Français
01/27/2013
Guillaume - 26 years old, coming from belgian countryside. Close to nature since my early years, I chose at first to learn more about our planet. I leaved my countryside to Brussels. My studies (geology and then science and environment management) gave me the occasion to discover several topics, including the one I appreciate the most, agriculture and in particular urban agriculture. If I did not find a job in Brussels, chance was on my side in Paris where I have a part-time job. I still attached to the “big village”, as ride sharers call Brussels, and I live between those two cities, which keep away from “inquisitive looks” kitchen garden and others urban agriculture projects.
Why do you find interest in biodiversity issues?
As said before, I have always been fascinated and wonderstruck by the diversity of nature. If, as a young boy, it was my playground, I consider it now as a source of inspiration and a refuge. But I have to say that today it remains my favorite playground!
However my perception has changed and it made me realize how our planet is fragile and vulnerable, notably because of the selfish connection that human being has created.
Do you have the occasion to get involved in biodiversity ?
I try. Firstable, I try to live in agreement with myself, that’s not so easy when you live in a city apartment.
More concretely, I live my engagement as a volunteer for several gardens projects or guerilla gardening. With friends, we are launching a project of valorization and revegetation of public space in Brussels: planting spices, in partnership with local authorities and citizens. We hope that citizens will regain control on urban space and then, they will no longer need us to manage spices (the website is in construction, I’ll make a “seed” as soon as possible).
Finally, I try to devote time to youngers thanks to discovery workshops (gardens, recycling, …) and who knows, achieve to make them find an interest in nature.
If you should take me to a BiodiverCity guided tour in Brussels, where would you take me ?
Firts, I’ll take you to THE roof garden, the famous garden kitchen, on the royal librairy and its biodiversity course. For me, it’s the catalyzer of urban agriculture in Brussels. We could then discover the boulevard Anspach cherry trees and the giant sequoia in Woluwe Park (biggest tree in Brussels with 6.8 circumference meters) and visit collective/didactic kitchen gardens (those in Pomone are great: they are fighting for food biodiversity). We could go to the red cloister and to the Massart garden (botanical conservatory for healing plants) and go to the bees path. If your feet can go further, we will leave Brussels through Soignes forest, following the green walk to discover a lot of orchads near Brussels (unfortunately they are crumbling). Finally, we will end in the urban farm “le début des haricots” of Neder-Over-Hembeek. I forgot, royal greenhouses in Laeken are open from time to time to public!!
Does the word BiodiverCity inspire you ?
Of course, I would like nature to have more place in city, for all well-being. City should not be homogenous but made up of diversity to inhance its impact strength. Moreover, I think this word is really well chosen, I understand it as a well-balanced connection between human and nature.
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Lebill links :
Of course, Lebill has his seedbomb page!