What better way to reignite your love for nature than through a community garden? In the hustle and bustle of modern city life, it is rare to discover serenity amidst fast-paced environments and people who are always on-the-go, but this community garden in Kuala Lumpur found a way to thrive.
The township of Bandar Sri Damansara’s Residents Association (BSDRA) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is a community that aimed to gather residents together in beautifying public spaces. Finding the things they have in common such as their love for gardening, especially for those in their golden years, the BSDRA began work on a refreshing project – The SRINTI Community Garden.
“SRINTI” comes from a mix of “Sri Damansara”, their local township, and the word “community” – creating a word that sounds like “serenity”. These words symbolize the main goal of this small group – for the townsfolk to all come together, no matter the gender, age and race, and to create an inclusive environment for everyone to exist in harmony and share their love for nature together.
Photo from SRINITI KebunKomuniti Bsdra
SRINTI members usually have activities on the weekends open to anyone who wants to join them as they tend to their communal garden farm. The garden is open for those who wish to exercise their green thumb and contribute to giving more life to the city, or those who wish to grow produce but don’t have access to their own plot of land. SRINTI is an open community where the beauty of sharing, co-existing and community are fostered.
Photo from SRINITI KebunKomuniti Bsdra
BSDRA shares in their group, “This garden is for primarily Bandar Sri Damansara residents who gather together and support beautifying public spaces by growing edible plants and flowers, as well as any related DIY activity that can benefit the Bandar Sri Damansara community.” Any person can use the SRINTI community as a vehicle to share ideas among each other on how they can sustain their community, grow food, manage waste and save energy in their locality.
The garden has been functioning for 10 years before its growth and immersion under BSDRA. Now, SRINTI has over 80 members as seen on their private community Facebook group.
Photo from SRINITI KebunKomuniti Bsdra
The SRINTI BSDRA Community Garden members also have an effort to spread awareness about attainable sustainable living through workshops and seminars about home gardening, open for anyone interested to learn and community service open for anyone willing to volunteer.
Last September, they had an Open Day where community members put up stalls selling their plants, vegetables, composts, as well as organizing talks about gardening topics like vermiculture and vermicompost, microgreens, organic solids and effective microbe solutions.Until today, the members of the group are actively growing their SRINTI Garden Farm and community and spreading awareness about sustainability, friendship and community all around.
To learn more about this refreshing community and upcoming events, check out their official Instagram account.
For more stories on Southeast Asia, visit seawavemag.com.