NYU Shanghai’s urban gardeners are reclaiming underused spaces in the University’s backyard.
In a sheltered corner of the lawn, the sign forbidding visitors from stepping on the grass has been cast aside and in its place stands a greenhouse lined with plants. A trio of raised beds sown with cabbages, radishes and strawberry plants sit on the concrete paving beside it, while nearby a solar-energy system, composting barrel and group of benches are also being installed.
The new features are part of a student-led project, sponsored by NYU Office of Sustainability’s Green Grant, to create an inspiring outdoor space for community members to enjoy and use for academic purposes.
The project was initiated by Nofar Hamrany, NYU Shanghai sophomore and president of Green Shanghai, to increase use of the public space outside the academic building.
“The Shanghai campus is only one building and we spend a lot of time sitting inside. With these initiatives, we want to encourage the community to come outdoors and use our forgotten green spaces. Anyone can come plant something, pick the fruit or sit and enjoy the nature - the space is open to everyone for anything from gardening to working on an academic project,” she said.
Among the first to take advantage of the new outdoor resources are Interactive Media Arts students studying the applications of solar technology.
Under the covered walkway outside the greenhouse dangles a clutch of old cell phones, each fitted with tiny LED lights. This solar-powered artwork, which was created by students in Professor Dan Mikesell‘s Interactive Media Arts course on Solar Solutions, seeks to encourage people to look up from their own phones and appreciate their environment.
Other student projects coming soon to the garden include a secret wifi zone and a musical barometer that adapts its tune to different environmental and climatic conditions.
Speaking at the opening of the garden, Professor Mikesell said it was important for students to have a place that they had control over.
“Consider a sandbox, it is a place that can be easily reconfigured and re-worked and I think a garden works in a similar fashion,” he said. “This space can be used to grow plants, collect AQI measurements, show art or all of the above and more. I look forward to discovering what we can do with an open place in a city of 24 million people.”
Find out more:
Gardening tools are available from Student Life in B18.
To book a space in the greenhouse contact Green Shanghai at sh.green.club@nyu.edu