CROCO
A collaborative compost material sourcing service in Croydon promoting low-nutrient runoff urban gardening practices
Skills I used
Project Management
service design
Croco is a service designed to tackle the nutrient runoff challenge in Croydon, home of many urban gardens, where the use of chemical fertiliser components, contributing to harmful algal blooms, threatens marine ecosystems.
Recognising the crucial need for responsible growing practices to counteract this issue, Croco introduces a solution that simultaneously boosts compost production and promotes no-dig urban farming, which is a method minimising runoffs.
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By establishing a symbiotic connection between households and Croydon's no-dig urban growing farms, Croco incentivises residents to submit quality compost materials, which is essential for ‘no-dig’ growing, through a token-based reward system. This innovative approach not only helps the borough minimise its harmful runoff but also reduces the burden on Croydon's limited composting facilities. Through this initiative, Croydon has the opportunity to set a pioneering example of community engagement and environmental stewardship while supporting a conscious urban agriculture scene.
Note: This project was worked on by a team of 5 designers from the RCA. My role was to reach out to potential stakeholders, conduct the user research and its synthesis, manage the project, animate the explanation of what 'no-dig' is and write the script for the video.