Guerrilla Gardening, livre audio

A guide to greening cities — with or without permission.

A guide to greening cities -- with or without permission

The term "guerrilla" may bring to mind a small band of armed soldiers, moving in the dead of night on a stealth mission. In the case of guerilla gardening, the soldiers are planters, the weapons are shovels, and the mission is to transform an abandoned lot into a thing of beauty. Once an environmentalist's nonviolent direct action for inner-city renewal, this approach to urban beautification is spreading to all types of people in cities around the world.

These modern-day Johnny Appleseeds perform random acts of gardening, often without the property owner's prior knowledge or permission. Typical targets are vacant lots, railway land, underused public squares, and back alleys. The concept is simple, whimsical and has the cheeky appeal of being a not-quite-legal call to action. Dig in some soil, plant a few seeds, or mend a sagging fence — one good deed inspiring another, with win-win results all around.

Guerrilla Gardening outlines the power-to-the-people campaign for greening our cities. Tips for effective involvement include:

• finding plants and seeds cheap (or free)
• handling city officials
• getting the dirt on soil
• planting to bring back the birds
• knowing when to ask permission and when to seek forgiveness

Social activists, city dwellers and long-time gardeners will delight in this fast-paced and funny call to arms.

David Tracey is a journalist and environmental designer who operates EcoUrbanist in Vancouver. He is Executive Director of Tree City Canada, a non-profit ecological engagement group.

Introduction
Ever onward
You rule
School's out
Right of way
Now fear this
City of no return
How to use this book
Are you the one?

1 The Big Idea (Or What to Say If You're Stopped)
A brief history
Lock down, plant up
By the people, for the people
Yippie Park
Green Guerrillas
If I can do it... Donald Loggins
Power Plant — Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)

2 Where to Start (You DO Live Here So Why Aren't You Home By Now?)
Think eco-citizen
The forest not the trees
Nature on holiday
Wilderness is within
Cities are alive
Starting-out spaces
A tale of two cities
Use it or lose it
Grow up
Get back
Park this
Green roofs are the new black
Bed time
All roads lead to home
You said it — Robert Sarti
If I can do it... Robert Klose
Power Plant — Poppy (Papaver somniferum)

3 What to Use (Don't Reinvent the Wheel, Borrow Someone's Car)
Coolest tools
Dig this
More for less
Fund-raising fun
Dirt-cheap dirt
Black gold
Garden goods
Real free trade
Seeds of death
Free rain
Digging for treasure
You said it — Loren Rieseberg
If I can do it... Bev Wagar
Power Plant — Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)

4 Growing Basics (The Root End Goes Down)
Think like a plant
The dirt on dirt
Fertilizers and all that crap
No mono
Pests or friends
Why natives rule
Easy edible landscaping
Seed bombs
You said it — David Tarrant
If I can do it... Al Pasternak
Power Plant — Potato (Solanum tuberosum)

5 Naturescaping 101 (There's Always Somebody Home in a Habitat)
Land claims
Designing for diversity
Will chirp for food
Room to grow
Don't be a buggist
No slugsidized housing
You said it — Terry Taylor
If I can do it... Susan Kurbis
Power Plant — Apple (Malus domestica)

6 Get Off the Grass (Make It a Meadow)
Good crop, bad crop
Kick your grass
Fields of dreams
From the ground up
You said it — Bill Stephen
If I can do it... Mark Yardas
Power Plant — Lavender (Lavendula species)

7 Grow Your Own Community Garden (It Takes a Village to Raise a Turnip)
Garden grail
Choose the right place
Choose the right people
Call to order
How to ward off developers (and their offspring)
Link it or lose it
What have you done for me lately?
Grow your own
Q&A — Muggs Sigurgeirson
If I can do it... Les King
Power Plant — Sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus)

8 When to Work Within (The Art of Aikido Politics)
The care and feeding of city officials
Push or pull
You're blocking
Oh bother
Q&A — Alan Duncan
If I can do it... Tom Wuest
Power Plant — Scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus)

9 Start Spreading the News (Information Is Just Fertilizer With Better PR)
Mass media and how to move it
What's the news?
Right on time
I'm busted
Alternative media options
Signs that work, signs that don't
Q&A — Peter Gibson
Power Plant — Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)
If I can do it... Matthew Green
Power Plant — Blueberry (Vaccinium species)

Conclusion: Where to Go From Here (Make Your City the Salvation of the World)
Living la vida local
Go team go
You are the culture
Live in the city of your dreams
Get up and grow
Q&A — Jim Diers
If I can do it... Amy Twigge

Bibliography
Notes
Index
About the Author