Greenhouse Project Fundraising

In the inner city of Johannesburg, there is a neighborhood called Hillbrow which is infamous for overcrowded accommodations and high unemployment and crime. In the midst of the intense urban hustle, there is a park that has become an oasis for the people living nearby. The GreenHouse Project has arisen to serve this community.

The broad aim of the GreenHouse Project is to teach simple practices for making Johannesburg a green city. The main facility is a renovated green building surrounded by small plots for community gardening and teaching. It was built on the foundations of an old potting shed with recycled materials, including bricks, soil and windows. The small building also boasts composting toilets, greywater recycling, and the use of natural lighting. One of the walls is built of straw bales and covered with red mud.

Activities and Accomplishments

The Project’s permaculture gardens are used to train the extensive flatland community around the Park in sustainable living. Preschool children learn to plant vegetables under plastic bottles cut in half, a method that conserves water and increases seedling survival rates. Program areas include:

• Green Building and Design: exploring new ways of designing buildings, retrofitting with passive solar technology, minimizing energy use in heating and cooling, and using alternative building materials.
  
  
• Efficiency and Renewable Energy: exploring an array of environmentally sound options for energy production as alternatives to coal-based and electrical sources.
  
  
• Recycling Project: showcasing the idea that waste is a resource that can be utilized economically.
  
  
• Organic Food Production and Nutrition: exploring urban food security and demonstrating ways for people to grow their own food in the city.