Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Social Responsibility and Sustainability pp 493–519Cite as

Community Gardening: Integrating Social Responsibility and Sustainability in a Higher Education Setting—A Case Study from Australia

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: World Sustainability Series ((WSUSE))

Abstract

Community gardening (CG) has been the subject of growing interest, both within and without the realm of academia. The reasons for this increase in interest are straightforward, given that CG typically offers benefits in at least three areas: (1) fostering a sense of community among contributing stakeholders; (2) promoting a sense of social responsibility; and (3) heightening awareness in areas of sustainability. As such CG is typically recognised as having the capacity to conjointly meet core human needs. This paper presents a case study that describes the inception and progressive implementation of a community garden project (“campus greening”), set within the university context of a private higher education (HE) provider in Brisbane, Australia. The paper charts progress made to date, highlights hurdles that have had to be overcome, distils relevant lessons learned, and extrapolates success factors for future similar projects. Capitalising on ‘right timing’ emerges as a critical success factor for incentivising, progressing and implementing CG projects. The case study analysis also culminates in a shortlist of tentative recommendations for different stakeholders: (1) soliciting input from alternative leaders; (2) building supportive interdepartmental coalitions; (3) building a broad stakeholder base; and (4) building momentum and support through unconventional means. Experiences and lessons gathered in this paper will be useful for education stakeholders who are interested to use CG to promote community, social responsibility, and sustainability.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    https://communitygarden.org—see also archived link: https://web.archive.org/web/20071204082111/http://www.communitygarden.org/learn.

  2. 2.

    http://www.chc.edu.au.

  3. 3.

    Graduate Destination Survey (2015), Graduate Outcomes Survey (2016–17), Student Experience Survey (2014/15); see also CHC (2018).

  4. 4.

    See, e.g., https://www.qilt.edu.au/institutions/list/institution/christian-heritage-college?ca=experience-of-newly-qualified-higher-education-undergraduates.

  5. 5.

    http://www.chc.edu.au/future-students/course-finder.

  6. 6.

    https://www.teqsa.gov.au.

  7. 7.

    http://cricos.education.gov.au.

  8. 8.

    https://www.education.gov.au.

  9. 9.

    See https://www.haw-hamburg.de/en/ftz-nk/events/edinburgh2018.html.

  10. 10.

    A “working bee” is a “voluntary group doing a job for charity” (Collins English Dictionary n.d.).

  11. 11.

    http://www.brisbane.coc.edu.au.

  12. 12.

    http://citipointechurch.com.au/brisbane/church-life/men.

  13. 13.

    http://citipointechurch.com.

  14. 14.

    http://www.chc.edu.au/community/counselling-centre/.

References

  • Alaimo K, Reischl TM, Allen JO (2010) Community gardening, neighborhood meetings, and social capital. J Commun Psychol 38(4):497–514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Aplin G (1998) Australians and their environment: an introduction to environmental studies. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC 2007) Gardening Australia: creating a school garden. Feature length documentary: 30 mins. ABC Commercial. Marcom Projects

    Google Scholar 

  • Bawany S (2014) Managing your boss: the two-way conversation of management. Leadersh Excellence Essentials 31(10):47. https://www.hr.com/en/topleaders/all_articles/managing-your-boss-the-two-way-conversation-of-man_i2nhsliy.html. Accessed 7 June 2018

  • Bloom JW (2006) Creating a classroom community of young scientists, 2nd edn. Routledge, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Brown-Fraser S, Forrester I, Rowel R, Richardson A, Nicole Spence A (2015) Development of a community organic vegetable garden in Baltimore, Maryland: a student service-learning approach to community engagement. J Hunger Environ Nutr 10(3):409–436. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2014.962778

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryman A (2016) Social research methods, 5th edn. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Calverley J (2017) The urban farmer: how to create a productive garden in any space. Harper Collins, Sydney

    Google Scholar 

  • Candlin A (2011) The self-sufficiency manual: a complete, practical guide to living off the land. Murdoch Books, Millers Point

