by Ciara Shaye Seaman
This Easter weekend, 29 March to 1 April, Greenpop will be hosting their 12th annual Reforest Fest at Bodhi Khaya Nature Retreat near Gansbaai. As a festival dedicated to the sustainable restoration of South Africa’s coastal thickets and afromontane forests, they focus on empowering environmental stewards by hosting a weekend filled with exciting activities that promote eco-conscious habits.
Greenpop is a non-profit social enterprise that began their mission to restore ecosystems and encourage the environmentally-minded in 2010. Their efforts span Sub-Saharan Africa with South Africa, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania all experiencing the benefits of their Miyawaki method-based practices. This approach to reforestation promotes a sustainable rebuttal to the presence of harmful alien species in forests by planting solely indigenous trees that thrive harmoniously in their ecosystem.
The journey of Reforest Fest and Greenpop has brought them to plant 125 000 trees at Bodhi Khaya Nature Retreat via this project alone. This year, they are excited to plant 5 000 trees during the festival and span beyond the heart of the Platbos Forest Reserve into three surrounding conservation properties in the Overberg Valley. They accredit large amounts of their success to the passionate volunteers who have participated over the years, allowing them to reach acclaim as the largest citizen-lead restoration festival in Africa.
A large part of the festival’s appeal is Greenpop’s eagerness to ensure an enjoyable time is had by all. With activities and adventures available for all age groups, the weekend is busy with exciting opportunities to learn how to be eco-conscious in sustainable and fun ways. They host workshops and plan wellness activities focused on how conservation can be achieved in daily life without eco-anxiety. Even better is their pursuit of the true “fezzie” atmosphere with live music from DJs, a headlining performance from Greenpop co-founder, Jeremy Loops, and an appearance form the Nomadic Orchestra, which is sure to get one dancing like Coachella just became eco-friendly.
As Stellenbosch University (SU) students, it can often feel like environmental conservation is a burden best ignored but Reforest Fest is eager to portray all the ways staying green can be fun and rewarding. With plant-based food vendors like Veld and Sea, or renowned chef Bridget Bartleman from Kolossal Hospitality handling their much-anticipated Sunday Harvest Feast, there are multiple avenues to discover the joys of eco-friendly lifestyle habits. They even have wine tastings at the World Wide Fund for Nature’s (WWF) Conservation Wine Tent—ideal for the Matie inclinations—to ensure a multifaceted weekend of environmental empowerment can be had by all.
