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Description
The report of the International Panel on Climate Change suggests that the climate crisis constitutes a clear and present danger for the social and economic development of the world. According to the research conducted by the European Union, 70% of respondents from Poland believes the climate change to be a very serious problem, 71% believes preparing for the negative outcomes of the climate change could be beneficial to the citizens of the European Union. Bielsko-Biała is one of the 44 cities in Poland participating in the Urban Adaptation Plans Project. As part of the project, the city develops plans for adapting to the observable and forecasted climate changes. In order to address some of these issues, we have prepared a project involving a creation of educational gardens in Bielsko-Biała, which would directly involve citizens of the city into actions aiming at countering the climate change and protecting the environment, as well as expand the scope of eco-education across the city. We have organized public hearing on the project with the representatives of the City Hall and owners of the suggested locations for the gardens. The first garden will be created in collaboration with the Jewish Community of Bielsko-Biała and the City Hall on the unoccupied part of the Jewish cemetery. The second garden will be created around the historic villa of the BWA Gallery, where we will be able to combine ecological education with artistic initiatives. We will conduct expert workshops for the local community, during which we will plant various plants and build animal shelters. As a summary, we will create an educational film that will promote the results of our project and good practices for the engagement of the community in the process of garden building and urban collaboration for climate adaptation and preserving of the biodiversity.
Summary of project results
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, climate crisis is a threat for both social and economic development of the world. EU research indicates that 70% of Polish respondents consider climate change a major problem, while 71% agree that EU citizens can benefit from adjusting to negative climate change effects. Bielsko-Biała is one of 44 cities in Poland taking part in the Urban Adaptation Plan initiative. Within this project, cities develop plans to adapt to both observed and predicted climate changes.Addressing the above issues, we run a series of meetings on the establishment of educational gardens in Bielsko-Biała which will engage inhabitants in climate and environmental protection initiatives. We organised consultations on this idea inviting representatives of the City Hall and owners of the planned venues.The first garden was established on a Jewish cemetery wasteland, in cooperation with the Jewish Religious Community and the City Hall. The second one was created around an antique Galeria Bielska BWA villa, where we combined eco education with artistic initiatives. We run four workshops for the local community, attended by experts to work jointly on the concept of both spaces. We organised a cycle of nine classes for youths, devoted to climate change and the protection of biodiversity, and combined with actual work in both gardens. Furthermore, we organised four educational events for the city inhabitants, within which we planted plants and built shelters for animals. We also made an educational movie popularising the results of the project and presenting good practices of engaging inhabitants in creating example gardens and of urban cooperation aiming at adaptation to climate change and protection of biodiversity.With this project, we managed to engage nearly 400 representatives of various social groups in the city to jointly establish the gardens. We continue our work in gardens, serving eco education on climate and environmental protection.The project contributed to signing a contract for a Mystery Garden between the city of Bielsko-Biała, Jewish Religious Commune, and the Gaja Club.
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