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheang CC, So WW, Zhan Y, Tsoi KH (2017) Education for sustainability using a campus eco-garden as a learning environment. Int J Sustain High Educ 18(2):242–262. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-10-2015-0174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christian Heritage College/CHC Higher Education (CHC 2015) CHC strategic plan—towards 2020: ‘Raising the standard’ 2015–2019. Resource document. Author. http://www.chc.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Strategic-Plan-Latest_WEB.pdf. Accessed 28 Apr 2018

  • Christian Heritage College/CHC Higher Education (CHC 2018) CHC rates among the best in national rankings. General CHC news. Online news article. http://www.chc.edu.au/chc-rates-among-the-best-in-national-rankings. Accessed 29 Apr 2018

  • Cilliers F, Greyvenstein H (2012) The impact of silo mentality on team identity: An organisational case study. SA J Indus Psychol/SA Tydskrif vir Bedryfsielkunde 38(2), Art. #993. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v38i2.993. Accessed 7 June 2018

  • Collins English Dictionary (n.d.). Working bee. Online dictionary entry. https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/working-bee. Accessed 7 June 2018

  • Crane A, Matten D, McWilliams A, Moon J, Siegel DS (2009) The Oxford handbook of corporate social responsibility. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Creswell JW (2013) Qualitative Inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches, 3rd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Creswell JW (2014) Research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Davies A (2012) Enterprising communities: grassroots sustainability innovations. Advances in ecopolitics vol 9. Emerald, Bingley, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Drake L, Lawson LJ (2015) Results of a US and Canada community garden survey: shared challenges in garden management amid diverse geographical and organizational contexts. Agric Hum Values 32(2):241–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Draper C, Freedman D (2010) Review and analysis of the benefits, purposes, and motivations associated with community gardening in the United States. J Commun Pract 18(4):458–492

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fell D (2011) Vertical gardening: grow up, not out, for more vegetables and flowers in much less space. Rodale, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Fetzer AV, Aaron S (2010) Climb the green ladder: make your company and career more sustainable. Wiley, Chichester

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisk P (2010) People, planet, profit: how to embrace sustainability for innovation and business growth. Kogan Page, London

    Google Scholar 

  • George DR (2013) Harvesting the biopsychosocial benefits of community gardens. Am J Public Health 103(8):e6. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2013.301435. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4007866/. Accessed 7 June 2018

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert CG (2005) Understanding the structure of Inertia: resources versus routine Rigidity. Acad Manag J 48(5):741–763

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guitart DA, Pickering CM, Byrne JA (2014) Color me healthy: food diversity in school community gardens in two rapidly urbanising Australian cities. Health Place 26:110–117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hammerman DR, Hammerman WM (1973, eds) Outdoor education: A book of readings, 2nd ed. Burgess, Minneapolis

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardin G (1968) The tragedy of the commons. Science 162(3859):1243–1248. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.162.3859.1243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris E (2009) The role of community gardens in creating healthy communities. Aust Planner 46(2):24–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/07293682.2009.9995307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Henriques A (2010) Corporate impact: measuring and managing your social footprint. Earthscan, London

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hensmans M, Johnson G, Yip G (2012) Strategic transformation: changing while winning. Palgrave MacMillan, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Hey S (2013) Mega churches: origins, ministry and prospects. Mosaic, Preston, Vic

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodges Snyder E, McIvor K, Brown S (2016) Sowing seeds in the city: human dimensions. Springer Science & Business Media, Netherlands

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman AJ, Wallach J, Sanchez E (2010) Rediscovering community: Interethnic relationships and community gardening. Gateways: Int J Commun Res Engagem 3:171–184

    Google Scholar 

  • Huckle J, Sterling S (eds) (1996) Education for sustainability. Earthscan/Routledge, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson B (1995) Earth education: learning to live more lightly on the earth. In: Kraft RJ, Kielsmeier J (eds) Experiential learning: In schools and higher education. Association for Educational Learning, Kendall/Hunt, Boulder, CO, pp 123–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson RB, Christensen L (2017) Educational research: quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods approaches, 6th edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Kerfoot K (1998) Leading change is leading creativity. Pediatr Nurs 24(2):180–181

