The Green Net began on May 25, 2019 at an AfrikaVuka event in Shelly Beach, with stalls providing information about local environmental issues and showcasing local eco-friendly products.
Throughout the following months we met, discussed, debated and defined what, why and who we were. We defined our hopes and aspirations, solidified our vision and mission, and registered as a non-profit company.
February 29, 2020 – it was a leap year – was a day of high hopes when we held a fabulous launch event at the Sanctuary of Love in Melville. Wonderful friends, family and interested locals joined us for a day of high-level talks, interesting concepts, demonstrations and joyful music.
During Covid-19 lockdown (which began the month after our launch) we supplied compost, seeds and seedlings to over 100 households in Louisiana, as well as residents of Umzinto, homeless communities, old age homes and rehab centres.
Four years on, we have grown immensely. Our network (‘net’) now includes residents’ associations, NGOs, conservancies and other environmental bodies, environmental scientists and entrepreneurs, tourism associations, schools and governmental departments. Our current projects focus on forest and river rehabilitation and protection, ocean health, event greening, organic food growing and ecotourism.
As we celebrate our birthday this February 29 (is it our fourth or first?), we hold true to our vision of ‘a world in complete balance and harmony, in which humanity nurtures and enhances our natural environment, treating all life with respect’, and look forward to continuing this journey with you.
The Green Net has mostly been self-funded, with our only ‘product’ to date being the biodiversity calendar, which provides information about beneficial indigenous plants and problematic invasive aliens.
It is available at R150 from these supportive distributors: Pennington beach café, Folly Fields Nursery, Tweni Mini Market, Good Health Shop, Froggy Pond Nursery, The Bloom Pot Nursery, Munster Motor Museum and Vuka Valley. We encourage garden services, body corporates, schools and anyone with a garden, to support our efforts by buying a calendar and/or making a donation.
Fundraisers are invited to get involved on a commission basis and we need help with online communication such as our website and social media. Contact Helen on 084 9872018, Joan 083 2667953 or Chris 079 5068816.
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