The people who are transforming Philly’s vacant lots into green spaces
The organization We Are the Seeds began planting as part of a push to return land sovereignty to Indigenous people Xiao Hui Star kneeled on her haunches, with her hands in the dirt as she cleared a spot to plant a flowering perennial in late summer. Surrounding her was a native garden replete with golden sunflowers, beans, squash, pawpaw and corn. She ruffled tufts of sweetgrass, which emitted a…
The Guardian US reports on the efforts of We Are the Seeds, a Philadelphia-based organization, to transform vacant lots into native gardens as part of the LandBack movement. The LandBack movement is an Indigenous campaign aimed at returning land sovereignty and stewardship to Native people. We Are the Seeds has converted three vacant lots in the city into native gardens, with the goal of serving as a model for others to follow.
The organization's gardens feature native plants that offer food and shelter to local insects and birds, while requiring less water than exotic plants. The gardens are tended by Indigenous people, including Xiao Hui Star, a member of the Narragansett tribe and manager of new initiatives at We Are the Seeds. The city of Philadelphia has also launched a pilot program called Lotscapes to transform 10 of the city's 8,000 vacant lots into green spaces in an effort to address the issue of vacant lots resulting from decades of redlining and disinvestment.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Guardian US's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
