By running your own Nature for Neighbourhoods project, you can bring your community together to make your local area amazingly greener.
You're joining a huge movement of people right across Australia who are connecting new people to nature, sharing the wonder of watching things grow, and experiencing the power of speaking up for what matters.
With this huge movement of nature lovers from all walks of life, together we can shift the politics and fix the systems that are destroying nature – all while boosting biodiversity in our towns and cities.
Ready to get started?
- Check out the five simple steps below for ideas on how a local nature for neighbourhoods event.
- Check out the full toolkit for inspiration and all the details! (We've also just emailed you a copy!)
Get some dirt under your fingernails with these five simple steps
Read the full Nature for Neighbourhoods toolkit
The possibilities for bringing nature into your neighbourhood are endless! You might plant native butterfly-attracting flowers right along your street's nature strip. Create wildlife corridors with planter boxes to connect the balconies in your neighbourhood. Seed a pocket park or a vibrant nature play area for your neighbourhood's wildlife and children.
Have a read, chat to your neighbours and start planning!
Step 1: Make a plan
- Discover nature and your community. Chat with your neighbours. Have a look around your neighbourhood together – what natural spaces and projects exist? Are there local groups already restoring nature that you can reach out to?
- Decide on your project. Greening nature strips, making a frog bog, creating habitat havens … what you do is up to you! Pick a day and location for the first working bee
- Find out what to plant and where you can source plants from
- Be safe. Identify risks in your activity and how you will manage them
- Include follow-up activities in your plan, for a fortnight or month after your event – like a cup of tea together, a weeding day, or a nature walk
- Write a task list – along with who will do what!
Step 2: Invite your neighbours
- Register your event on SupporterBase or another platform like Eventbrite
- Promote, promote, promote! Talk to your community, put up posters, use social and online media
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Remind your neighbours who sign up about your event and what to bring
Step 3: Run the event
- Make sure you have everything you need – like drinking water, sunscreen, first aid, tools
- Welcome everyone and consider starting with an Acknowledgement of Country. Give everyone clear instructions so they know what to do
- Take note of how many people attend, and invite them to your follow-up event/s
- Take some photos and video
- Ask people to fill in a simple survey – what they liked and didn’t like, how the event could be improved
Step 4: Let us know how you're going
- Share photos or short videos online and with ACF - [email protected]
- Share your and your participants' feedback - [email protected]
- Share your journey with others like you across the country via the ACF Community slack
Step 5: Keep it up!
- Invite everyone to your next event – you could even invite them to be part of organising and running it. This could be a cup of tea, a watering and weeding session, a nearby nature walk, further planting days – the possibilities are endless!