Beehave, in partnership with Jilava Penitentiary and Hutulca Traditional Association, will be transforming unused green spaces into biologically diverse, sustainable, productive landscapes. There is a real need for creating quality green spaces for the 1000 detainees' recreation and outdoor visiting space at Jilava Penitentiary in Ilfov county, Romania. These gardens meet 9 of the sustainable development goals and will include many native plant species and will double as habitat restoration.
Local
Romania
Ilfov county, Jilava commune
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): Asociatia Traditionala Hutulca Type of organisation: Non-profit organisation First name of representative: Laura Last name of representative: Tencaliuc Gender: Female Nationality: Romania Function: President Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Main street no 64 Town: Com.Moldova-Sulita, jud.Suceava Postal code: 727380 Country: Romania Direct Tel:+40 757 250 961 E-mail:asociatia.hutulca@gmail.com Website:https://www.facebook.com/AsociatiaHutulca/
Name of the organisation(s): Bucuresti-Jilava Penitentiary Type of organisation: Public authority (European/national/regional/local) First name of representative: Cristina Last name of representative: Teoroc Gender: Female Nationality: Romania Function: chief commissioner of penitentiary police Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Şoseaua de Centură Town: Jilava commune Postal code: 077120 Country: Romania Direct Tel:+40722311206 E-mail:pjilava@anp.gov.ro Website:https://anp.gov.ro/penitenciarul-bucuresti-jilava/
Encouraging natural ecosystem regeneration, and preventing further biodiversity loss has never been more important.
By creating more sustainable productive landscapes for disadvantaged communities we can better mitigate problems such as access to quality food as well as create sustainable, closed loop food cycles where nothing is wasted, but instead transformed. We cannot have a truly resilient food system without productive landscapes.
In order to conserve and support local biodiversity and create quality green spaces we will be restoring natural functioning habitats to Jilava Penitentiary. We will achieve this through the planting of local native species on a currently mostly unused plot of land located within the confines of Jilava penitentiary in Ilfov county.
The revamped space would meet the need for inclusive quality green spaces because there are no areas for the detainees to spend quality time outdoors in nature. We want to bring focus on the benefits of sustainable landscaping practices to local authorities, as well as to the community of detainees at Penitentiary Jilava.
This garden will include an extensive variety of trees, shrubs, vining plants, herbaceous plants, tall grasses, and groundcovers. All local, native, or adapted species.
The physical focus will be on learning about habitat restoration and sustainable food growing systems through theoretical and practical action, by involving the beneficiaries in the improvement of the garden and guiding them in all the steps of physical implementation.
inclusivity
resilience
sustinability
biodiversity
fairytale-like
Providing theoretical know-how and hands-on experience in closed-loop, sustainable food production landscaping for the isolated detainees at Jilava Penitentiary. We want to provide the detainees with additional, relevant skills for reintegration in society while improving their well-being and resilience in their day-to-day life.
How we will accomplish our objectives:
- Biodiversity conservation and building natural habitats: planting of diverse plant species that will attract local biodiversity and facilitate ecosystem interactions with the help of animal shelters: 5 insect hotels, 10 birdhouses, 10 hedgehog shelters, 100 meters of wildlife corridors, 2 bat houses (for local bat populations seeking a place to rear their young in the summer).
- Building 2 rest area: these will be in the shape of a pergola with climbing plants such as grapes, raspberries, roses, bulbs, and herbaceous companion plants.
- A food forest: planting 500 trees and shrubs, 4 types of bulbs, 5 types of cover crops, and 6 types of herbaceous companion plants.
- A berry maze, which is another way to show how food-growing systems can be made even more interesting and stimulating for the visiting families, particularly for the children.
- A sensory path with thyme and clover
- A vegetation tunnel will allow for more efficient vertical growth while conveying a pleasant, fairytale-like aesthetic to the garden.
- Nutritional education and the way to achieve it will be emphasized in a presentation that will be disseminated among the 1000 detainees.
The purpose of this project is to aid in the detainees’ reconnection with nature. We want to encourage them to think about what their relationship with nature actually is, what it means to them personally, and how it can serve them long term. The garden aesthetic theme is “fairytale-like” and it will showcase symbiotic relationships and how they can be fully exploited for the betterment of society itself.
It is important for people to be able to connect with and in nature. Man-made green spaces don’t always tend to stimulate the imagination and relieve the psyche but this is an important part of rehabilitation. By molding and imitating wilderness, we can enhance the effect that green spaces have on our mood.
Nothing compares to the feeling of seeing a little hedgehog scurrying away among grasses while out on a walk, or the small and steady daily progress a vine makes while climbing a trellis. Experiencing nature is important, it is an all-encompassing sensory experience and it can heal.
There is much to be learned from nature, one only needs to sit still and listen. We are all interconnected, but sometimes this is difficult to see, nature can help us truly understand that.
Community engagement and inclusion.
The detainees at Jilava Penitentiary do not have access to proper green spaces areas for relaxation outdoors for themselves and the very small outdoor area used for visitation is inadequate. Remediating these issues is one of our main goals.
