŚĞŚĂŶĚƐͲŽŶĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞŚĞůƉĞĚŵǇůĞĂƌŶŝŶŐďĞĐĂƵƐĞ͙͟ ͻ ͞/ĞŶũŽǇĞĚůĞĂƌŶŝŶŐƚŚŝƐƚŽƉŝĐŝŶƉĂƌƚŝĐƵůĂƌďĞĐĂƵƐĞ͙͟ ͻ ͞/ĚŝĚŶ͛ƚůŝŬĞƚŚĂƚĂĐƚŝǀŝƚǇƐŽŵƵĐŚďĞĐĂƵƐĞ͙͘͟ ͻ When I spend time in nature, I feel ͻ KďƐĞƌǀŝŶŐŶĂƚƵƌĞ͛ƐĐǇĐůĞƐ͕/ůĞĂƌŶ͘͘͘ Other resources for evaluation can be found at: http://blogs.cornell.edu/garden/grow-‐your-‐
program/evaluation-‐toolkit/ 3.8.3 Accepting feedback It is very important that findings and lessons learnt from the evaluation are fed back to all stakeholders at the end of the process, particularly to those children who gave information towards the evaluation. These findings should also be presented in ways accessible to children and adults of all ages, literate or non-‐literate, in the particular context (Wilson and McKeown, 2003). Particularly with younger children attention should be paid to the means of communicating feedback to ensure that it is understandable and interesting. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 54 4 ANNEX: Links to relevant school and food regulations in Malaysia and Spain Here are some useful links to existing regulations in Malaysia and Spain that could affect some aspects of the implementation of you School Kitchen Gardens and other environmental initiatives Malaysia: Sale of School Kitchen Garden Produce to Cafeteria: Ensuring Safely http://www.gardenabcs.com/uploads/Garden_Protocol_-‐_Denver_Public_Schools.pdf Malaysian Department of Agriculture Guidelines for Good Agricultural Practice http://www.doa.sarawak.gov.my/modules/web/page_print.php?id=449 This document covers guidelines for multiple aspects in the following areas: ͻWůĂŶƚŝŶŐŵĂƚĞƌŝĂůƐ ͻ,ǇŐŝĞŶĞ ͻ&ŝĞůĚ^ĂŶŝƚĂƚŝŽŶĂŶĚ,ĂƌǀĞƐƚWƌĂĐƚŝĐĞ (please also refer to http://www.gardenabcs.com/uploads/Garden_Protocol_-‐
_Denver_Public_Schools.pdf for specific sets of protocols with regards to harvest and cleaning of produce that can be adopted by the school cafeteria) ͻtĂƚĞƌ ͻ^ŽŝůŵĞŶĚŵĞŶƚƐĂŶĚDĂŶƵƌŝŶŐ More details can also be obtained from the following document produced by MalaysŝĂ͛Ɛ
Ministry of Agriculture Malaysian Standard Crop Commodity ʹ Good Agricultural Practices (MS 1784:2005) Spain: In relation to food and nutrition, check: The Spanish Agency for Food Security and Nutrition: http://www.aesan.msps.es/AESAN/web/control_oficial/control_oficial.shtml Ley 17/2011, de 5 de julio, de seguridad alimentaria y nutrición. http://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-‐A-‐2011-‐11604 In relation to school centers regulations, more broadly, check: DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 55 Real Decreto 1004/1991, de 14 de junio, por el que se establecen los requisitos mínimos de los Centros que impartan Enseñanzas de Régimen General no universitarias.(BOE 152/1991 de 26-‐
06-‐1991, pág. 21181) Decreto 297/2002, de 17 de Diciembre por el que se regulan las Escuelas Infantiles para niños y niñas de cero a tres años en la CAV durante los cursos 2002-‐2003 y 2003-‐2004, BOPV No 249, 31 de diciembre de 2002. DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen Gardens 56

DESIGN GUIDELINES for Holistic School Kitchen

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