The best way to get people on board is to inspire them with something that’s relevant and accessible to them.
Getting people involved
Draw people in
Lead with the benefits. Highlighting the positive benefits for us as individuals, our families, and our communities is a great way to draw people in. Focus on how spending time in nature is proven to make us feel good and how green spaces can provide safe routes for walking and cycling, spaces for people to be active and to spend time together.
Meet people where they’re at. A large majority of people have never sowed a seed before, so it’s important to make sure your project is accessible. Avoid overwhelming people with too many asks or setting the bar too high. Provide people with tips, tools, and resources that are accessible and relevant, whatever their space or skills.
Inspire using the seasons. Use seasonal hooks and key calendar dates (think national picnic week) to inspire people to get outside and involved with your project. Promoting the mental health benefits of nature in January is a great way to boost morale, and February is a great time to nudge people to start planning what they will sow to ensure a great summer harvest.
There is inequality surrounding access to nature. For many people, there are social, physical, and cultural barriers that prevent them from getting involved with nature and connecting to it. Natural England has found that 12% of children have never visited the natural environment.
It’s important that people feel comfortable and included in any community project.
Nature is a very broad topic, and it can mean very different things to different people. From playing football in the local park, growing herbs on our windowsill, and painting landscapes, the best way to connect people to nature is to inspire them with something that’s relevant and accessible.
Which benefits?
Have you heard of climate action ‘co-benefits’? These are the social benefits related to measures that aim to reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere.
In other words, they’re all about bringing people into the narrative rather than talking about CO2 numbers alone. It’s about acknowledging that such measure will bring about better livelihoods in the form of skills, resilience, and health for communities living in the areas where they take place.
For a number of reasons, environmental needs aren’t at the top of the list for a lot of us – so when planning a new green space or activity, try and find out what local needs and priorities are. What do people what to change in their area?
You may find out that people are worried about money, isolation, or fly tipping, for instance. These are all precious insights you should use to inform your new project or activity. Leading with people’s priorities and meeting them they’re at is what will make them want to engage with your project and keep coming back, and even want to take ownership of it.
Here are some ideas of co-benefits to seek out through nature-based projects:
Health (mental and physical) - are your creating a new green space? Could there be a new running or yoga group? Could you include therapeutic gardening in your activities?
Skills / employment – can you build in skill-sharing into your activities? Do you need a new shed? Why not create a learn-by-doing building workshop series?
Food security – if you’re growing food or have got an orchard, why not focus on food sovereignty? Giving people confidence and skills to feed themselves as much as possible can contribute making them less dependent on global supply chains. You could even start your own local seed bank!
Resilient communities – getting to know and trust one’s neighbour is a powerful tool to create local resilience, laying the foundation for mutual aid networks.
Social isolation – could your space be a community space for people to come together? There might be barriers for people to access it – have you considered creating culturally focused groups or women / non-binary groups? You could even encourage participants to grow culturally relevant crops and share the harvest in a communal meal or celebration.
Practising English (or another language) - gardening or food growing can be a great informal way for people to practice language skills and learn new words!