    Google Scholar 

  • Kitzman-Ulrich H, Momoh J, Martin A, DeHaven M (2013) Community gardens. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotter JP (2011) Change management vs. change leadership—what’s the difference? Forbes. Online article. https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkotter/2011/07/12/change-management-vs-change-leadership-whats-the-difference/#4764c6e44cc6. Accessed 14 Feb 2018

  • Kotter JP (2012) Leading change. Harvard Business Review Press, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotter JP, Cohen DS (2002) The heart of change: real-life stories of how people change their organizations. Harvard Business Review Press, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Kraft RJ, Kielsmeier J (1995) Experiential learning: In schools and higher education. Association for Educational Learning, Kendall/Hunt, Boulder

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurlantzick J (2013) Democracy in retreat: the revolt of the middle class and the worldwide decline of representative government. Yale University Press, New Haven

    Google Scholar 

  • Laycock Pedersen R, Robinson Z (2018) Reviewing university community gardens for sustainability: taking stock, comparisons with urban community gardens and mapping research opportunities. Local Environ 23(6):652–671

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leal Filho W (ed) (2018) Handbook of sustainability science and research. Springer, Cham

    Google Scholar 

  • Luetz JM, Walid M (2019) Social responsibility versus sustainable development in United nations policy documents: a study of key terms in human development reports. In Leal Filho W (ed) Social responsibility and sustainability: how businesses and organizations can operate in a sustainable and socially responsible way. Springer Nature, Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03562-4_16

  • Luetz JM, Buxton G, Bangert K (2018) Christian theological, hermeneutical and eschatological perspectives on environmental sustainability and creation care: the role of holistic education. In Luetz JM, Dowden T, Norsworthy B (eds) Reimagining Christian education: cultivating transformative approaches, (Ch 4). Springer, Singapore, pp 51–73. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-0851-2_4

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • MacFayden JS (2013) Culture of innovation. Holist Nurs Pract 27(4):196–198

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh P, Spinaze A (2016) Community gardens as sites of solace and end-of-life support: a literature review. Int J Palliat Nurs 22(5):214–219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marsh P, Gartell G, Egg G, Cross M (2017) End-of-life care in a community garden: findings from a participatory action research project in regional Australia. Health Place 45:110–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2017.03.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mason J (2002) Qualitative researching, 2nd edn. Sage, London

    Google Scholar 

  • McIvor DW, Hale J (2016) Common roots: urban agriculture’s potential for cultivating deep democracy. In: Hodges Snyder E, McIvor K, Brown S (eds) Sowing seeds in the city: human dimensions. Springer Science & Business Media, Netherlands, pp 179–188

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • McRae K (1990) Outdoor and environmental education: diverse purposes and practices. Macmillan, South Melbourne

    Google Scholar 

  • Milliron BJ, Vitolins MZ, Gamble E, Jones R, Chenault MC, Tooze JA (2017) Process evaluation of a community garden at an urban outpatient clinic. J Commun Health 42(4):639–648. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-016-0299-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moorhouse PA (2014) Dialogic landscape: reciprocity between a campus garden and a university community. Northern Arizona University, unpublished thesis, on file with authors

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson W, Luetz JM (2019) What can we learn from Pope Francis about change management for environmental sustainability? A case study on success factors for leading change in change resistant institutional environments. In: Leal Filho W, Consorte-McCrea A (eds) Handbook of sustainability and humanities. Springer, Cham, Switzerland, pp 503–524. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95336-6_29

    Google Scholar 

  • Okvat HA, Zautra AJ (2011) Community gardening: a parsimonious path to individual, community, and environmental resilience. Am J Commun Psychol 47(3–4):374–387

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parr H (2007) Mental health, nature work, and social inclusion. Environ Plann D: Soc Space 25(3):537–561

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peters J (1992) Total strategy. Manag Decis 30(8):12–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Punch KF (2014) Introduction to social research: quantitative and qualitative approaches, 3rd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Quality Indicators in Learning and Teaching (QILT n.d.) Compare student experience and graduate employment: find a study area or institution. Online resource. Author https://www.qilt.edu.au. Accessed 28 Apr 2018

