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#Poland - #UrbanGardens help cities fight #ClimateChange

By Andrei Ionescu
July 1, 2025

"Warsaw isn’t short on parks or tree-lined boulevards, but a trio of Polish universities wondered whether smaller, resident-run gardens could add something crucial to the capital’s climate resilience.

"To find out, researchers from SWPS University, Warsaw University of Technology, and the Warsaw University of Life Sciences mapped every vacant meadow, former orchard, and post-industrial lot within easy walking distance of apartment blocks.

"They came up with a staggering 1,864 hectares (4,600 acres) – more than enough space, they say, for a citywide network of community gardens that soak up stormwater, cool overheated streets, and capture carbon.

"The investigation combined that spatial analysis with more than 250 in-depth interviews. The goal was to see who is already gardening, what motivates them, and how much social capital – trust, shared norms, cooperative spirit – might be harvested alongside tomatoes and herbs.

Who uses the urban gardens

"It turns out the movement is surprisingly broad. Urban gardening brings together all social groups, the team reports, from school children planting pollinator patches to cultural institutions converting courtyards into micro-farms.

"Still, two cohorts dominate the regular volunteer lists: retirees – often women with higher education – and young middle class families.

"Most gardens revolve around a core group of 10 to 15 steady hands, supplemented by casual helpers and passers-by who stop to chat, water, or simply lounge among the raised beds.

Motivation of urban gardeners

"Why do they show up week after week? According to study co-author Piotr Majewski of SWPS University, the motivations of urban gardeners vary.

" 'The most important ones are: #reconnection to #nature, positive contribution to the #environment, social relations, and mutual learning between #gardeners,' said Majewski.

"Food, interestingly, is not the primary driver. Leaders said harvests help, but real value comes from #biodiversity, #composting, and public workshops on #sustainable living.

Tiny plots, big impact

"Those activities tally with an expanding body of international research linking urban agriculture to climate adaptation.

"Even pocket-size plots act as #CarbonSinks, trap particulate pollution, and soften the #UrbanHeatIsland. Raised beds can be engineered to hold back flash-flood water, while #compost heaps divert organic waste from #landfills.

"For #Warsaw, the numbers are compelling. Nearly all of the identified 1,864 hectares (4,600 acres) lie within a quarter mile of housing, meaning a potential garden is no farther than a ten-minute stroll for most residents – and often half that.

"Such proximity, the experts argue, makes it easier to harness gardens as a distributed #GreenInfrastructure network in a warming metropolis of nearly two million people.

"Yet the real strength may be social. Garden groups knit neighbors together, boosting the informal networks that cities rely on during #heatwaves, #floods, or other climate-related shocks.

"Many interviewees said they joined to cultivate community first, vegetables second. Regular workdays double as impromptu skill‐shares: retirees pass on horticultural know-how, children learn ecological stewardship, and newcomers forge local friendships.

#UrbanGardens in city plans

"Majewski and his colleagues believe Warsaw’s planners should take that social-ecological synergy seriously.

" 'The system of community gardens should also be considered as a tool to support climate change adaptation solutions in urban policies in spatial planning – provided that they are considered an important link in the urban green infrastructure system,' he explained.

"To get there, the researchers lay out a handful of recommendations. First, city hall could weave gardens into official zoning strategies rather than treating them as informal afterthoughts.

"That might mean leasing public land at peppercorn rents, streamlining permits, or integrating gardens into new housing estates from the design phase.

"Second, municipal agencies could supply starter kits – soil, timber, rain barrels – while leaving day-to-day management to residents. Third, wider publicity would help spread the idea beyond the usual eco-activist circles.

Scaling gardens citywide

"The study also flags areas for further research. At what point does a collection of isolated plots start delivering measurable cooling or flood mitigation benefits?

"How can Warsaw ensure that garden networks thrive in all districts, not just affluent ones with vocal community groups? And what responsibilities will fall on municipal departments when gardens become part of critical infrastructure rather than hobby spaces?

"Those unknowns aside, the evidence is clear: Warsaw already hosts a vibrant cohort of 'hero #activists' who coax life from overlooked corners.

"With modest institutional backing, their trowels and #CompostBins could double as #ClimateAdaptation tools – cooling concrete and absorbing rainfall.

"Perhaps most importantly, they help draw neighbors together in a city that will need every ounce of solidarity as temperatures rise."

earth.com/news/urban-gardens-h

Earth.comUrban gardens help cities fight climate changeUrban gardens may hold the key to climate resilience - cooling streets, capturing carbon, and building social cohesion.

"Saying sex #work is inherently degrading DOES make you a #SWERF actually and you ARE more alligned with #rightwingers than mainstream #feminism and 30-40 years ago was the fucking 80s and 90s when queer #activists invented the concept of #safe sex and mainstreamed condom usage to prevent STDs so maybe shut the fuck up and learn some goddamn #history"

tumblr.com/nando161mando/79070

TumblrReblog by @nando161mando💬 0  🔁 97  ❤️ 123 · Saying sex work is inherently degrading DOES make you a SWERF actually and you ARE more alligned with rightwingers than mainstream feminism and 30-40 years ago was the fucking 8…

📢 Israeli colonists carried out a violent attack on Thursday evening in the village of Susiya, located in Masafer Yatta, south of #hebron - setting fire to a vehicle belonging to foreign solidarity #activists, as well as household furniture and water tanks

#westbank

🔹 Several homes were attacked, including one housing a group of international volunteers

Please share!
#palestine #news

📰 Report WAFA Ramallah AUG-01

english.wafa.ps/Pages/Details/

WAFA AgencyIsraeli colonists torch foreign activists' vehicle, attack homes in Masafer Yatta

#netpol has published a guide for #activists targeted under counter-terrorist powers.

