From Waste to Wildflowers: Upcycled Tire Gardens Brighten Alleys Across Gwangju Region
Shincheonji Volunteer Group Songha Branch Transformed 350+ Discarded Tires into Mini Gardens Across Gwangju, Hwasun, and Naju—Creating Sustainable Green Spaces with Local Residents 💬 "The alley corner that used to collect trash turned into a beautiful garden. When residents and village leaders saw the flowers, they began requesting mini gardens for their own towns." — Local Resident in Songha-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju In March 2024, a quiet alley corner in Songha-dong, Nam-gu, Gwangju, had a persistent problem with illegal dumping and discarded waste. Instead of placing standard warning signs, volunteers from the Shincheonji Volunteer Group Songha Branch chose a creative approach: they cleared away the waste and placed colorful, hand-painted flower planters made from discarded tires. What began as a small project to clean up a single corner soon grew into a regional greening initiative. From Songha-dong to Hwasun and Naju: Community-Driven Expansion Seeing the positive transfor...