8 Ways to Build Community While Improving the Environment 

At the moment, our current political climate relies heavily on dividing the people and doing away with community. Now more than ever, we need to be able to rely and lean on one another for help. We need to be able to keep each other afloat while times are hard, both monetarily and socially. On top of that, we have to do what we can to improve the environment as well, and what better way to do that than through community engagement?

Donate seeds to seed libraries 

If you don’t know, many local libraries have seed banks. In my own, this is a little filing cabinet full of seeds, organized by type and individually packaged. You pick what you want, a couple packs at a time, and take them free of charge. There’s no need to replace them with your own, but if you have the ability to, why not?

You can buy empty seed packets online for cheap. At the end of a growing season, dry your seeds, package them, and write the information for the plant on the packets. All you have to do is drop them off at your library and the librarians will the rest.

In current times, food is expensive, and being able to grow our own is a vital skill. Some people may not be able to afford seeds or plants normally, so the seed library is their only option. It allows people to start their gardens for free, expanding the reach of self sufficiency and self reliance. 

Plogging

What started as a trend in Sweden by a man named Erik Ahlstrom has expanded to all parts of the world over the last decade. But what is it? Plogging is the act of collecting litter while jogging. 

Not only is it a way to improve your own health by running, bending down, and carrying the litter, you also protect the environment as well. 

This can be an excellent way to build your own little community of likeminded people. You can start with friends and family, or rope in coworkers who might be interested. Social media posts can also encourage people to join you. The trend started as one person doing his part to make a difference, and it has now spread to millions of people. You can contribute to this by getting more people involved. Plogging is an activity that can be done by people of all skill and fitness levels. There is no correct way to plog just as long as you’re getting out and cleaning up your local communities. Just do so safely!

Buy locally

Big grocery stores rely heavily on shipping and importing goods in. That means these foods are usually processed to preserve their freshness, and the transportation it requires to get them there releases emissions. 

Find your town’s local farmers markets, butchers, and farm stands. You get the reassurance that the food you’re buying is fresh, typically at a much cheaper price than grocers, and the money you spend stays within the community. Not only are you not sacrificing quality, your money isn’t ending up in the hands of billionaire company owners. 

Find local gardening groups

Some libraries and town halls will advertise local groups of gardeners looking for new members. Facebook is also a good way to find, or start, gardening groups if you can’t find any around your town. 

Try to find groups as local to where you are as possible. It becomes easier to share and trade gardening tips, as well as actual plants, seeds, and produce. 

Local gardeners might have species of plants you might not be able to find anywhere else that they’re willing to trade and share. You might also have things others in the group don’t.  Not only are you making likeminded friends this way, you also possess the ability to biodiversify many of the local gardens.

Get close with your neighbors

It’s important to keep a close support system of people. It creates a sense of safety, having people on either side of you there to spot danger, just as you provide that same safe feeling to them. It’s also a way you can spread awareness and make new friends.

Upon seeing my garden in my backyard, two of my neighbors have started their own little beginner garden beds of cucumbers and tomatoes. It’s been a fun and easy way for us to bond, talking over the fence about how our respective gardens are going, and me being able to share my knowledge with them. Not only that, it’s rewarding to see the influence I’ve had on the people around me; watching them try gardening and grow as excited and obsessed as I am. If they are successful, and they enjoy what they’re doing, they might spread the message and get more people to join in on creating their own little gardens.

Vote

We have to stay informed about our local governments, just as much as we try and stay informed on the global. Who’s in charge of your city can create big impacts on how your town is run. Some candidates take environmental health and safety far more seriously than others; some candidates care more about their community and the people living in it. It’s important to do your research and vote every time the opportunity arises. 

The way to make your community and all around better place is to put good people in charge. Our efforts will go a much longer way if we have officials who believe in the same policies, ethics, and moral standpoints we do. 

Community garden

Look into your towns and see if you can find information about community gardens within it. They can usually be located at local churches, schools, and community centers. If you find any, volunteer your time if you can, find friends and family willing to help, and keep these important cornerstones functioning. 

On the flip side, if your town has none, see if it’s possible for you to start the first. Community gardens can help feed low income towns and food deserts. Where some people might not be able to afford food in the current times we live in, nor have the means to create their own gardens, community gardens step up to resolve these issues. You can search for volunteers, educate your community, and inspire people to grow their own gardens and spread the wealth. 

Attend local events

It’s always important to know what’s going on locally and find things that interest you. These events will be filled with people interested in the same things you are, ones you can befriend and learn from. It also gives you a chance to share your knowledge as well. 

Many towns have events like Spring Fling, harvest festivals, and earth day festivals. These are opportunities to see how many other people are as interested in improving the environment as you are, what these people are doing to make an impact, and giving you the chance to gain inspiration. Just like with the farmer’s market, you will also be helping to keep money local, and lead these events to expand each year.

Summary 

Community is a vital part of human nature. We crave togetherness and shared experiences, and we live in a time where we need each other. Now more than ever, we have to build each other up, educate one another, and know that there are other people like us out there that want to improve the earth for the better. Find your people and make a change, not only in your community, but on the world as a whole.