  • Raffan J (1995) The experience of place: exploring land as teacher. In: Kraft RJ, Kielsmeier J (eds) Experiential learning: in schools and higher education. Association for Educational Learning, Kendall/Hunt, Boulder, pp 128–136

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodale A (2006) Precious garden of hope. Prevention 58(8):204

    Google Scholar 

  • Schweitzer A (1996) Brothers in spirit: the correspondence of Albert Schweitzer and William Larimer Mellon, Jr. Syracuse University Press, New York, NY

    Google Scholar 

  • Scoggins HL (2010) University garden stakeholders: student, industry, and community connections. HortTechnology 20(3):528–529

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stake RE (1995) The art of case study research. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Strout K, Jemison J, O’Brien L, Wihry D, Waterman T (2017) GROW: green organic vegetable gardens to promote older adult wellness: a feasibility study. J Commun Health Nurs 34(3):115–125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs n.d.) Goal 4: ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning. Online resource. United Nations. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/education/. Accessed 6 June 2018

  • Tangwanichagapong S, Nitivattananon V, Mohanty B, Visvanathan C (2017) Greening of a campus through waste management initiatives: experience from a higher education institution in Thailand. Int J Sustain High Educ 18(2):203–217

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tattersall A (2010) Power in coalition: strategies for strong unions and social change. Allen & Unwin, Crows Nest

    Google Scholar 

  • Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA 2017) Australian Government. https://www.teqsa.gov.au/. Accessed 7 June 2018

  • The Garden Project (2018) We don’t just grow plants, we grow people too. Online resource. Author. https://www.gardenproject.org. Accessed 26 Apr 2018

  • University of California (UoC 2018) Community gardens: what is a community garden? Online resource. Author. http://ucanr.edu/sites/MarinMG/Great_Gardening_Information/Marin_Community_Gardens. Accessed 22 Apr 2018

  • Walid M, Luetz JM (2018) From education for sustainable development to education for environmental sustainability: reconnecting the disconnected SDGs. In: Leal Filho W (ed) Handbook of sustainability science and research. Springer International, Berlin, Germany, pp 803–826

    Google Scholar 

  • Wattchow B, Brown M (2011) A pedagogy of place: outdoor education for a changing world. Monash University, Clayton

    Google Scholar 

  • World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED 1987) Our common future. Brundtland Report. Oxford University Press, Oxford. http://www.un-documents.net/our-common-future.pdf. Accessed 5 Mar 2018

  • Wozniak JR, Bellah J, Riley JM (2016) Building a community garden: a collaborative cross-disciplinary academic community engagement project. J Bus Strat 33(2):95–115

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin RK (2009) Case study research: design and methods, 4th edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin RK (2012) Applications of case study research, 3rd edn. Sage, Thousand Oaks

    Google Scholar 

  • Zick CD, Smith KR, Kowalski-Jones L, Uno C, Merrill BJ (2013) Harvesting more than vegetables: the potential weight control benefits of community gardening. Am J Public Health 103(6):1110–1115

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Paul Willis for his enthusiastic support of the community garden, Kyano Maddock for his practical logistical help with successive ‘secretive’ seed pack and invitation letter distributions, Noah, Daniel and Aurora Lütz Barrón, and Leila Margus, for their creative invitation letter artwork and design, Kirsty Andersen for her copy-editorial support, Stephen Jones and Jesse Keech for their volunteering spirit during ‘working bees’, and the School of Social Sciences for the constructive input and enduring support throughout the community garden design phase.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CHC Higher Education, Brisbane, Carindale, QLD, 4152, Australia

    Johannes M. Luetz

  2. University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, Australia

    Johannes M. Luetz

  3. School of Social Sciences, CHC Higher Education, Brisbane, Carindale, QLD, 4152, Australia

    Stephen Beaumont

Authors
  1. Johannes M. Luetz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stephen Beaumont
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Johannes M. Luetz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. FTZ-NK, HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Luetz, J.M., Beaumont, S. (2019). Community Gardening: Integrating Social Responsibility and Sustainability in a Higher Education Setting—A Case Study from Australia. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Social Responsibility and Sustainability. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-03562-4_26

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation