Politics of the Pavement (Part 1) with Jack Wallington

In this first half of our Politics of the Pavement two-parter, we prise up the paving slabs and look at how our streets and gardens became so obsessively neat and what we’ve lost along the way. From Victorian ideals of respectability to the post-war pesticide boom, this episode traces how control and order were built into our landscapes. We explore why weeds are still seen as shameful, the lasting cultural power of “tidy,” and how chemical dependency became normalised in public and private spaces.

Later in the episode, we’re joined by writer, organic grower, and garden designer Jack Wallington, who reflects on his journey from Chelsea Flower Show gardens to wilder, chemical-free growing. Together, we explore what it means to rewrite the story of gardens.

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In this episode, we’re joined by the brilliant Mary Reynolds - former Chelsea Flower Show gold medal winner turned rewilding activist and founder of the We Are The ARK movement. Mary shares her powerful journey from designing pristine gardens to championing wild, messy, life-filled outdoor spaces and challenges us to stop seeing ourselves as gardeners and start seeing ourselves as guardians.

Before diving in, we kick off with a quick news round-up: the latest on the voting age change in England, PAN UK’s new pesticide report, plus updates from our campaigns in Wales and our upcoming Urban Nature Day in Newcastle upon Tyne this September.

In our chat with Mary, we explore:

• How she went from garden designer to full-time rewilding activist
• The story behind We Are The ARK and its nine practical steps for restoring life
• Why tidy gardens are bad news for biodiversity
• Ireland’s nature crisis and what it tells us about land use everywhere
• Myths we need to let go of about ownership, control and connecting with nature
• The crucial role of native plants in keeping ecosystems alive
• How building an ARK can turn everyday people into activists
• Mary’s own six-acre ARK in Ireland and the love she’s built with her land
• Why humans must act as guardians if we’re to prevent further ecological collapse
• Her advice for young activists on staying resilient and leading with love

Links:

• PAN UK's new report on council pesticide use: https://www.pan-uk.org/pesticide-free/
• Our latest petition for residents (whether you study, live or work) in Newcastle upon Tyne, calling on the council to ditch pesticides: https://win.newmode.net/ukyouthfornature/stopsprayingnewcastlemakeourstreetspesticidefree
• Our campaign pack for lobbying local councils on pesticide use: https://www.ukyouthfornature.org/your-wild-streets-campaign
• The ARK: https://wearetheark.org/

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In this first episode of Your Wild Streets, we’re setting the scene from glyphosate-sprayed verges to messy, life-filled corners of our gardens. Hosts Alena and Roisin share their own journeys into campaigning, swap garden fails and introduce the growing movement calling for pesticide-free, biodiversity-rich public spaces across the UK.

In this episode:

• A round-up of recent nature news: the good, the grim and the growing movement for wildness.
• A seasonal reflection inspired by Robin Wall Kimmerer’s vision of cyclical, reciprocal living.
• Small actions you can take this month: from letting a corner go wild to creating a micro habit audit.

Episode links:

• Sign the pledge to wild your street and access our campaign action pack: https://www.ukyouthfornature.org/your-wild-streets-campaign 
• How you can speak up for nature in planning: https://www.instagram.com/p/DLQRfHUthkf/?hl=en 
• Follow @ukyouthfornature and tag your wild patch

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.