As far as Frank Crupi is concerned, a communal garden can grow a lot more than just vegetables. The CEO of Milparinka – a community organisation in Brunswick, Victoria, that supports people with disabilities to pursue fulfilled lives – believes a garden can foster friendships, belonging and a sense of community.
So it’s no surprise that the flourishing centrepiece at Milparinka is a communal food garden. But what did come as a nice surprise was the centre being recently named as a recipient of the Powershop Your Community Energy project, an initiative designed to help fund and support small-scale community energy projects. For Milparinka, this meant the installation of a 22.88kW solar panel system, saving the organisation more than $4,500 per year in power costs as well as reducing their CO2 emissions.
These savings have enabled Milparinka to spend more on what really matters – their community and garden.
“We can now put more money back into the garden’s development, which has so many benefits for our community,” Crupi says. “A communal garden can lead to opportunities for connections, friendship and skills that don’t happen anywhere near the garden and have nothing to do with gardening, but only happen because there is a garden.”
“What it means is that we can invest that money back into our community and garden in a number of ways… such as adding water tanks and expanding the garden, making us more sustainable. We have also been able to buy more tools, put on another gardener to assist our service users and we have also recently started a food swap, widening our community connections.”
Crupi says the savings, year on year, for Milparinka from going solar will allow the centre to continue growing both the garden and its services. More than 150 people with intellectual disabilities benefit from the communal garden, providing a safe environment where they can not only learn growing and life skills, but also facilitate friendships in the outside community.
“Often people with intellectual disabilities struggle to form friendships,” Crupi explains. “One of the things we try to do is to create moments and times where our clients have the opportunities to develop friendships and connections. One of the best ways to do this is through a common interest, such as the garden.”
“Food is a great connector and in Brunswick we are in the middle of a vibrant food and community network with lots of opportunities to create links with many different groups and people using food. And we know that one of the best things we can bring to people’s lives is more opportunities to meet more people who they are sharing positive roles and moments with. It is at these times when people form relationships, friendships, ideas and new opportunities. The garden is a tool for this to happen.”
“For example our people go to the local cafes to collect the used coffee grounds to bring back to be reused in our compost. The task itself is important because it gives each person a valued role, but what’s equally important is that they are meeting people at the other end, helping them to build friendships and community relationships.”
And clearly it pays off. Crupi recalls the beautiful outcome for one of Milparinka’s clients.
“Just last year one of our clients turned 50 and she told me she was having a small party. We [the staff] usually get an invite because they know us and feel safe with us. But it turned out that she didn’t invite any of us. She had invited people – new friends – who she had met through the communal garden.”
“She went to a local café with about six of her friends, who had brought presents, and it was the first time in her life where she had had a party without family or paid staff. To us, that’s magic.”
Knowing that there is a little extra in the kitty every year for the garden and other Milparinka services is a relief, but Crupi says it is not just in a monetary sense.
“It’s important for us to be talking about our environmental impact as well. Having the solar panel system has improved our own environmental footprint. The fact that we can now be providing not only a vital community service, but we are also reducing our environmental impact is great.”
“The steps to a greener future need to start at a ground level. For us, at Milparinka, it’s important as an organisation to show that it can be easy – to set ourselves up as a bit of an example. We feel very strongly that this is an important issue and that we can all make a difference to our community and environment. Every little bit counts.”
HOW TO GO GREEN
If your organisation is interested in converting to solar energy and reducing your impact on the environment or finding out more about the Your Community Energy project, go to www.powershop.com.au/guardian
