A real vector of social bonding, shared gardens encourage awareness of nature and good living together. LogiRep, Trois Moulins Habitat and LogiOuest, subsidiaries of the Polylogis Group, have carried out several actions within their residences in partnership with local associations to enhance the green spaces at the foot of the residences.
AShared gardens are a remarkable tool for the reappropriation of collective spaces, for a greater financial, social and food autonomy of the inhabitants of a district or a commune. Cultivating one's garden, producing one's vegetables, cooking them... is a way of rediscovering the contents of one's plate. It is also an opportunity to improve one's diet, to discover or rediscover the origin of products, the succession of seasons and to take an interest in environmental issues. Initiatives such as these are part of the great citizen movement that runs through our towns, villages and territories. We need to get out of the rut where certain intensive and globalized agricultural and food production methods have led us. These gardens change the atmosphere of a city; this is why social landlords are embarking on the adventure, contributing to the dissemination of existing projects, in a community of values, objectives and methods, and improving relations between landlords and tenants.
Shared gardens as a historical ferment of the social bond
Did you know that? The first shared gardens were created in France in the second half of the 19th century to cope with food difficulties. The various local initiatives inspired Father Jules Lemire, a deputy from the North, to make a piece of land available to workers. This action thus contributed to the creation of the Ligue Française du Coin de Terre et du Foyer in 1896, which was later extended throughout France.The "feeder" garden system spread to other populations with the crisis of the thirties and the occupation. The aim was for city dwellers to invest public space to cultivate what was lacking in shops. After the war, once the food shortage was over, the gardens disappeared.
Like allotments at the time, shared gardens are collective gardens in all their diversity. They aim to develop awareness of nature and are places conducive to sociability and exchange. Numerous initiatives are being developed by social landlords to promote green spaces dedicated to gardening.
"Through this initiative Polylogis Group is part of its CSR project, reviving a very old tradition of social housing: allotment gardens. Everyone can thus cultivate their own garden which, in addition to the pleasure of eating the vegetables they have produced in a healthy way, also offers a great opportunity to get to know each other better, by exchanging with their neighbours. The allotment gardens then become much more than a place where one harvests one's vegetables, they are also a place for relaxation and meeting people.explains Daniel Biard, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Polylogis Group.
Focus on the actions organized by the Polylogis Group
The social landlord Polylogis and its subsidiaries LogiRep, Three Mills Habitat and LogiOuesthave developed many activities around gardening.
In Ile-de-France and in the provinces, in more and more residences, flowering actions or even shared garden projects are possible, thanks to the help of tenants, in partnership with local authorities and associations.
These educational activities help to unite people around "doing things together" and "living better together" (gardening workshops, beehives, vegetable gardens, provision of tools, etc.), and to raise awareness of environmental issues among the Group's inhabitants and employees.
This year's events include :
- Clayes-sous-Bois (78) on Résidence de l'Avre (428 social rental housing units), an event was held on May 12 on the theme "What to plant in spring? "with the association ESPACES on the theme of urban ecology. It brought together 12 participants. Since the creation of the garden in 2015, the association has been in charge every month of accompanying the tenant gardeners who get together and deepen their knowledge and techniques of ecological gardening (e.g. how to cope with the devastating pressure caused by slugs). The garden creates a friendly atmosphere: the women beneficiaries of the social centre and residents of LogiRep, appreciated the warm welcome and the tasting of a mint tea picked in the garden after the animation.
Next step: the celebration of the two years of the garden called 'L'Avre de paix' will take place on Wednesday, June 28, 2017 around a special animation on the use of a solar oven as part of the National Week of HLM.
- Gardening season in the "Casanova" vegetable garden (85 social rental units) in Rosny-sous-Bois (93) on Saturday, April 8. Since the beginning of the year, the Rosny-Potagers association has laid out the land, built wooden frames to install the crops, spread out compost and placed shavings around it to make the paths more pleasant and passable. The association brought together four adults and five children to carry out the first plantings and install water tanks for watering. Potatoes and onions to start with, then worries to embellish the garden. Some seeds of aromatic plants: parsley, green basil and purple basil and finally the traditional chives and chervil.
The inhabitants of the buildings surrounding the garden are gradually increasing their attendance, and the children were there.
- Flowering operation in April 2017 at the Résidence des Bleuets et des Primevères (165 social rental housing units) in Verneuil L'Etang (77) with about fifteen inhabitants who came to bloom, for an afternoon, their feet of buildings in the presence of the proximity team.
This action is part of the mobilization of tenants around a shared garden project. Trois Moulins Habitat, also supported the creation of the gardeners' association "Les jardins verts N'Oeillet". This association is made up of a core group of 3 tenants and a dozen tenant gardeners. The inhabitants themselves have defined the operating rules, but also the size of the plots, the rules of allocation, pricing conditions, etc.. Next step: the garden is operational but the inauguration will take place in September 2017 around the first harvests!
- Opening of the shared garden of the Residence du Noyer Perrot (203 social rental housing units) in Moissy-Cramayel (77), with the ARC EN CIEL Social Centre. Some fifteen tenants are already mobilized around the project.
The real estate group consisting of eight buildings has been renovated and residentialized. The garden completes the project by offering a qualification at the foot of the residentialized buildings and by contributing to a reduction in the tenants' charges.
Next step: the garden has been open since March but the inauguration will take place on September 2, 2017 around the first harvests!
- Creation of a "Corporate garden" at the LogiOuest head office. The subsidiary continues its commitment to responsible approaches in favour of sustainable development, and is part of the ACTE HLM 2016-2020 movement by relying on its Sustainable Development Strategy 2016/2020, and more particularly in this context on its 3rd pillar "Communicating on sustainable development issues to internal and external stakeholders".
This action aims in particular to encourage the sharing of knowledge around a theme and to make some harvests and share them on the spot (headquarters kitchen).
The space of approximately 4m² has been installed on the terrace of the head office overlooking the Council Chamber.
The 1st inauguration workshop and 1st plantations (tomatoes, strawberries and herbs) took place on 15 May over a lunch break with 8 employees.
Next step: employees are invited to garden every Tuesday lunchtime, according to their availability.
New shared gardens will be inaugurated by LogiRep in Seine-Saint-Denis and Trois Moulins Habitat in Seine-et-Marne: on Tuesday 27 June at 6 pm in Montreuil (93); on Wednesday 28 June from 2 pm to 6 pm in Saint-Denis (93); on Saturday 2 September from 11 am to 12.30 pm in Moissy-Cramayel residence du Noyer Perrot (77); in September 2017 (date to come) in Verneuil l'Etang residence Bleuets Primevères (77).