We believe that the detainees should have access to suitable green spaces for their own use as well as for the moments when their families are visiting. The connection with nature is strengthened when one is able to observe nature at its finest, in equilibrium.
This project also aims to make the process of visitation for the families of the detainees more inclusive and welcoming. Having an aesthetically pleasing and engaging background will hopefully improve the visiting experience for everyone.
By teaching alternative solutions to the detainees we empower them to pass on relevant practices for building a better environment for future generations. Positive intergenerational change may only be achieved with the involvement of all generations.
Access to quality green spaces is paramount for mental and physical health particularly so for this social segment because overcrowding is a very present issue in Romania's correctional system.
By providing a diverse and engaging garden space for recreation we can improve the quality of life of the 1000 detainees that are currently incarcerated in Jilava Penitentiary. The creation of the garden and its maintenance requirements can also offer self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement to the detainees and the acquired knowledge may encourage them to an alternate path once released and aid in their reintegration into their respective communities.
The time spent in the enchanting garden may contribute to a rise in creativity among the detainees as well.
Community engagement and inclusion.
In this project, the detainees will gain access to both theoretical and practical information on permaculture and basic knowledge of several natural sciences: biology, ecology, hydrology, climate change, etc. This is paramount in order to gain insight into what the solutions are and how they might work (or not).
Because permaculture classes and workshops are often quite expensive to access, we want to provide this information free of charge thus offering another possible life route for the detainees at Jilava.
We will also provide the penitentiary library with written materials on permaculture and other sustainability-related subjects in order to encourage self-learning and achieve a long-term impact on present and future detainees.
Because there is a lag in inclusive governance, particularly from a physical resources point of view we aim to bridge the gap via our expertise. We believe everyone should have access to quality green spaces and information on permaculture, sustainable food growing systems, and ecological restoration.
The detainees at Jilava Penitentiary will be involved from the beginning of the project, they will be presented with condensed theoretical materials before the actual landscaping and planting of the garden. After the design will be done by the permaculture designer, the information will be explained and reasoned so as to understand why they will be planting what plants.
The landscaping will be done with the help of the volunteer detainees and will consist of first removing any grasses or weeds from the plot of land and creating swales in key areas of the garden for optimal water percolation and infiltration. Then, the tunnel, and pergolas will be assembled and mounted in their place and the soil will be amended. After this the planting can begin, starting with the biggest plants such as trees, shrubs, and bulbs, and ending with the perennial seed mixes.
The management of Jilava Penitentiary will be provided with clear written instructions for the maintenance of the garden and will be expected to provide regular feedback and pictures of the evolving ecosystem through the years and seasons.
The detainees will be able to enjoy and spend time in the gardens both as part of their outdoor exposure routine as well as during visitations. The upgraded environment will hopefully create a better state of mind and a more positive setting for when meeting with families and friends during visitations.
In time, once the fruit trees and shrubs start producing they will also be able to supply part of their fruit intake from the garden. As plants grown in permaculture settings, with companion planting, and only organic fertilizers are the most nutritionally dense foods, this will hopefully result in a better state of overall physical health in the detainees.
By growing their own food we hope to provide a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that the detainees will be able to carry on after reintroduction in society.
The connection to Jilava penitentiary was made with the help of our colleague from Hutulca Traditional Association as she has previously worked with this institution on other projects.
After the initial meeting, the management at Jilava Penitentiary made it clear that they wanted to make this project a reality and were willing to take full responsibility for all the required steps in both the building and long-term maintenance of this garden.
The Jilava Penitentiary management will be working with the Beehave team on coordinating this landscaping project. They will be in charge of receiving and depositing all the necessary equipment and materials. They will be providing the volunteers for yard work and will ensure all required steps are enacted in the correct order as advised by the Beehave team and the lead permaculture designer.
Because Jilava Penitentiary is part of the national penitentiary system, this project will be an example of how other penitentiary green spaces could change and evolve in the future.
The Beehave team will take lead on this project as our organization's main activity is ecological restoration through permaculture design. We will be responsible for creating the design of the garden and purchasing all materials and equipment needed for the landscaping, as well as coordinating with the penitentiary management for the landscaping and educational aspects of the project.
Our colleague from Hutulca Traditional Association has experience working within a penitentiary setting and that experience is invaluable and an important part of this project. We have previously worked together as volunteers for other organizations so we are accustomed to working together and making a great team. She has been a part of this project from the beginning and we are excited to see this project together through to the end.
The president of Beehave Association and the permaculture designer of this project, Andreea Giurgiu has completed a (BA) Geography and an (MS) Ecology as well as obtained her degree in permaculture design from Oregon State University last year.
Because of her background in natural sciences, she is using her knowledge in permaculture, geography, climatology, topography, pedology, hydrology, ecology, and so on in her assessment of the site and design of the garden.
She will also create comprehensive educational materials for the detainees explaining the connections between different elements and earth biota in order for the detainees to thoroughly understand why and how ecological restorations such as this garden must be prioritized.
