SUSTAINABLE GARDENS WITH REUSED MATERIALS: ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION IN AN INITIATIVE IN THE BRAZILIAN SEMIARID REGION

Abstract

This article reports and analyzes an environmental education initiative that combined the implementation of sustainable gardens, reuse of materials, and community participation in a social organization located in the Brazilian semiarid region. The project aimed to promote cultivation and environmental care practices through activities accessible to children, young people, and community residents. A descriptive, qualitative approach was adopted, based on the analysis of the project's final report, which records planning, actions carried out, perceived results, and limitations. The activities included surveying and planning of spaces, installation of composting in stackable buckets, construction of garden beds and vertical structures, planting of fruit and medicinal seedlings, educational workshops, and monitoring of the plants. Among the reported results are the implementation of the planned basic structures, the holding of workshops with children and young people, the training of local agents to support care activities, and the availability of more than 70 seedlings for community distribution. The experience also identified obstacles related to scarce resources, limited space, climatic conditions, and variation in residents' participation. It is concluded that community gardens can function as practical learning environments and socio-environmental mobilization, but their continuity depends on shared responsibilities, stable partnerships, and maintenance procedures compatible with the local context.