Summary

Description

In Dundee, food is central to addressing local climate justice as well as its global impact on greenhouse emissions. The Maxwell Centre’s newest project will improve access to more affordable, nutritious food, grown locally and sustainably. These new productive green spaces will enhance biodiversity and be more resilient to the impacts of climate change. To achieve this we need to work with communities that can showcase and promote sustainable lifestyles through real life experiences. How we can we all grow and cook our own good food? How can we share affordable and environmental-friendly meals for healthier and happier lives?

Our Maxwell project team, community gardens, local groups and food projects will be recruiting 100 Dundee households who will be part of an exciting city-wide challenge to learn and develop their very own food growing space and cook with local fruit and veg. They will be supplied with a personalised growing kit, tools and materials as well as one to one growing and cooking advice and support through a programme of 18 food growing, cooking and sustainability workshops throughout the seasons (basic gardening skills, outdoor cooking, urban foraging, plant medicine, zero waste cooking, food preserving, citizen science, etc.) Each of these growing spaces will be an example of how to be climate friendly, attract pollinators and increase biodiversity. We’ll showcase how food can be grown in all types of spaces, from backies to allotments, window sills to streets and by all types of families and households, with different backgrounds and from different areas.

The public will get to know the 100 local “celebrity growers” and be inspired and learn along with their stories and challenges growing and cooking through a comprehensive communications campaign and through the revamped Grow Dundee website, map and calendar (funded by Climate Choices 1.0) and our very active Grow Dundee facebook group with nearly 2,000 members. An Open Day for all Community Growing Spaces and 4 neighbourhood community food events, including “Big Bake Offs” and tastings with local produce, food that could go to waste and foraged food will be a huge opportunity to engage with many more people. We’ll be working in collaboration with the Dundee Community Growers Network (22 community gardens) and the Dundee Community Food Network (32 food projects).