The popular initiative has seen Seed Libraries installed at Stonnington Libraries located at Malvern, Phoenix Park in Malvern East, Prahran Square and Toorak/South Yarra.
Since the program launched earlier this year (18 March 2022), we now have 742 members on board and, a whopping 3,166 individual seed packets have been borrowed.
From the community's (seed) donations made, that is – the seeds returned to the libraries – Stonnington has successfully created 1,029 individual seed packets that have been added back into the Seed Library collection for members to take home and grow.
The project has a high-level strategic alignment with our broader Council goals and vision, including the Council Plan, Annual Plan 2020, Sustainable Environment Strategy 2018–23, Climate Emergency Action Plan, and the Health and Wellbeing Plan.
This campaign is focused on providing a unique and greater library service, as it offers the potential for ongoing partnerships with community organisations, and parallel programming opportunities through community education, information and practical demonstrations of seed collection, preservation of plant and bio-diversity, agricultural resilience to climate change, and reducing barriers to access local knowledge about gardening and region-specific knowledge.
The program encourages people to borrow seed packets to plant and grow in their own home gardens, including vegetables and herbs, heirloom, Indigenous and native varieties, share them with other library members and build their gardening knowledge.
Some outcomes of the Seed Library initiative include:
- building a greater level of engagement with the local gardening community
- enabling community education around botanical and food literacy
- promoting community resilience
- enhancing social connection through programs and events,
- supporting a sustainable City, and
- creating greater overall engagement with and awareness of Council and our library services.
It's easy to get involved. Join by first becoming a Seed Library member; drop into any of our four libraries, borrow up to three (free) packets of seeds each month, plant and grow these in your home garden, collect the seeds harvested and return these to your local library.
To join, participate or find out more about our libraries, go to the library website
