SR 
Another cycle of the "Initiative for garden communities" project of the Econaut association has come to an end. During seven months, we involved the community in the development of conceptual solutions for green areas, organized a conference dedicated to planning green areas, as well as educational programs on gardening, and now we present a new publication intended for beginners in starting a garden.
Publication "Edible and decorative garden for beginners" provides all the necessary gardening information and guidance on working with plants through the entire annual calendar, from soil preparation, sowing and transplanting to nutrition and maintenance. As today's urban lifestyle is quite difficult, and people's need for nature is increasing, this publication also aims to bring closer the possibility of connecting with nature through gardening. The establishment of gardens in cities, in addition to providing a place to rest all the senses and bring an abundance of delicious fruits, is also a way to preserve biodiversity and improve climatic conditions. The text of the publication was prepared by Vladimir Milutinović, landscape architect, Marija Nikolić, landscape architect and Sabina Kerić, founder of Econaut. The overall design of the publication is the same as the previous one "Introduction to Urban Gardening Communities"published by Nova Iskra - creative hub. Download the digital version of the Ornamental and Edible Garden for Beginners publication at this LINK.
With the publication of this publication, another cycle of the "Initiative for garden communities" project was completed, during which the Econaut association carried out numerous activities. One of them was public invitation "Let's plan green spaces together" which we announced in cooperation with Placemaking Western Balkans, within which four groups of citizens were selected who, in cooperation with experts, worked on the development of the conceptual solution for the improvement of green areas that they proposed. The "Placemaking" workshops were conducted according to the methodology developed by the architect Milena Ivković from the organization PWB and aimed to define the elements of the conceptual solution for the arrangement of a green area that is significant for the local community. We worked on the visualization of conceptual solutions, created as a result of the workshops, in cooperation with Milena Trmčić, Tijana Čukić and Anja Davidović, final year students of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Faculty of Forestry in Belgrade.
Online conference "Let's plan green areas together" was held on October 19. Through various sessions and discussions, the conference participants could learn about current projects that aim to respond to climate challenges in urban areas by encouraging the concepts of urban gardening and sustainable planning of urban areas in accordance with the needs of citizens. This conference was also a kind of summary of the two-year cooperation of the Econaut association with local associations, decision-makers and professional collaborators in the field of participatory urban planning. A recording of the conference is available at Ekonaut Youtube channel.
School of gardening led by Vladimir Milutinović, landscape architect, was held in October. Through three online lectures and three workshops at the Faculty of Forestry, the participants learned what is needed to start a garden and made a detailed plan of the species to plant in the garden during the fall in order to have a garden during the winter as well. By applying the knowledge gained in this program, future gardeners will have a fruitful garden filled with edible plants and decorated with flowers during the next year. The lectures and workshops aimed to promote garden communities as one of the possible solutions to the environmental challenges facing Belgrade, but also as places that can improve and enrich life in the city. Recordings of lectures and workshops are available at Ekonaut Youtube channel.
In the coming period, the Econaut Association will continue to collect potential locations for garden communities, as well as carry out activities aimed at advocating that garden communities become a communal service available to all citizens, but also a tool for sustainable development of cities and the fight against climate change.
The project "Initiative for urban garden communities" is implemented as part of the "Green Incubator" project of the Belgrade Open School, with the financial support of the European Union and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The activities of the "Initiative for urban garden communities" are also supported by the Open Society Foundation, the Secretariat for Environmental Protection. i Nove Iskre – kreativnog huba
