Community Greening

Community Greening have a commitment to take its expertise ‘beyond the garden walls’ and serve the broader community through innovative outreach programs. For residents of all ages we facilitate community-led gardens in social housing estates across New South Wales with garden projects in regional areas as far as Bourke, Kempsey, Illawarra, Taree, Albury, Griffith, Lismore and Inverell.

Sponsored by the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) this program empowers vulnerable communities while providing a broad range of health, training, economic and social benefits. The demand for Community Greening continues to grow, so our aim is to deliver 850 gardens and engage 150,000 participants by 2023.

The Community Greening team are seeking Expressions of Interest from schools, early childhood centres and community groups in bushfire affected areas in Southern NSW who would like to create their own garden. Visit Sowing Seeds of Hope for more details.

Specific population groups – urban deprived populations, disadvantaged social groups, minority ethnic groups, those over the age of 65, and disabled people – are all less likely to visit green spaces. Their reasons include poor maintenance of public spaces, inadequate facilities and fears over safety.

Read about Community Greening and Mission Australia's Benjamin Short Grove aged care facility who recently won the Australian Institute of Horticulture Green Space Regional Award for creating an inviting and interactive garden for the residents to connect. 

Meet a few Community Greening participants and learn how the program changed their lives in the video and Branch Out podcast below.

Parks and Leisure Australia; The Australian Institute of Horticulture, The Urban Developer and Keep Australia Beautiful have all recognised the outstanding program for the way it proactively provides garden-based learning for social housing communities.