A group of makers and creatives in Tel Aviv launched a pilot for a plant-share depot in Tel Aviv recently. Like the tiny library concept that has taken off around the world, or the Fridge for reducing food waste which has versions in Tel Aviv and Saudi Arabia the whole idea of community sharing is a noble one.
And in fact that’s how Airbnb started (took the idea from couchsurfing and made it capitalistic and very expensive to rent a room – instead of free. Same with WeWork who “borrowed” a beautiful co-working space social hub community with node around the world, turning it into a real estate business model.
But dreamers gotta dream and bring some of those dreams to life. The Plant Sharing Point was created by Molet and Cluster.TLV. Molet is a social do-gooder company located in Jaffa that upcycles pallets into useful goods like shelves and stools, and plant share points! They created the depot at Meir Park in Tel Aviv.
The reaction? “It was a test. A proof of concept. Can we build Plant Sharing Point in a sustainable way? Can it attract people to a public space and inspire them to interact? Will Tel Avivians actually want to exchange plants?
What will municipality think of it?” writes the Cluster people.
The used 4 decks from pallets and a couple of screws. Event guests actually brought plants to share: a “child” of a strawberry bush, a tiny lichi tree, pitango and others.
“By the end of the day all the green friends found new owners, taken by residents of Postel, TLV LGBTQ Center and just people who live nearby.”
The feedback?
? “I will bring more plants in the evening”
? “I love to have such point next to my home”
? “I came from the other side of the city to check it out”
? “Our city needs this”
The group meanwhile waits for permissions from the city to continue the project.
