Growing our own and greening our city

When Alessia Xu arrived at Manchester in 2015 from a small Italian town, she was one of the first undergraduates to undertake the pilot of the University’s Sustainability Challenge, where students worked in mixed disciplinary groups to plan for a fictional university campus.

The experience sowed the seeds of discovery around environmental sustainability and community, inspiring Alessia to sign up for a taster session with the Incredible Edible urban gardening scheme at the University’s Volunteering Fair.

Incredible Edible was started in Todmorden, West Yorkshire by Pam Warhurst (a Manchester alumna) and Mary Clear, with the aim of enriching the local community through food. Championed by TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, the initiative now has almost 50 groups across the UK and many more worldwide.

Alessia, MEng Chemical Engineering with Industrial Experience, says: “I found the Sustainability Challenge very interesting and it highlighted to me that it’s possible to be sustainable in diverse ways – it’s the small things that can make a difference.

“I wanted to try something completely new, and the chance to work with Incredible Edible, transforming unused and overgrown land into areas where fruit and vegetables can be grown, gave my volunteering an environmental focus.”

Alessia is now a project leader, which involves organising five or six events a year. With the help of the network, the number of student volunteers in Manchester has doubled in three years.

Inspired by the work of Incredible Edible, a project has started at the University’s Whitworth Park halls of residence to bring the benefits of growing produce to students. ”We’ve utilised space to grow carrots, potatoes and strawberries – as well as herbs such as thyme and rosemary,” Alessia explains.

“Being able to eat locally grown produce gives students a better awareness of where food comes from, encourages healthier eating and hopefully inspires them to come along and help!”

Alessia hopes that the group can expand to involve more local residents and construction companies in identifying spaces for development, and team up with local gardening associations to share knowledge and expertise.

“Volunteering definitely helps you grow as a person – it’s a different experience from study, allowing you to meet so many new people with diverse opinions. For me, as a chemical engineering student, it’s enabled me to think outside my discipline, which by its nature is very technical,” she says.

“Here at Manchester, volunteering is embedded in the very heart of the University’s culture – there are so many opportunities to try something new, which in turn can have such a positive impact on our communities.”