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JOY PHALA’S (ORGANIC) GREEN ROUTE OY Phala is an urban gardener and founder of Organic Kitchen Gardens, a company that designs, installs and maintains herb and vegetable gardens in urban spaces. She is passionate about healthy eating and sustainable food production.

“One of my favourite health stores is Fresh Earth Food in Emmarentia. It provides a range of organic healthy foods and earth-friendly products. There’s a beautiful vegetarian buffet daily in the restaurant and the ginger-apple freshly pressed juice is a necessity when I visit.

“When it comes to environmental stewardship, nature conservation plays a key role. My family and I love to walk the grounds of Walter Sisulu and Johannesburg Botanical Gardens.

“The rose garden at Johannesburg Botanical Gardens is sensational and Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens is my spot for plant material eye-candy. It has a vast range of indigenous and exotic plants and its spectacular waterfalls feed in to the Crocodile River.

“If there was ever a way to my heart, garden-to-table is definitely one of them. The Leafy Greens café in Muldersdrift is a lovely spot to escape the city buzz and enjoy some delicious garden-fresh cuisine.

“The Peech Hotel in Melrose is a good example of chic sustainability. A beautifully designed space, the hotel has an onsite composting system, a vegetable and herb garden for use in their kitchen, solar energy throughout the property and water bottling on site.”