With Guerrilla Gardening, Ellen Miles brings hope through plants.

With Guerrilla Gardening, Ellen Miles brings hope through plants.

In today's world, more people live in cities, often shaped by concrete, glass and a gap to the natural environment. Access to nature is no longer a matter of course.

The influence of Ellen Miles on the greening of the city

The environmental activist Ellen Miles, 31 years old in London, is actively committed to changing this. "Everyone always had access to nature before urbanization," Miles told CNN. "Now nature often becomes a subordinate matter." In 2020 she founded the nature is a human right campaign, which demands that daily access to green spaces are recognized in the universal explanation of human rights. Miles confessed frustrated with the slow institutional changes: "I have lost confidence in the top-down process." So she took over the booklet herself, with an unusual approach: instead of protest posters or petitions, it uses seeds and shovels.

Guerrilla Gardening: Urban activism with a green thumb

She became the so -called guerrilla gardener - "grass root garden work in a public place, with a purpose," explains Miles. "Imagine it like graffiti, but with wildflowers instead of spray paint." This form of urban activism aims to transform neglected or ignored places-cracks in the asphalt, roadside, fallow areas-into mini-oases for humans, pollinators and biodiversity.

What started during the Covid pandemic-when parks were closed and access to green areas was severely restricted-developed into a weekly ritual. Miles and her neighbors met every Sunday morning, armed with onions and small shovels, and planted in the often overlooked corners of the Hackney district of London.

legal gray area of ​​the guerrilla gardening

In Great Britain, Guerilla-Gardening commutes in the legal gray area: While plants are not legally permissible on public reason without permission, the authorities often look over the actions-as long as neither property damage nor public harassment occur.

The Royal Horticultural Society advises guerrilla gardeners to ensure that their plantings do not bother others and do not restrict public access or create stumbling blocks. It is also important that everything planted can be removed again and the roots do not cause structural damage to sidewalks and buildings.

The global movement of guerrilla gardening

The roots of the guerrilla gardening go back to the 1970s when the Green Guerrillas, led by Liz Christy, transformed left-handed properties into community gardens in the USA. The movement has now spread worldwide, from Ron Finley, the "Gangsta Gardener" in Los Angeles, to Ta Mère Nature in France and the Ujamaa Guerrilla Collective in South Africa.

The power of social media

Miles has moved the undergrowth movement on platforms such as TikTok and other social media. Your lively videos disenchant the process and show steps from creating seed bombs to planting moss spray - a form of street art in which living moss is used to bring patterns or words to walls. "I was not a gardener. I learned during the process," she admits. "But I just wanted the streets to be greener."

positive effects on health and community

while Miles ’seeds grew, her online audience also grew. "Young people are very sensitized today for topics such as climate change, inequality and mental health," says Miles. "Guerilla gardening overlaps with all of this. It is something that you can do with your own hands and the effects of which you can see immediately."

"A lot of activism can appear intangible," she adds. "You can see the results at Guerilla Gardening. It is empowering." It is more than just symbolic: "It was shown that access to green spaces for mental and physical health is just as important as regular exercise and a healthy diet," explains Miles. "We need plants around us. The phytonzides (connections that put plants into the air) ensure that we feel better."

a Study of 20,000 participants from the University of Exeter showed that people who spend at least 120 minutes a week in green areas, considerably better physical health and mental Well -being report than those who do not do this. For toddlers, access to green areas with Reduced hyperactivity and improved attention tension were associated. Communities can also benefit: a US Study showed that the greening of abandoned property can lead to lower crime rates.

everyone can participate!

The Miles message is simple: everyone can participate. "It's spring now," she says. "Find local wildflowers, sprinkle them when it rains, then don't even have to pour them." For those who want to get deeper into the topic, Miles Written a book on the topic Target = "_ blank" href = "https://www.earthed.cours/get-guerrilla-gardening-with-ellen-miles/"> Four-week online course via the non-profit organization Earthed, to which over 300 participants have already joined. She recommends that you garden together - community is the key.

Your vision is brave but refreshingly practical: "Why aren't all our sidewalks lined with hedges?" Asks Miles. "Our buildings could be overgrown with plants. Our roofs and bus stops could bloom with flowers. It is a no-brainer."