Last updated: October 2024
The GLAS Garden in Ballymun was established in 2011 by the NGO Global Action Plan, serving as a community-driven initiative that offers a welcoming and accessible space where people of all ages and abilities can engage with nature, learn new skills, and build connections within their community. The garden is actively utilized on a weekly basis by various groups, including St. Michael’s House, Saol Clubhouse, the Central Remedial Clinic, Ballark Youth Training, and Young Ballymun. It features a polytunnel for year-round growing, a whimsical fairy garden, and numerous microhabitats, including a pond, composting systems, a grow dome, and an innovative rainwater harvesting system made from recycled plastic bottles. As part of the social regeneration program for Ballymun, the Green Living and Sustainability (GLAS) community garden has been operated by Global Action Plan (GAP) since its inception. It is supported by Dublin City Council under the Social Regeneration Fund and serves as a hub for environmental education and social inclusion in the area. GAP’s GLAS garden brings together individuals of all ages and abilities, providing a socially inclusive space for participatory learning and active exploration of sustainability. It plays a crucial role in helping individuals and groups reduce their carbon footprint, produce organic food, and enjoy nature, thus transforming the garden into a space for positive change. (1-5)
The GLAS garden in Ballymun
Ref. 1
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Blue infrastructure
- Lakes/ponds
- Community gardens and allotments
- Community gardens
- Horticulture
- Green areas for water management
- Sustainable urban drainage systems
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change mitigation
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Water management (SDG 6)
- Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Improving mental health
- Improving physical health
- Social justice, cohesion and equity (SDG 10)
- Social justice and equity
- Social interaction
- Environmental education
- Sense of community and community engagement
- Sustainable consumption and production (SDG 12)
- Sustainable consumption
- Sustainable production
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Agriculture/ crop production
- Rapid urbanization
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Physical health harm (from pollution, wildfire, extreme temperature)
- Mental health issues (stress, anxiety)
- Loss of sense of place and identity
- Social fragmentation and isolation
- Poor community engagement
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Social Justice and community
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of areas for food production (community gardens, allotments), Creation of semi-natural blue areas, Creation of lakes or ponds, Knowledge creation and awareness raising, Sustainable use of natural resources to improve livelihoods and food security (eg. community- based wildlife or forest management), Educational and awareness raising programs, Improved governance of green or blue areas, Introduction of NBS governance practices involving marginalised groups
Project objectives
To encourage smart and effective citizen solutions to the climate ( includes carbon sequestration, plant adaptation and environment sustainability) and biodiversity (provides habitat to a range of flora and fauna species) crises and provide spaces for growing food such as fruit, vegetables, herbs and other edibles
To serve as a center for social inclusion and provide access to green spaces as it is equal for everyone
To foster a sense of belonging and well-being within the community.
To offer educational opportunities to learn about organic horticulture and gardening for biodiversity.
To improve psychological health, increase physical activity, aid recovery and rehabilitation contributes to social interactions and community cohesion whilst the food growing improves attitudes to healthy eating
To harvest storm-water
(1-6);
Implementation activities
Since the garden was opened in 2011, it has been equipped with various physical elements that enhance its functionality and educational value. These include a polytunnel, a fairy garden, multiple microhabitats such as a pond, composting systems, a growing dome, and a rainwater harvesting system made from recycled plastic bottles. The garden is maintained using organic practices, with no pesticides used, ensuring that all produce is chemical-free and organic (4).
In addition, the garden hosts various activities to promote environmental education and social inclusion. Workshops on topics such as “The Power of Growing Your Own,” organic composting, soil knowledge, water management, water harvesting, and waste management are regularly conducted to educate the community on sustainable practices. Youth gardening workshops are also offered, fostering early engagement with nature and sustainability. The garden users mostly consist of asylum seekers and they derive a wide range of benefits from using the garden, as well as contributing to the garden. Additionally, through the Nature Explorer Programme in partnership with Young Ballymun, the garden provides access to disadvantaged families, children, and parents in emergency accommodation or direct provision centres, addressing issues of social exclusion. The garden also serves as a vital space for stress relief, social interaction, and learning, benefiting a diverse range of a diverse range of users within the community (1, 4).
Climate-focused activities
Climate change mitigation:
- Improve agricultural practices (e.g. cover cropping, no-till farming, improved manure management) to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture and increase carbon storage in soils.
