Media Release: Should tenants have the right to grow their own food?

Friday, May 05, 2006: After living in their rented property for almost two years and spending hours creating a thriving edible garden, tenants received an order from their landlords saying they had 14 days to either remove the garden and replace it with lawn, or to pay $2100.

The landlords believe the tenants have created a “loss or damage” by developing an “intensive permaculture with associated ponds and mulch supply.” The Clayton residents believe that on the contrary, their work has improved the value of the property in more ways than one.

Responding to the landlords with a letter of their own, the residents suggested two alternative options: Either they take the garden with them and restore the lawn when they leave, or they work together with their landlords to design and create a productive, perennial food garden which would benefit both the landlords and future tenants.

Support for the household has been pouring in from other tenants and landlords alike.

“Rental tenants turning lawns into productive food gardens are doing a service to society by radically reducing their consumption of fossil fuels, fertilizers, pesticides and water while maintaining their own health and reducing their costs of living.”said co-originator of the permaculture concept David Holmgren.

“I really like growing plants, and growing my own fresh food. It’s a great feeling that everyone should be able to enjoy, no matter where they live.” said Cat Moore, Thomas Street tenant.

“Growing our food here means we rely less on items traveling vast distances at the expense of rapidly diminishing energy resources. Our home grown food is free from pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and genetically engineered organisms, making it much healthier for us and for the planet.” said Ms Moore.

“Given the threats posed to food security by climate change, rapidly increasing energy costs and political and economic instability, growing your own food organically is an easy, enjoyable alternative to participating in unsustainable systems like industrial agriculture.” said Adrian Wedd, Thomas Street tenant.

“We are confident that we can resolve this situation in a positive way for all involved as well as raising awareness of the increasingly topical issue of whether tenants should have the right to grow their own food where they live.” said Dan Palmer, Thomas Street tenant.

“Positive examples like this are urgently needed across our suburbs to show how home owners and tenants can adapt to the looming crisis that will flow from continuously rising fuel and resource costs over the next few years. ... Within this decade, productive food gardens may become a rental market asset while water and resource consuming lawns may be seen as socially irresponsible and undesirable.” said David Holmgren.

Contact: Dr Dan Palmer, Adrian Wedd and Cat Moore via phone on 0390292550, via email on situation@thomasstreet.info or via the web at http://thomasstreet.info

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