Festival of Action ends on a high note
With more than 4 000 trees planted, almost 6 000sq m of alien vegetation cleared, three murals painted, and 265 participants and volunteers getting their hands dirty during Greenpop’s three-week Eden Festival of Action, there can only be one way to end it all off – an explosive celebratory music evening.
The past three weeks have seen Greenpop spearhead their inaugural festival in the Garden Route: an endeavour which has culminated in a roaring success, with thousands of trees planted by hundreds of active citizens from all over the country – and the world.
Operating from the Peace of Eden Vegan Lodge in Rheenendal, the festival’s sites of action were spread throughout the surrounding areas impacted by the fires that ravaged Eden district in June 2017.
Music as a way in
For Peace of Eden owner Howard Butcher it was an obvious choice to host the festival as, from the advent of Peace of Eden his family has always embraced the environment and has always tried to support and engage with anyone or any organisation aimed at saving the environment. “It’s like what Jeremy Loops is doing – using music to draw attention to serious issues,” said Butcher.
Festival participants really got into the Greenpop vibe over the three weeks as well, he said, and the amount of water used was a lot less than expected. “Everyone really did their part to save water,” he added.
An ongoing music programme was run throughout the festival, culminating in an original track that includes collaborations with Jeremy Loops, The Steezies, and Crosscurrent, as well as a number of musically inclined team members and participants. The final product will be released soon, along with a music video shot on site.
Concert of note
On Saturday 14 July, multiple SAMA awardwinning acoustic guitarist Tony Cox was the main attraction, with the audience entranced by his unique style of playing and deeply melancholic voice.
Along with Cox were some local talents on the decks, like DJ Pure aka Patrick Louw, and General Man who entertained the crowd with some mellow music, setting the tone for Cox and The Steezies to take to the stage later that evening. The Steezies with their Afro-ish/funk-ish/ indie-ish vibe had the crowd up on their feet after Cox’s intense session on stage.
The primary goal of the festival was to cultivate community connections and initiate mass positive environmental impact in the region through as many aspects as possible – including indigenous reforestation and alien vegetation clearing, eco-education workshops, and mural painting.
These Greenpop folk are not just a bunch of free-loving hippies talking big about how to save the environment – they are greenies who get involved, get stuck in, and get things done.
Misha Teasdale, CEO of Greenpop, said the festival has been a beautiful coming together of creative and inspired individuals from around the country who came to add their energy to a much-needed cause. “What’s beautiful about it for me is the fact that we are ultimately allowing for a process to kick-start individuals into feeling they can become game-changers and make big things happen, not just in Eden,” he said.
Want to know more?
For further information and to find out about next year’s ‘s festival, go to www. greenpop.org, phone 021 461 9265, or email info@greenpop.org.