Minea Antonia, the official project coordinator at Beehave is in her final year studying veterinary sciences. She will be explaining the importance and connections between plants and animals both wild and domestically and how we can achieve sustainable animal farming practices with benefits to the environment through methods such as rotational grazing.
Laura Tencaliuc, president of Hutulca Traditional Association has a background in project management, social media management, organizing events, and marketing. Her expertise has helped us greatly and is another very important cornerstone for this project. She coordinated a project related to the illegal logging phenomenon- "Green Brigade" and she is interested in creating awareness campaigns about environmental protection.
Because there are very few true ecological restoration projects being done in general, but particularly in Romania, we believe it is of utmost importance that more permaculture projects such as this one make it beyond paper.
Sadly most of the planting initiatives are in fact monoculture tree plantations and not stand-alone functional ecosystems (forests). We started this association with the express purpose of correctly informing the public on these issues through palpable examples such as this garden and the one we have already planted at the local high school in Beresti Galati County last year.
We want to show that we can have productive landscapes that are compatible with extinction reversal. It is paramount to support and ensure the safety and food sources for local fauna, properly designed small oases.
The planting of hundreds or thousands of tiny functional habitats will have a greater positive impact than the larger-scale monoculture tree plantations can ever hope to have. We cannot reverse this 6th extinction without the contribution and efforts of normal everyday citizens on their own little plots of land.
This whole project has a high replicability potential, not only in other Penitentiaries around the country but also in other public institutions, such as high schools or universities. As long as there are green spaces, permaculture methods, and strategies can be implemented anywhere, from backyards to public spaces as long as there is openness and willingness to apply them.
Our process starts with a cooperative effort between expert scientists specializing in all different forms of life, to undergo an all-taxa biodiversity inventory.
There will also be a site visit from the permaculture designer that will result in an in-depth evaluation which will later serve as the basis for the making of the permaculture design of the Jilava Penitentiary green spaces. The site evaluation will be based on site measurements and observations as well as multiple soil sample analyses.
The results of the all-taxa biodiversity inventory will also serve as important information in the making of the permaculture design. The local flora in the nearby Natura 2000 Scrovistea protected area will also serve as part of the blueprint of the future garden within Jilava Penitentiary.
After the design has been finalized, the necessary materials and equipment will be purchased and the calendar with the activities will be laid out. The educational materials will also be created and disseminated by the Penitentiary management prior to the planting event.
There will also be a social media and PR strategy in place, we will start promoting the project immediately after the results are announced.
We want to publicly disseminate materials (photos, videos, testimonials) in every stage of the process by creating an awareness campaign regarding permaculture in order to encourage the public to design forest gardens.
Most of the landscaping and planting activities will take place in the fall of 2023 because fall is the best time of year to seed cover crops and put young trees or shrubs in the ground. The steps and activities will be described in detail and shared with all involved parties.
The requirements for the maintenance of the garden will be detailed and shared with the management of the Penitentiary as well ahead of time and progress photo and video materials will be provided.
The main global challenge we face as a species is the current 6th mass extinction and its main effect - habitat loss. The main cause is unsustainable, extractive agriculture practices. The consequences of these practices are multiple, from soil erosion and depletion, and contamination of freshwater supplies to habitat extinction just to name a few.
Half of the currently free ice earth's surface is being exploited for food production. Tragically, the practices employed in obtaining yields are not congruent with a sustainable future for mankind.
We need to stop the extractive practices and focus on restoring soil health and reestablishing the natural water cycle. There are so many strategies and good practices that, once employed at a larger scale in food production, can lead to increased soil health and volume.
Things as simple as using cover cropping from fall until spring for grain production or using companion planting in orchards, or, even better, replacing monoculture orchards with multi-species food forests.
There are many ways to improve current practices but until such large-scale changes occur we need to equip regular people with the knowledge necessary to survive the already here food crisis.
Subsistence gardens are a must for every citizen as the chain of supply is simply not resilient enough to ensure a constant and reliable food supply for every human on earth.
The tasks, goals, and costs of our project have been well documented, and we have outlined the physical goals in the partnership contract as well. Because the team has worked together before, in different combinations, we are confident in our ability to communicate well with each other in order to have a completed project by the end of the calendar.
The first garden we helped establish was the one at a local school/high school in Beresti, Galati county last year. This project was made with the help and support of GWP Romania it was a small plot of land of 800 sq meters and the project’s value was 10 000 euros.
We designed a small berry maze and a vegetation tunnel that connected said berry maze to a rest pergola. As the children there were of all ages, from primary school to high school we wanted to create a welcoming and stimulating green space that could offer both fun and healthy fruit long-term. The planted raspberry shrubs even produced a few berries last summer and the kids there were able to enjoy picking them.
Because permaculture employs whole systems thinking and checks 9 out of the 17 SDGs, there is no doubt that there is an important place for sustainable food-growing practices that support local biodiversity. Gardening is one of the key basic life skills to have, especially in the current context, with the impending food crises. By combining sustainable food growing systems with habitat restoration we encompass and address most of the environmental issues today.
