25/09/2026
Green Shelter's initiatives why?
Food Security and Sustainability
Encourage people to grow their own fruit and vegetables at home.
Help families have better access to fresh and healthy food.
Reduce reliance on food brought in from outside the local area.
Encourage people to save and share seeds for future growing.
Build stronger and more sustainable local food systems.
Health and Wellbeing
Encourage people to eat more fresh, home-grown fruit and vegetables.
Help people stay active through gardening and growing activities.
Support mental wellbeing by giving people more opportunities to spend time outdoors and in nature.
Encourage healthier lifestyles through better food, physical activity and time spent gardening.
In the long term, healthier lifestyles may help reduce pressure on health services.
Sustainable Use of Land and Resources
Encourage people to make good use of gardens, balconies, allotments and community spaces.
Help households make better use of the space and resources they already have.
Promote environmentally friendly and sustainable ways of growing food.
Encourage people to use water, soil and other natural resources responsibly.
Reducing Environmental Impact
Encourage more people to grow food locally.
Reduce the need to transport some food over long distances.
Help reduce some of the packaging, storage and distribution linked to shop-bought produce.
Support stronger and more resilient local food systems.
Economic Benefits
Help households save some money by growing their own fruit and vegetables.
Give people opportunities to share or exchange extra produce, plants and seedlings.
Support small local activities linked to gardening and community food growing.
Over time, greater local food production could help reduce reliance on imported produce.
Biodiversity and Wildlife
Encourage people to grow flowers and plants that provide food and shelter for bees, butterflies and other insects.
Promote wildlife-friendly gardening.
Encourage people to compost food and garden waste where possible.
Support the creation of wildlife-friendly spaces, including suitable ponds and other habitats.
Help increase biodiversity in gardens, communities and urban areas.
Local Volunteers
Recruit local volunteers to support the initiative.
Volunteers can help with seed collection, seed sharing, local events and community outreach.
Volunteers can help connect local people and encourage more residents to get involved.
They can also support the collection and redistribution of gardening materials and help organise community activities.
Reuse Instead of Buying New Plastic
Encourage gardeners to reuse containers instead of buying new plastic pots.
Household items that are safe and suitable can be reused as plant pots, seed trays or growing containers.
Local volunteers can collect unwanted pots, trays, baskets and other gardening materials.
These items can then be cleaned and shared with people who need them.
This can reduce waste and the need to buy new gardening products.
Seed Saving and Sharing
Encourage gardeners to collect and save suitable seeds from the plants they grow.
Share extra seeds through the Seed to Society network.
Create a system where seeds are grown into plants and new seeds are collected for future use.
Over time, this can reduce the need to buy new packets of seeds every year.
Seed sharing can also help build stronger connections between local growers.
Schools, Colleges and Young People
Work with schools and colleges in participating areas.
Encourage schools and colleges to start Green Clubs where appropriate.
Give young people practical experience of growing food and caring for the environment.
Connect participating young people with the Green Shelter Junior Ambassadors programme through the Green Shelter app.
Use gardening to teach young people about food, recycling, biodiversity and environmental responsibility.
Encourage young people to take an active role in making their communities greener and more sustainable.
Overall Aim
The overall aim is to help people grow more food locally, live healthier lives and make better use of their available resources. The initiative will also encourage communities to work together, protect nature, reduce waste and build a more sustainable future.