- Raise public awareness of behaviours, lifestyle and cultural changes with mitigation potential
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Private sector/Corporate/Company
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
- Marginalized groups: People with invisible disabilities, Refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants, Socio-economically disadvantaged populations (e.g. low-income households, unemployed), Homeless people & people living in informal settlements
Governance
Management set-up
- Co-governance with government and non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Local government/municipality
- Non-government organisation/civil society
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Dissemination of information and education
- Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
- Co-management/Joint management
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The garden is supported by Dublin City Council under the Social Regeneration Fund, Fingal County Council and is the hub for a programme of environmental education and social inclusion in the area (1, 4). An NGO, Global Action Plan, manages the project with volunteers, allowing businesses to co-engage with community groups to support their Corporate Social Responsibility goals. Additionally, the garden is used weekly by a diverse range of groups of all ages and abilities, including St. Michael’s House (special education school), Saol Clubhouse ( community-based mental health support organization - NGO) , the Central Remedial Clinic, Ballark Youth Training and Young Ballymun (youth community center) (4). The garden is actively engaged with local primary schools. The pupils visit the garden to learn more about food growing, plants and biodiversity. While researchers from TU Dublin have assessed the garden's impact on various users (1, 5).
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Unknown
Type of enablers
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
- Public local authority budget
Type of funding
- Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
- Provision of goods
- Provision of labour
- Provision of expertise
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Citizens (e.g. volunteering)
- Private sector (businesses, financial institution)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Enhanced carbon sequestration
- Expected enhanced carbon sequestration
- Water management and blue areas
- Improved stormwater management
- Achieved improved stormwater management
Economic impacts
- Generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
- Achieved generation of other type of work opportunities (e.g. voluntary, work for rehabilitation)
- Increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
- Achieved increase in agricultural production (for profit or not)
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Expected improved access to urban green space
- Increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Expected increased visibility and opportunity for marginalised groups or indigenous peoples
- Increased opportunities for social interaction
- Expected increased opportunities for social interaction
- Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Expected increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
- Increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Expected increased access to healthy/affordable food
- Increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Expected increased sustainability of agriculture practices
- Health and wellbeing
- Improved physical health
- Expected improved physical health
- Improved mental health
- Expected improved mental health
- Enhanced cognitive restoration, relaxation and stress relief
- Achieved enhanced cognitive restoration, relaxation and stress relief
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Promotion of cultural diversity
- Expected promotion of cultural diversity
- Improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Expected improvement in people’s connection to nature
- Increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
- Expected increased sense of place identity, memory and belonging
- Education
- Increased support for education and scientific research
- Expected increased support for education and scientific research
- Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
- Expected increased knowledge of locals about local nature
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Yes
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
Yes
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Global Action Plan (2023). TU Dublin Research: Ballymun Community Garden Benefits both People and Planet. Global Action Plan, Accessed on August 20, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Burke, S. (2023). Community garden serves as 'a proper little oasis’ for the residents of Ballymun. Irish Independent, Accessed on August 20, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Global Action Plan (2023). IMPACT REPORT 2023. Global Action Plan, Accessed on August 20, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Global Action Plan (n.d.). GLAS Community Gardens. Global Action Plan, Accessed on August 20, 2024, [Source link];
5.
McGeough, F., & Freeman, R. (2023). Evaluation Study GLAS Ballymun. Technological University Dublin, Accessed on August 20, 2024, [Source link];
6.
Global Action Plan (2022). IMPACT REPORT 2022. Global Action Plan, Accessed on August 20, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Harvey, B. (2015). Ballymun: A Social Profile 2007-2015. youngballymun, Accessed on August 20, 2024, [Source link];
8.
Ballymun Partnership (n.d.). Income Levels and Spending Preferences of Ballymun People. Ballymun Partnership , Accessed on September 9, 2024, [Source link];
9.
Magee, K. (n.d.). Google Maps - GLAS Community Garden. Google Maps, Accessed on September 10, 2024, [Source link];
The GLAS garden in Ballymun
Ref. 4
Ballymun
https://www.independent.ie/regionals/dublin/dublin-news/community-garden-serves-as-a-proper-little-oasis-for-the-residents-of-ballymun/a119540210.html
Ballymun
https://www.independent.ie/regionals/dublin/dublin-news/community-garden-serves-as-a-proper-little-oasis-for-the-residents-of-ballymun/a119540210.html
Ballymun
https://www.independent.ie/regionals/dublin/dublin-news/community-garden-serves-as-a-proper-little-oasis-for-the-residents-of-ballymun/a119540210.html
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.