Sustainable Garden – Protecting Plants and Insects

Enhancing sustainability and biodiversity in the garden of the Bibó István College for Advanced Studies, benefitting both flora and fauna.

The planned project includes installing raised flowerbeds, a compost pile and an insect hotel in the garden of the College, as well as developing a part of the area as a spice garden. The spices will give the garden a special exotic feel and help the students learn about caring for plants which are usually not found in Hungarian gardens. The raised flowerbeds would allow the students of the College to grow plants in high quality soil. Besides diversifying the flora of the garden, these flower plantations would also be beneficial to bees. Further protection for bees and other insects will be provided by the insect hotel. This would protect insects from rain and snow in the winter, even allowing certain species to take up permanent residence in the hotel. Increasing the diversity of both plants and insects can become the start of a long-term development cycle: plants and bees are inherently connected to each other and their increased presence and protection will have an enormous effect on the biological diversity of the garden and the surrounding areas. Another element of the project is a new compost pile. Students of the College will collect their bio-degradable waste in the pile, with the compost being used for the benefit of the plants.

The project involves the building of the Bibó István College for Advanced Studies. The building is home to more than 50 students, with the institution placing special emphasis on collaborative developments and sustainable projects.

The required funds for the project amount to 150 000 HUF. Expenditures will include purchasing the flowerbeds, the insect hotel building, the compost pile, as well as the plants and seeds themselves. Acquiring gardening tools will also be necessary, in order to ensure the proper treatment of the plants. High-quality soil will also be purchased for the flowerbeds and the spice plantations.

Appropriate safety measures are in place at the building of the College, in accordance with the rules of the University. The main goal of the project is the development of the garden, therefore the students involved will work outdoors, complying with social distancing and mask-related regulations. The tasks in the garden will not require the work of many people at once, therefore the gathering of crowds will be avoided. Every person involved in the project is vaccinated. Visitors from outside the College are allowed into the building and the garden only if they have proof of vaccination.