smart : one
Part of KOKOZA team: Soňa, Anna, Lucie, Radka, Jakub, Míša, Monika
for biowaste, which makes it efficient to process and obtain good quality compost, or soil for its sprouts. „It is a matter of throwing our fruit and vegetable skins into the trash bin when it is a valuable raw material: it can be transformed into a quality fertilizer that is missing in the soil,“ Sonia adds. Workshop to produce domestic vermicompost takes place in KOKOZA every month. Composting is a way to recycle nutrients from discarded food residues that make up to 40% of all waste and get good ground for indoor plants - or for gardening. At present, KOKOZA operates two community gardens in the Southern Prague district and actively supports the emergence of other similar gardens. Kristina and Lucie have so significantly changed the map of Prague‘s urban gardening, urban cultivation of vegetables and herbs, contributing to local production and strengthening community ties.
: Deeper sense: the social dimension of business Because KOKOZA has the experience of setting up community gardens, it helps to build similar green oases elsewhere: the edible garden in the form of planted elevated beds has already
designed and realized in the backyard of Bezobalu (Without-wrapping initiative), similarly helped to create a garden in a home for mothers with children, Kolping House. Cultivation of vegetables makes sense for the children who help the garden both enjoying themselves and enjoying the fruits of the garden. In addition, they adopt a certain pattern of behaviour and carry the idea of a sustainable lifestyle. KOKOZA does not end in its own garden; pop-up city gardens, raised public gardens, or community gardens for businesses offers all who are interested. „Individuals, groups, societies, cities, and businesses are turning to us about consultations or implementation itself. Throughout this time, we have helped dozens of community gardens at their inception. There are about twenty-five in Prague today,“ says Sonia. The social dimension of the business is natural to KOKOZA: Lucie has been a long-time social worker working with people with mental disorders, and KOKOZA offers the benefit to people with a mental illness. It is convenient to add that KOKOZA is not a classical hierarchical organization, but a cooperative society. It is an association of people, each of whom has a task, runs his/ her project and is responsible for it. This is especially important for people with mental illness who can get lost self-confidence here not only as members of the community but also as people capable of independent and meaningful activities.
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