This is quite impressive. Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library is the first of its kind, a service within the library that lets the public borrow and return seeds. Seeds gets categorised based on family and degree of difficulty to plant. Naturally, the library will never get back the exact seeds it gave, as people return the seeds that they get from their crops. Borrowers start with seeds from the existing library collection and are expected to return seeds they gather themselves from each crop.
Now that is a legacy. Rather than attempting to monetise seeds, or overdoing monoculture, this community is generating an important seed and knowledge bank. It’s a lovely idea, this evolution of libraries.
(Spotted on Unconsumption)
Katherine Hui is currently the Social site editor at Green Thing, a web-based public service in London that inspires people to lead greener lives through creative content.
Before this, she worked as the Development Manager at Social Innovation Camp, an organization that encourages people to use web and mobile-based technology to mobilise social change. She oversaw 300 ideas submission and helped build 20 prototypes – five of which have gone on to get further funding or investment.
Katherine’s came over to the UK form Canada in 2007 for an MSc program at the London School of Economics. Before arriving in London, she managed a small environmental start-up in Vancouver called the Canadian Climate Change Alliance.
Katherine is football mad. She is a loyal supporter of Arsenal FC, plays for Islington Borough Ladies FC and coaches for Gunners in Islington in her spare time. Her second favourite hobby is kite surfing and she can sometimes be found chasing the wind.
