Earth Owl founder questions future we’re leaving for next generation

Roche Pepler, who founded the sustainable vegetable plantation Earth Owl, has long been known in the community for her love of nature and passion for living in harmony with the earth.

But beyond planting seeds in the soil, she is planting questions in people’s hearts – questions about the future and what kind of world we are leaving for the next generation.

When asked if she wants children, Roche admits that her answer is never simple.

“It isn’t that I don’t love the idea of little hands reaching for mine or the sound of laughter filling the home,” she reflects.

“It’s that when I look at the world today, I cannot answer without thinking of tomorrow.”

Her concern is not unfounded. By 2050, researchers warn that plastic in our oceans could outweigh fish. Already, more than 11m tons of plastic find their way into the sea each year, threatening marine life and seeping into the food chain. With 90% of the world’s fisheries overfished or at their limit, and fertile soil increasingly poisoned or depleted, the outlook is sobering.

“Bringing a child into this world is more than just a personal choice. It’s a promise to give them a fair chance at life. And right now, I fear we are setting children up not for flourishing, but for struggle,” she says.

Yet Roche’s words are not without hope. She dreams of a world where rivers run clean, oceans teem with life instead of plastic, and skies are clear enough for children to lift their eyes upward in wonder. She believes change is still possible if enough people choose to live differently, care fiercely, and act boldly.

“The Earth is not lost. It breathes, it aches, it calls out for us to remember what we were given. And if we answer, perhaps 2050 will not be a story of despair, but one of redemption,” she reminds us.

For Roche, the question has never been a simple “yes” or “no” to children. It has always been: What kind of world will I give them? And until the answer is clear, she will continue working through Earth Owl to protect what matters most, offering future generations, human or otherwise, a fair chance at life.