The project is led by, among others, Alejandro Montaño Alvarez. As the VU’s Green Office Campus Operations Officer, he aims to draw a diverse group of people. “It’s an opportunity to engage different communities with nature.”
The garden is located next to the red-and-blue tower block on Uilenstede. It encompasses a space of seven by nine meters, filled with six raised beds and picnic tables. In the beds, all kinds of herbs, vegetables, and flowers will be grown. “In the future, we also want to have a greenhouse where people can attend lectures and workshops, and share meals,” Alejandro explains.
The raised beds consist of different layers. The volunteers used a method called Hügelkultur, which is a gardening technique where a mound constructed from decaying wood debris and other compostable biomass plant materials is planted as a raised bed. This reporter was just in time to see the different layers being applied: the first layer of wood and soil, the second layer of plants and leaves, the third with compost, and on top, a layer of garden soil.
Making Uilenstede more ‘gezellig’
The land is owned by the municipality of Amstelveen, which allows the temporary use of public space as long as materials can be removed if needed. While the housing cooperative DUWO and the VBO are not yet financially involved, the project has gained support from volunteers and the Green Office. The project is open to everyone, Alejandro emphasizes. “We don’t only think about students, but also about people working at Uilenstede and families living here. That makes this initiative an opportunity to engage different communities with nature and each other.” That’s also the idea of volunteer Omri Kornfeld, who is trying to help the residents at Uilenstede make it more gezellig.
In February 2025, Alejandro presented the idea at the pitch event KickAss and was rewarded with a €2,500 budget to work with. Though progress stalled briefly, enthusiastic volunteers have since revived it. “The idea is that eventually an income can be created from the crops,” says Rotem Carmi. He was involved in the project from early on through his job as a placemaker—someone who focuses on creating pleasant neighborhoods and fostering connections between people. “During the weekends or on holidays it can get lonely on the campus, but with this community garden, we want to contribute to more life on the campus.”
Experiences from Bogota
Born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, Alejandro was surrounded by sustainable projects. He experienced an epiphany when visiting wetlands. “It was so peaceful. In the middle of a chaotic city, such a quiet place. I felt part of a whole ecosystem,” Alejandro reflects. Before arriving in the Netherlands, he had already worked with worm compost for six years and built a mini worm hotel behind his house in Bogota. As soon as he began studying political science at the VU, he wanted to get involved in sustainability projects in Amsterdam too. Alejandro applied as a board member of the student association Green Office and got hired as Campus Operations Officer in August 2025. He looks forward to seeing the community garden flourish.
