organicgardener.com.au^19
O
rganicsandsustainabilityhavebeenpartofmy
existenceforaslongasI canremember.It has
beena privilegetohavebeenabletosharemy
experienceswiththereadersofOrganicGardener, whether
viathemagazine,books,websitesandonsocialmedia
forsomanyyears.I lovethefactthatI alwaysknowthat
everythingwritteninthemagis checkedandre-checked
foraccuracy,butmoreimportantlyinthisincreasingly
commercialworld,it alwayshasa stronglyethicalbase.
It’sgreattobepartofthewiderOrganicGardener
community,andI lovethewayourreaders,and
gardenersmoregenerally,arerespectfulofeachother,
emotionallyandintellectually,andgenerousinsharing
ideas,plantsandfoodandcreatingcommunities
aroundsharedexperiences.I thinkthisalsoextendsinto
thewiderorganiccommunity,withorganicfarmers
andotherorganiccompaniesnotonlyprotectingthe
environmentbutalsohavinga strongsocialconscience,
caringfortheirstaffandsurroundingcommunities.Theworldfeelslikea scaryplaceatthemoment,with
inactionfromourowngovernmentandothersaroundthe
world.Asa botanist,I despairatthelossofenvironmental
diversity,butalsoofourheirloomandheritagevegetable
andfruittrees.I alsofirmlybelievethereis hope.There
aregoodpeopleeverywheretryingtomakea difference,
andasgardenersweareverymuchpartofthat.
Workingtogetherwecancreatechange.Weneedto
gardenorganicallyandsustainably,workatimproving
thecarboncapturedinoursoils,makecompost,have
wormfarms,plantforfoodandpollination,provide
homesforbeesandotherinsects,birds,spidersandmore.
Thereis somuchwecandolocallytoeffectchange.And
whenwe’vedonethat,weneedtosignpetitions,getout
anddemonstrate,writeletters,showourpoliticiansand
businessleadershowmuchwecareaboutpeople,plants,
animals,insectsandthenaturalworldthatsustainsusall.
Thefollowingeditedandupdatedstorywaswritten
16 yearsago.I hopeyoustillfindit relevanttoday.Pa t o t fami
PennyWoodwardreflectsonbeingpartofthe organiccommunity
andmorethan 16 yearsas acontributorto OrganicGardener.Plus,
We’vegoneintothe archivesforherfirst-evercolumn.celebrating
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PHOTO: DAN COATES