In this guide, we outline how counter terror policing works in britain, and what this means for movements today. It explains how the Terrorism Act 2000 is being used on the ground, often by ordinary officers with little understanding of the legislation they're citing.

We offer practical guidance on asserting your rights when stopped, what to say (and not say), and what to do.
#press

netpol.org/2025/07/31/what-to-

From the Editor of "#Guardian US":
I hope you appreciated this article. ...I wanted to ask if you could support the Guardian at this crucial time for journalism.

When the #military is deployed to quell overwhelmingly peaceful #protest, when elected officials of the opposing party are #arrested or handcuffed, when student #activists are jailed and deported, and when a wide range of civic institutions – non-profits, #law firms, #universities, news outlets, the arts, the civil service, #scientists – are targeted and penalised by the United States federal #government, it’s hard to avoid the conclusion that our core freedoms are disappearing before our eyes – and #democracy itself is slipping away.

In any country on the cusp of #authoritarianism, the role of the #press as an engine of #scrutiny, #truth and #accountability becomes increasingly critical. At the Guardian, we see it as our job not only to report on the #suppression of dissenting voices, but to make sure those voices are heard.

Not every news organisation sees its mission this way.....

Our only financial obligation is to fund #independent journalism in perpetuity: we have no ultrarich owner, no shareholders, no corporate bosses with the power to overrule or influence our editorial decisions. Reader support is what guarantees our survival and safeguards our independence – and every penny we receive is reinvested in our work.

The Guardian’s global perspective helps contextualise and illuminate what we are experiencing in this country. That doesn’t mean we have a single viewpoint, but we do have a shared set of values. #Humanity, #curiosity and #honesty guide us, and our work is rooted in solidarity with ordinary people and hope for our shared future.

It has never been more #urgent, or more #perilous, to pursue #reporting that holds #power to account and counters the spread of #misinformation – and at the Guardian we make our #journalism #free and accessible to all.

The #TrumpRegime justifies its attempted #deportation of #student #activists by claiming #antisemitism. However:

"[John Armstrong] conceded that his office, which plays a key role in revoking student visas, has been operating without a working definition of 'antisemitism.' In effect, this means that chants such as 'From the river to the sea, #Palestine will be free,' or denouncing #Zionism, or calling for an arms embargo on #Israel, among other common activist demands, could be grounds for a revocation."

As far as the #Trump admin. is concerned the goal is to be achieved first; the justification will be constructed afterward. (If at all.)
___
A Federal Trial Reveals the Sprawling Plan Behind Trump’s Attacks on Pro-Palestinian Students - archive.today/3slON

#Trump DOJ targets #AntiICE #activists in #SpokaneWA

by Garrett Owen
Wed, July 16, 2025

"Federal prosecutors are accusing nine people in Spokane, Washington, of violence against federal agents in the wake of an anti-ICE mass demonstration in June.

"On Tuesday, #FBI agents began arresting people involved in the protest, following a grand jury indictment on July 9, as reported by The Spokesman-Review. Among those detained was former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart, who was charged with engaging in conspiracy to impede or injure law enforcement.

"The eight others face similar charges, though two are also charged with assault on a federal officer, per the Department of Justice.

"The move by the Trump administration has drawn criticism from local and national leaders. U.S. Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash., called the arrests a 'gross abuse of federal resources' and a 'disturbing perversion of justice.'

"Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown referred to the DOJ’s actions as a 'politically motivated action.'

" 'The Trump Administration’s #weaponization of #ICE and the #DOJ is trampling on the #USConstitution and creating widespread fear across our community,' Brown said in a statement Tuesday.

"The mass demonstration on June 11 was in response to the detention of two young asylum seekers in Spokane by ICE who were present in the U.S. legally. Stuckart posted a call to action on social media, creating a large protest which swelled to hundreds in the streets of Spokane and led to Stuckart’s arrest for blocking an ICE vehicle.

"Among those arrested on Tuesday was #BajunMavalwallaII, who allegedly blocked a driveway when federal agents tried to leave the area. He was arrested early in the morning while staying at the home of his father, #BajunMavalwalla Sr.

" 'I demanded a warrant, they refused and wouldn’t show it until everyone left the home. My son was protesting on June 11, they said he assaulted officers,' Mavalwalla Sr. said. 'My son worked in cybersecurity and was deployed to Afghanistan. He has no problems with the law.'

" 'This is a scare tactic,' Mavawalla Sr. said. 'This is what they’re doing now.' "

Source:
salon.com/2025/07/16/trump-doj

Salon.com · Trump DOJ targets anti-ICE activists in Spokane - Salon.comNine people in Spokane are facing federal charges following a protest in June