organicgardener.com.au^75
ORGANIC VESTON
But what I was trying to get at was a perspective where we
look at the day to day for what it’s worth and be in that day
to day and not be sold a kind of “everything will be better
when”. Because everything is better now when you are just
doing and involved in the real, practical side of contributing,
engaging, and making time to see your links with the people
around you, not just your family, but your broader community.
Wedohaveawonderfulworldaroundusandit’sgoodnow.
Q
:Howdoyouthinkyouaregoingwithchanging
thatperspective?A
:OneofthethingsIwantedtodowasreallydrivethat
familyandcommunity,andconnectionwithchildrenand
familyinthebiggerpicture.SoIfeellikethemomentumjust
keepsonbuilding–ateventsI’veattendedrecentlythere
havebeensomanyfamilieswithchildrenandIthinkofallthe
workthat’sbeingdonebyearlychildhoodengagementand
education,andschoolsandschoolgardens.Ifeellikethe
momentumisgettingstronger–andthatmomentumalso
comeswiththebiggerpublicprofile,likeourprofileatthe
recentLogieAwards.Butthat’sallstepbystep;ithasn’t
happenedbecauseofonemoment.It’sreallytheprocess
ofalotoflittlesteps,liketheworkpeoplehaveputinto
schoolandcommunitygardensoverthelast10–15years.
Thatimpactandreachhasfertilisedrealtraction.
Q
:Youareoutthere,talkingwithgardeners,
children,etc—what’sthefeelingaboutthe
futureoftheplanet?
:Mythoughtisthatwehavetobeconsciousthatwecan’t
liveintheurgencyspace–thereisurgencyandIdon’tdeny
that–butwecan’timmersepeopleinurgencyallthetime,
becausethenthey’lljustbedeflatedandfeeldisempowered.
Oneofthemostexcitingthingsformeiswhenpeopleseea
storywedoorreadanarticleinamagazine,andtakesome
actionandsaywe’renowdoingthiswithourfamily;weplanted
awholelotofbeneficialplantsorwe’vemadeabughotelfor
nativebees.It’sthoselittle,practicalthingsthatareableto
taketheurgencyandturnitintoreal,activechange.And,go
ahead,callit‘activism’,becauseit’speoplegetting‘active’.Alot
ofpeopleimmediatelyassociateactivismwithbeingsome
extremedisturbance,butpeoplearedisturbingthestatusquo
becausethey’redoingthings;they’reactivelyengagedwiththe
worldaroundthem.Andthat,forme,isanencouragingthing.
Q
:Howdoyougivepeoplethatfeelingofpower
andthattheyhavethecapacitytotakeaction?
: One of the most constructive things people can do, and
this is where I see the positive side of social media and
all of the digital connected world we live in, is that we can
amplify good stories, and put them through a prism of, not
just blind optimism, but real, quantifiable action. If we amplify
that and motivate people to realise they have real change-
making capacity, then they become a role model without
having to put a role model hat on, just by doing and living,
and exercising sustainable practices.Q
: Your verge garden is renowned, both in your own
suburb and across the nation because it’s been
shownonABCGardeningAustralia—howdiditstart?
: Because we were making it on television I couldn’t
guerilla it. So I had to go through all the steps and the
processes. I had to be totally transparent, putting it through
all of the local requirements of the council. In doing that, it
meant I could confront those guidelines and policy issues
that hadn’t necessarily moved with the times and was able to
help craft and influence some change, which is now used by
other people to provide a building block for their own
councils. The flow-on effects have been very positive.Q:Whatdoeslivinganorganiclifemeantoyou?
: To me, it’s about slowly taking responsibility for not only
the things you bring into your life but the consequences of
choosing or purchasing those things. When we do that,
rather than fighting a system that exists, we create the
alternative and we back them with our dollar – we
underestimate exactly how far reaching our actions are by
what we buy. To me living an organic life is becoming part of a
regenerative generation, where our actions and our choices
regenerate the planet, not degenerate it.Q
:You seem to have an endless supply of energy,
whatrestoresyouwhenthebatteriesarelow?
: Lots of different things. Nothing restores me better than
having a swim at the beach. I also love walking and bicycle
riding. Probably the other thing that restores me, without
question, is just losing time in the garden. You know, thinking
I’ll just go down and check on something and then suddenly
45 minutes has gone – I find that stopping of time in the
garden is the ultimate regenerator for me.You lok at he world aun yo
and just go, wha te nd of h
day is t h makes you w p?
And for me, it’s ju peol and ur
chane to g a ny ive pot.