From Grey to Green: Reflections on Establishing an Urban Garden at Trinity College Dublin

Urban gardens can be a part of the combined efforts of many to combat climate change and the associated risks posed by rapid urbanisation. These gardens can take shape on private, communal, or institutional scales, including urban educational campuses, where the teaching of sustainable gardening along with general knowledge about nature and ecology can benefit students, staff, and the wider community. This reflective piece centres on the experience of developing the Trinity Urban Garden (TUG) at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. While hoping to overcome the worry that the tiny, seemingly inhospitable plot may not allow for a garden to thrive, the TUG project has undergone a series of rapid changes in the first year of its life: here, we contemplate what has gone right and wrong after this year of work and growth and consider the role that TUG plays in the larger sustainability framework to which community gardens impart their benefits.