Did you know that digging, dancing, fixing, fencing, painting, planting and feasting are all important ways to help our planet reduce Carbon Dioxide levels in the atmosphere? Well, the Bugs of the Midlands Meander Education Project do, and on Sunday 10/10/10 we joined millions of people around the globe with the same idea. All determined to get CO2 levels back down to 350parts per million (where we need to be, to prevent runaway climate change).
In Mpophomeni, with 30 volunteers, we created a bug-friendly food and medicine garden at the home of Lindiwe Mkhize in Impala Road. Amidst the music and magic, a message encouraging everyone to work together to cut our carbon emissions by 10% this year was shared. The Enviro-Club kids collected and sorted litter for recycling and turned big tomato tins into herb planters, the girls painted a big red heart on the front door while Mr Gwamande, Mr Mtambo and Mr Lipheyana erected goat and chicken proof fences. Felix (from Nigeria) and Éidín planted medicinal herbs, Steve and Gram (from Zimbabwe) helped Ntombenhle make a vegetable garden, Thulane and Xolani planted indigenous trees, Nkanyiso, Happy and Nana created a wildlife friendly garden. Lindiwe kept everyone topped up with fresh, cold water, Laila brewed herbal teas in the sunstoves and Woolworths provided sandwiches for lunch. Lwazi was very excited to find a newly laid egg in the hedge and popped it into the sunstove to cook. We all learnt about food miles and living locally and how to turn a tin can into something to be treasured.
The whole of the Midlands joined the efforts - donating veggie seedlings and indigenous plants (Grapevine, Adamshurst, Finchley’s, The Indigenous Nursery, McDonalds Dunrobin and Peter’s Gate), fencing (TWK, F&F, Old Kilgobbin Farm), compost (Davin and Liz Taylor), gutters (Erich of Midlands Gutters), a water tank (Simply Sam) - to begin to build resilience in this community. Thank you so much for your support of this effort. It matters deeply. Across communities people came together, focused on a world where life can thrive, hoping for a future that works, hoping for leaders that lead, hoping that this movement will keep growing until it’s strong enough to change the world.
“I can’t believe how lucky I am, because I love the environment so much.” said Lindiwe, “Now I will share my garden with more bees, birds and butterflies and also share organic vegetables with my neighbours.”
Together we really can do this. We just started. www.350.org www.mmaep.co.za