The ‘Green’ Guerrillas May they re-qualify the suburbs

We need to educate people on beauty as a weapon to be waged against resignation, fear and the conspriacy of silence. The concepts expressed by Peppino Impastato, came in a strong message collected and posted as “Subversive Gardeners”. The story begins around 2010, when a group of citizens join up to plant flowers and shrubs where there is only barren earth and concrete. Andrea Di Carlo began four years ago with a public garden at Tor Bella Monaca, in Rome, and from there on has never stopped: “We are ‘Guerrilla Gardening’ with support from the citizens and nurseries, we decided to interact positively with the urban spaces through small demonstrative actions, what we call ‘green attacks’ “.

‘Guerrilla Gardening’ is opposed to urban decay and takes up action against the neglect of green areas. The first time this term came into use was in 1973, by Liz Christy and her ‘Green Guerrilla Group’, in Bowery Houston area in New York City: which transformed an untended private lot into a garden. After 40 years, this space is still well maintained, some volunteers take care of it, but now it also enjoys the protection of the New York City Parks Department.

In Italy, the movement was founded in 2006 by a group of young people, the founders of ‘Guerrilla Gardening.it’, which still attends to and encourages independent groups scattered throughout Italy. The city’s population has responded well to the initiatives, some companies help with gardening tips and give plants and materials, others are limited to applauding and appreciating green actions. “Every day new guerrillas, in a good way of course, give strength to our cause – meaning in a good of course- by transforming and regaining impersonal and barren open spaces of citizens”.

Andrea, a translator who in his spare time has becomes a ‘subversive’ gardener explains about his love for: “we aim in recovering empty or neglected urban spaces through reports and active participation of the citizens, who are armed with plants, flowers and gardening tools and who build flower beds in deteriorated city points- from the park to the pavement downstairs from uncultivated flower-beds to flyovers, from the far suburbs to the town “.
They are often only just neighborhood committees who seek the young boys “groups of citizens ask for our help.”

Sunday, 12th October, ia‘green action day’ in Rome in a small deserted park in front of the ‘ University Roma Tre’ has been organised: “This neighborhood, has daily problems of deterioration, it is an area of prostitution and for begging. We want to bring in a breath of colour, on a day which also coincides with the International Day of Tulips, we are going to plant various bulbs to make the garden more lively “.

But the obstacles for the “subversive” are out there in the way. Often, the plants after being sewed are neglected by the inhabitants themselves. “At Tor Bella Monaca – explains Andrea –we placed a large fountain now used as a landfill. Unfortunately after the attack some plants have disappeared “.

The visionary green guerrillas’ weapons are bombs, seed germination, high power and “embracing-garden spades”, plants in hanging vases on the light poles of the city to make the landscape a little less grey: a slap in the face to all those who consider the suburbs as the company’s trash can, wherever they may be.

Translation provided by Marina Stronati