Community garden

In a highly populated city, where green spaces are scarce and the emission of gases from vehicular traffic, as well as the accumulation of waste generated by its inhabitants, has become a constant that sometimes exceeds the capacity of urban cleaning; a group of residents, led by Martha Clayton and Alexandra Palmer, has set as a goal to recover a public land located within their community that looks completely full of garbage and debris: a dystopian space and a place that no one wants to see.

Some ideas for transformation were put on the table at community meetings, from the development of a sports field to the construction of a public plaza. However, the lack of interest on the part of municipal agencies, under the excuse of lack of resources for the development of such a project, has turned the dream of those inhabitants into an impossible mission; a race to space without rocket propulsion, as some skeptics said.

Martha Clayton was a woman in her sixties, married and the mother of two children who were professionals; a retired nursing graduate who had proudly practiced her profession for nearly thirty years. Alexandra Palmer, on the other hand, was a woman a few years younger than Martha, fifty-four years old, also married, and one of her daughters had become the wife of Martha's youngest son, which is why the two had a very close relationship. She was a retired schoolteacher, and both of them now devoted themselves to housework and also to looking after the welfare of their families. They had enough time to fight for this project: a gift for the youth, as they called it, and “the project of the doñas”, as their children referred to this initiative.

-The mayor gave his position. There are no funds to beautify the space. -Martha said at the neighborhood meeting.

-We knew it was a waste of time. -There were some murmurings from the attendees.

-We know that some have joked making comparisons to a space race. -Alexandra interrupted, but improving that space for the benefit of all is not impossible. They may have decided not to help us, but we still have options. -she said.

-What else can we do? There will be no court and no plaza. That will just remain a community dump. -opined a neighbor.

-For starters, they could stop dumping waste on the site," Martha began. We could also collect all the garbage and move it to the municipal dump," she continued. And finally, since there won't be anything like we initially thought, maybe we could plant a community garden and transform it into a natural space, our little nursery. -He concluded, calling the attention of all the attendees.

-Those in favor of Martha's idea, raise your hands! -Alexandra took the floor.

The response was immediate and all those attending the neighborhood meeting raised their hands, unanimously approving the proposed idea.

The following weekend, the first step in the construction of the community garden began. In an operation in which everyone from the youngest to the oldest participated, they collected the waste deposited on the land and, with the help of some trucks coordinated by some neighbors, moved it to the municipal landfill. For the first time in a long time, the area looked clean and clear.

The following weekend, some of them -mainly the men- worked on preparing the land with heavy tools, such as picks, shovels and shovels. Likewise, through everyone's collaboration and contribution, Alexandra raised the money to acquire enough organic fertilizer to apply to the site; the progress was remarkable, although soon the first setback would come, because they could not agree on which species to plant. An extraordinary meeting was called.

-I hope we will be brief at this meeting and come to a joint agreement soon," Martha began. Some consider that we should plant fruit trees, and others that we should opt only for ornamental species,“ she continued; ”Both options have their pros and cons that we must consider. -she concluded.

-If we plant fruit trees, perhaps in the future it could generate discord for the use of its fruits; but if we plant only ornamental species, these, apart from giving a new face to the space, will also bring color and natural beauty to the community. Please think about it. -explained Alexandra.

In the end, they came to an agreement and decided on the ornamental plants. Soon, that land that was once littered with debris and garbage became a space planted with numerous flowering shrubs, among which ixoras, birds of paradise and angel's trumpets were predominant. The work was arduous, but under Martha and Alexandra's direction, the design of an enviable community garden was achieved; one that brought a new nuance to the public space of that community and of which everyone felt proud.

At the end of the year community meeting, some neighbors urged Martha to say a few words on behalf of everyone; she only dared to say, "Months ago, when we decided to change the face of this community, some saw it as so difficult that they even compared it to a space race:

-Months ago, when we decided to change the face of this community, some saw it so difficult that they even compared it to a space race. Today I can say that, thanks to the effort and mutual support, we all walk on the moon. -He finished amidst laughter and applause from the people present.

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• Royalty free image, generated with Gemini.

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