BBCR Bay & Basin Men’s Shed was approached by the Sanctuary Point Community Pride Inc to partner on a sustainable plastic bottle greenhouse project, which the Men’s Shed has built and donated to a local community-based organisation that could utilise the greenhouse to enhance their programs.
The concept for the greenhouse is based on a model originally made by school students in Scotland, whilst locally in the Shoalhaven, the University of Canberra has also made a greenhouse for a local organisation, “Slice of Life”, based in Nowra.
The Men’s Shed staff and volunteers perused plans from previous examples and adapted a design using mainly recycled materials consisting of donated products. These included timber for the frames, roof and shelving and the preparation of approximately nine hundred (900) 1.25ltr plastic bottles to construct the walls. Various groups, volunteers, participants and school students who access weekly programs at the Bay and Basin Men’s Shed have built all aspects of the greenhouse. From making a purpose-built jig for cutting the bottles safely and neatly, threading bottles onto supports, and making frames, shelving and the roof, there was a job for everyone!
Sanctuary Point Connect has been the selected group to receive the greenhouse, which will be used to support their garden express program for local families living in the Bay & Basin area.
Bay & Basin Men’s Shed volunteer Wayne Grumley said, “This was a very worthwhile project; I really enjoyed the challenge of making it and knowing that it is going to a good home in the local
community”.