Page 61 - Urban Kapital New MAY JUNE 2020 ISSUE

MAY PROJECTS GARDENS

A LONDON-BASED ENVIRONMENTAL INITIATIVE

Article written by Sofia Eugeniou

I am a massive believer in the power of grass- Founded in 2007 by Ian Soloman-Kawall and
roots environmental activism. Where government Randy Mayers, MPG has gone from strength to
initiatives often fail to reach the most vulnerable strength. Feeling a lack of connection to nature
of communities, grassroots projects save the day. in the city and wanting to provide a safe, creative
and beneficial place for others facing social and
Unlike national environmental organisations economic hardships, the duo decided to create
which are predominately male-heavy, white and May Project Gardens. To achieve this, the back
middle-class, local environmental groups draw of Ian’s mother’s council house was transformed
members from a broad cross-section of class into a community garden.
and occupational categories. Quite significantly,
local eco-initiatives attract members from minor- Previously a purely voluntary-run organisation
ity groups – this is important as black and ethnic with no formal funding, MPG became a Commu-
minority communities are some of the most dis- nity Interest Company in 2015 after gaining wider
engaged with nature and environmentalism, and recognition for their community efforts. A fruitful
their voices and needs are often neglected in the year for MPG, the organisation was also the win-
environmental debate. ner of the 2015 Mayer of London’s Team London It really is so fantastic to see successful eco-initia-
Award. tives such as MPG have such a lasting impact and
In many instances, local, bottom-up initiatives continue to reach the vulnerable urban communi-
have achieved far more than top-down initiatives Working with urban communities, the team ad- ties that it does.
at the national/international scale. The issue is dresses poverty, disempowerment, and access to
that for many “big green groups” and movements, resources and influence. The full-course on offer, The goal of achieving a sustainable planet is not
there is no longer a clear enemy. Instead of fight- which runs for 24 weeks and targets 16-24 year- fat-fetched with the work of initiatives like May
ing big corporations that kill the planet, some big olds, focuses on personal development, educa- Project Gardens. Grass-roots environmental activ-
green groups are cooperating with them. tion, and enterprise skills. ism has proved yet again that we can protect the
natural world, and simultaneously reach communi-
There is nothing wrong with cooperation and col- Young participants enrolled on the MPG course ties most in need, by educating our urban youth on
laboration – without these, we would live in a very are kept engaged through popular youth culture, how to live sustainably. Additional efforts to boost
sad and unpleasant world overrun by even more such as hip hop, and are given the chance to con- the career and financial prospects of young partic-
crime, war, and anthropogenically-induced envi- nect with nature, address their traumas, improve ipants is another reason to love the bottom-up ef-
ronmental catastrophes. However, what is unde- their physical and mental health, and learn tan- forts of MPG.
niably wrong is when environmental NGOs and gible skills that will follow them into adulthood
other big green groups take big business cash and (such as food growing and gardening). Taster ses- If this initiative is something you are interested in
think they can save the planet. sions for youth organisations and schools, as well or want to support, then please check out May
as tailor-made programmes, are also available. Project Garden’s website.
The environmental agenda in recent years had be-
come heavily corporatized, with the relationship Through its current team of three directors and a
between some big green groups and big-brand body of volunteers, the initiative is able to provide
companies quite concerning to say the least. an alternative education system and lifestyle that
is people-centric and resource-led. MPG is also
For example, the WWF has been in collabora- proud of being a collaborative effort that reaches
tion with and funded by Coca-Cola since 2012. people living on the margins of society, including
Amongst other initiatives, the pair have a shared BAME youth from poor and less advantaged social
goal to “save” polar bears…right. backgrounds.

I hereby present May Project Gardens (MPG), an With a key mission statement that aims to ensure
innovative, alternative and educational model us- young and vulnerable people “disengage with
MAGAZINE // 60 to be healthy, entrepreneurial, and to grow their it is evident that this initiative is truly grass-roots MAGAZINE // 61
power structures that don’t serve their interests”,
ing hip hop to educate and empower young people
communities.
and is truly ‘for the people’.