Chennai Resilience Centre, a unit of Care Earth Trust
The Pitch
Chennai Resilience Center, a unit of Care Earth Trust, introduced urban farms to Chennai. These farms provided residents with green spaces, fresh foods and job opportunities, and engaged them in sustainable actions.
The Problem
Extreme heat events in Chennai put people at risk of heat stroke, worsening air quality, and lower economic productivity and food production. The project responded to a need for urban greening that could offset the impacts of heat.
The Process
- Deployed rooftop and on-the-ground vegetable gardens, ranging from 50-1000 square feet, in low-income neighborhoods’ public schools, daycares and homeless shelters
- Promoted sustainable behavioral change by introducing conservation, recycling and composting principles to community members
- Created 14 composting centers at public daycare centers and accepted organic waste from families
- Partnered with Tamil Nadu Urban Livelihoods Mission (TNULM) to train low-income women as gardeners
- Worked with resident welfare associations to promote urban gardens, connect women gardeners with work and improve engagement with green behaviors, such as composting
The Impact
- Supported 122 garden sites and diffused green spaces covering a total of 38,350 square feet as of 2023
- Provided gardening opportunities and positive mental health benefits for residents in densely populated neighborhoods
- Allowed residents to save money by growing commonly used vegetables at urban gardens, eliminating the need for residents to purchase these foods at market
- Saved INR 100-500 via 17 small garden sites and INR 9,500 via a 1000-square-foot homeless shelter over the course of six months
- Improved access to fresh food and residents’ health and well-being
- Trained and connected 234 women with livelihood opportunities
- Encouraged the community to adopt sustainable behaviors, such as composting, recycling, separating waste and conserving resources: Surveys revealed wide use of creative techniques to save resources and divert waste
