The abandoned courtyard at Ravnsborggade 11 in Nørrebro is hardly a well-known hub in the city. Once the site of the former Nørrebro Grammar School, today the courtyard is home only to a dilapidated bike shed and a washed-out mural.
But this coming weekend, the space will be transformed into an urban public space called Global Garden, thanks to a group of volunteers from anti-poverty organisation ActionAid Denmark. Supported by Nørrebro Lokaludvalg and Friluftsrådet, the volunteers hope to take advantage of the courtyard’s quiet atmosphere and daily sunshine.
”The wall gets so much sun in a day that we hope to grow plants that otherwise struggle to survive in Denmark,” explained Kirstine Banke, a volunteer for Global Garden and an architectural design student at DTU. “And in the corner we'll build a platform of pallets and milk crates where people can sit, soak up the sun and watch events in the garden.”
In addition to being a public space for growing plants and vegetables, Global Garden will also be used to host political workshops and other events organised by ActionAid Denmark, as well as outdoor cooking classes and flea and farmers' markets.
”ActionAid Denmark works with global citizenship and long-term sustainability on a global level, and the intention with Global Garden is to create a space where we can reflect upon and discuss our own consumption and the way we eat and grow food,” said Tim Ahrensbach, a project manager for Action Aid. “It's about the impact our consumption has on global food prices and the pressure it creates on agricultural land and natural resources.”
The project kicks off this Saturday with ‘Garden in a Day’, a volunteering event in which participants can build crates for plants, start gardening projects and meet with neighbours. The event was inspired by a similar project in 1996 called ‘Garden in One Night’, during which hundreds of volunteers converted an empty plot of land on Guldbergsgade into an independent garden.
‘Garden in a Day’ will take place on Saturday from 11:00-20:00 at Ravnsborggade 11, Cph N, and is open to the public. No registration is necessary.
