The Shady Lanes Project

The thing that draws me to #DoughnutEconomics is that it forces us to look at the interlinked nature of the climate crisis. We need to stay within planetary boundaries while trying to address the multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Much of Regen Brisbane is based on Shady Lanes resources and methods. Doing positive and strategic actions at a local level to collaborate on nurturing the local commons, and going on to use the skills learned and networks built to scale (outwards, not up) to nurture the global commons. Register online and you'll have access to the recordings for a month. There are some amazing sessions and presenters from many countries, sectors and disciplines earlier in the day. https://lnkd.in/gAvn2er5

Could verge gardens make increased housing density more acceptable? We know that we have to increase urban density and the range of housing options to provide affordable homes for more people within our current urban footprint. But how do you increase density when so many people resist that change? This article is my contribution to the Regen Brisbane series on housing issues in our region as we grapple with housing affordability, homelessness, and a growing population. Read more and join the conversation at: https://lnkd.in/eivqKcfM

Latest newsletter Is it too late to do anything about climate change? I was asked if it was too late to do anything. And my answer is no. Also news about Doughnut Economics and Global Donut Days event in Brisbane and online. Read more and subscribe at: https://lnkd.in/gMcWYkCb

It must be a decade ago that we were having one of those long conversations over coffee. I was fretting about the climate wars and the need for action. My friend, a veteran of the mainstream media industry was a general negative nelly (he would say a pragmatic realist) and I am more of the never-give-up type (he would say optimistic fool). “You won’t change anything,” he said, “until you win the communication battle.” And I knew he was right. The communication we were talking about was not public relations, getting the message right, or persuading with logic and facts. It was the cultural stories we use to make sense of the world, the stories we tell ourselves and each other, the stories the mainstream media tells and reinforces in our brains. Stories that draw on identity, evoke emotions, and encourage tribalism. For a few years, I joined the ranks of the negative nellies. The problem was simply too big. And then… https://lnkd.in/gYPuVMj3

Wherever you live, the stormwater from your garden ends up in the creeks and beyond. Over the past few weeks, we’ve assembled a new bushcare group to help care for the area next to the creek in a local park. It’s an extra special spot because it is platypus habitat. What’s bushcare got to do with verge gardens? Verge gardens are the very public in-between, connecting space between private gardens and the largely hidden-from-view bushcare sites. It’s a place that people connect with each other and with nature. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/ebEsn3T4

All council verge gardening policies include the requirement to leave a clear pathway for pedestrians. So, what do you do when there is only grass? This is one of the early communication hurdles that highlight the different perspectives between councils and residents. The line between being too prescriptive and trusting residents to work out what is appropriate in their location is hard for councils to navigate. And residents too, have to work hard to understand the complexity of the space, and the different considerations of all involved. Do community groups have an important role to play here as mediators/translators/moderators? As always, we move in the direction of our conversations, and getting it right builds trust and relationships. This contested public space provides valuable lessons and practice for cross-sector collaborations. Read more... https://lnkd.in/g8Tx8EAg

To create sustainable solutions, we need to connect with others to form diverse networks and collaborations. Verge gardens bring diverse people together, then we build around that to create networks. See this article on how we are using Substack as the platform to build a loose network of people and organisations who are determined to find solutions to the interlinked problems we are facing. Of course, these aren't the only participants in the network. Like all ecosystems, there are no firm boundaries, you can only focus on one part and take a snapshot at one point in time.

More on the public liability stalemate. Adversarial attitudes and methods are deeply ingrained in our culture. We grow up with stories of good versus evil, heroes beating the villains, and the rebel fighting against bureaucracy. Often, advocacy is framed this way, particularly in the climate space. Of course, we put ourselves in the role of the good guys, the heroes, the ones who know best if only everyone would listen. This might work in the movies and with simple problems. But, when we have complex or wicked problems with many interlinking issues, it doesn’t. We just end up shouting at each other, lots of small battles, perhaps some minor victories, but not the changes, and certainly not the speed of change, that we hope for. We just get stuck in our opposing positions. We make little progress with big complex issues like climate change, equity, and social justice, where we have professionals and organisations in diverse disciplines fighting their corner, and the voting public deciding whose side they will take. We also see this in the microcosm of verge garden disputes. read more and subscribe below ...

Do councils provide public liability insurance for verge gardeners who help to green our streets? Should they? Public liability insurance is one of the sticking points with verge garden policies. Some councils demand that residents get their own insurance. Other councils decide it is too complicated, so they refuse to allow verge gardening altogether. Most policies don’t mention insurance at all. (This is my understanding of the insurance issue. It is not professional or legal advice.) Unless they specifically say so, you shouldn’t assume that your council provides public liability insurance for verge gardens. Not for the verge gardener, nor for people who use the verge. How can they as they have little control or oversight on what people do? Councils also don't provide public liability for damage done by someone with a mower. Do you want your rates money paying insurance for the careless resident who chops their toes off while mowing in thongs, or the one who sends a stone through the neighbour’s window? And what about those ankle-twisting furrows created with the whippersnipper at the edges of paths? The variety of methods used to convert verge gardens makes them a lot less predictable than turf. While I used hand tools only to weed out grass and replace with tubestock, some people bring in bobcats and other heavy equipment. And some put in completely unsuitable plants. Do you want your rates to cover their liability? If any sort of work is being done on the verge by a commercial organisation or social enterprise, they should have their own insurance to cover their work and workers. Community gardens on public land are run by incorporated groups which must have their own public liability insurance. Councils do provide public liability for volunteers (e.g. bush care), but they also insist on those volunteers signing agreements, undertaking OH&S training, and following rules. Council officers manage the volunteer groups which takes considerable council resources. Read more and let me know what you think at: https://lnkd.in/gf6gNFNR

Great to see a positive story about verge gardens / nature strips and the opportunities they offer. Thanks Shannon Molloy https://lnkd.in/g4GdUR7n