Cultivating Coexistence: Urban & Community Ecology in Sarandi

Our project is rooted in the Sarandi neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil—a territory deeply affected by urban vulnerability and the recent devastating climate floods. Over the past 12 years, we have transformed the neglected Oliveira Rolim public square into a living Urban Ecology Hub through the power of "mutirões" (collective community workdays).

Our work seamlessly weaves land regeneration with cultural education. We have already planted more than 350 trees, established an expanding community garden, and hosted environmental workshops and seedling giveaways. To deepen our ecological commitment, we also run a community book club focused on indigenous thinkers like Ailton Krenak, teaching our neighborhood how to look at the land not as a resource, but as life.

Our main challenge is maintaining consistency in our activities, creating a permanent culture of Earth-regenerating actions. We are not aiming to produce food for the entire neighborhood; our goal is to create models of coexistence within public and shared spaces that can be replicated in other squares across the area. This will result in real climate benefits, such as reducing heat islands, increasing access to fresh garden food, and improving mental health through spending time in a tree-lined area—as proven by research. During our community celebrations, people gather under the shade of the trees we planted 11 years ago. This speaks volumes about quality of life: the possibilities of human experience expand when we have more natural elements around us.

Regarding the funds raised, we will implement more landscaping areas, focusing on creating a garden with native species from the Pampa and Atlantic Forest biomes of our region. We will also install an insect hotel, as well as bird feeders and waterers, and expand our community garden. The resources will fund the workshops that will result in the collective planting of this garden, and finally, we will host a square re-inauguration event, featuring a plant giveaway for community members who register and participate.