GREENPOP EDEN FESTIVAL OF ACTION 2021.
What an incredible week! It’s taken me a few days to do this post as, well, I’m struggling to find the words to describe it!
Incredible. Amazing. Relaxing. Inspiring. Educating. Soul rejuvenating. Fun. Beautiful. Natural. Perfect.
Thanks to Misha and Lauren, and ALL the Greenpop crew (don’t want to name them all and risk missing someone)! What a special group of souls who made us all feel at home. Make us feel safe. “We have planted more than 150,000 trees over the last 11 years, but what makes me more excited than the trees are the thousands of hands that have helped us plant them.” – Misha Teasdale
The venue. Wild Spirit Backpackers Lodge. I’m sorry but there really are NO WORDS to describe how beautiful this place is! I’m hoping my pictures will give you SOME idea! Thank you to Ola, Jenny and Earl who are the custodians of Khoinania – the land upon which Wild Spirit Backpackers Lodge is built.
We were privileged to plant 500 trees at the Heartland School of Self-Sufficiency and another 580 trees at the Khoinania Reforestation Project. I want to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who sponsored a tree (or 20) and who helped get me to Eden! I want you all to know what a privilege it was for me to plant those trees on your behalf. Each one was special. I will be sending you all the photos of your trees being planted this week. But I just want to say again THANK YOU to you all!!
The food. Wow! Honestly I was a little worried about going completely Vegan for a week, but I must admit that I was truly impressed by the yummy foods that Jemma Kruger and her team at Quintessence Foods made for us! They created delicious plant-based meals with products and ingredients from: AGT Foods Retail Division, Thyme and Again Farm Stall, Pesto Princess, ButtaNutt Tree Nut Spreads, Soaring Free Superfoods, Eureka Mills and Herbiraw. And let’s not forget Arise Coffee for making us feel human every morning!
Thanks also to Nomad Adventure Tours – Africa for helping us get to the various sites and beach etc and to and from the bus stop! What a monster of an overlander!!
In South Africa, invasive alien plants are a major threat to biodiversity, human livelihoods and economic development. These plants, which are non-native to our local ecosystems, tend to outcompete local species, negatively affect water availability, and increase the risk of wildfires. So during the festival we spent one of the days helping to deal with this problem by doing invasive alien plant clearing. Was incredible to work in the forest as a team and by reducing the number of invasive alien plants on a site we can help promote natural forest regeneration and make space for indigenous trees to be planted where necessary.
We also had the privilege of learning from Claire Janish, the founder of Biomimicry South Africa and the CEO of Learn Biomimicry as she hosted a walk and workshop at the Eden Festival of Action. As a Certified Biomimicry Professional, Claire spends her time exploring nature’s genius in diverse ecosystems and shares this new way of viewing and valuing nature through biomimicry expeditions and coaching.
If you are interested in learning more about Biomimicry, visit www.learnbiomimicry.com/a/22827/vgs4orbw
The magical world of mushrooms!!
We got to hear from the incredible Scone as he shared his knowledge of mycology during a walk and talk workshop. We searched the forest for some species, discussed them in their natural setting, and learnt about some of the practical applications of mushrooms. Want to learn more about Scone and the amazing packaging and other products they are working on using mushrooms, visit www.mycominded.co.za
Roxanne Joubert from Lady of the Herbs held a workshop and taught us all about the medicinal and practical applications of herbs and plants. You can see her range of products here:
Last but certainly not least, I want to thank my SAF team, my crew, my family, my support structure: Joshua (My BF, my rock), Tanya (my mom, my best friend) and Jamie (the Jam-Jam, my sister, my supporter) for joining me on this epic adventure!! This trip would not have been the same without you!!
To all the new friends I made. To the old friends I saw again. To the adventures we had on site, off site, around the campfire, in the forest, I thank you all! From sleeping in a tent, cold showers and compost toilets to hoolla-hooping mishaps, morning circle and breathtaking views, from quiz nights and talent shows to parties in the forest and fire-dancing… I miss it all already and I can’t wait for next year to do it all again!!
