SEED’s commitment to sustainability now sees the birth of the Rocklands Urban Abundance Centre in Mitchells Plain. The Urban Abundance Centre integrates outdoor learning with community enterprise and skills development to harness community potential for transformation. The Centre functions as an education hub with practical demonstrations of innovation for alternative, green technologies and ways of living and for sustainable community-based green jobs

1. COMMUNITY OUTREACH PROJECTS
Homestead Gardeners

We have facilitated a successful pilot with 11 homes who have now formed a committee who are planning to reach a further 100 homes. The process involves membership, education and infrastructure support. Please watch this space.

" I was a very worried person until I received a phone call to say that I was accepted to do the course. After three days, I had learnt so much that my fingers started to itch to grow my own food. Now that I have learnt so much about growing my own food, I know that I won’t go to bed anymore without food for me and my child. I am very, very grateful to the people that made this possible for us.” 
John Scott, Homestead Garden Participant

2. SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION FOR CAPE TOWN SCHOOLS
Centre for Ecological Literacy

School groups are invited to come and spend a morning of exciting, practical-based Sustainability Education. 

Our first learning adventures are:
Soil is Alive  Grade 5   Natural Science   
Climate Change   Grade 6/7   Natural Science.  

SEED Facilitators lead these learning journeys, but the participation of visiting teachers is essential. The programmes start and finish in the Outdoor Classroom and include an exploration into the relevant education systems at Rocklands Urban Abundance Centre.

“Thank you so much for accommodating our first year architectural technology students. The students found the Post-Carbon Homestead model fascinating. For most of them the idea of being self-sustaining was fairly new and seeing it in demonstrated makes it real in their minds. The discussions that followed the visit were wonderful. I do hope we can continue bringing students to SEED in the future.”
Hermie Voulgarellis, Cape Peninsula University of Technology

 3. REACHING OUR YOUTH
Accredited Permaculture Training
SEED facilitates a three week intensive, NQF Level 4 accredited Applied Permaculture Training which focuses on developing Permaculture professionals through applying Permaculture principles and practices to the sustainability challenges facing society today. This course offers the foundational skills to work as a sustainability professional in a meaningful career in a rapidly growing field.
Participants leave with the confidence and capacity to design and set up Permaculture systems in a range of contexts and climates.

We have been running the APT for four years, and have been amazed by the 75% of participants that exit into Sustainability Careers

4. COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE
The Community Enterprise Initiative aims to create sustainable, community-based jobs by building on its existing, demonstrated ability to link training and eco-sensitive small-enterprise incubation within an innovative, integrated ‘Urban Abundance Centre’ delivery model. The vision is that the whole centre operates off enterprise and is no longer reliant on donor support.

Gourmet Mushrooms
The first of the Community Enterprise is the Gourmet Mushroom Project. This pilot project currently employs six people and sells mushrooms to local markets, retail chains and organic box schemes. The project will begin to make a profit in January 2012.

Seed Bank Project
Seed saving closes a sustainability link in the Rocklands system and aids in food security through developing seed that is suited to the Cape Flats growing conditions, thereby addressing adaption towards Climate Change. This project builds a seed garden, processing area and bank and sees homestead seed saving being taught to 30 locals, and five champions being mentored in a longer-term internship.