10 QUESTIONS WITH…

As the Eden Project in Cornwall celebrates its 20th anniversary, we catch up with the visionary behind the world’s largest indoor rainforest

Tim Smit, the environmentalist and visionary behind the Eden Project, the world’s largest indoor rainforest

1

What was the genesis of the Eden Project?

I wanted to excite people about plants: without them, there’s no life on earth. I imagined a lost civilisation in the crater of a volcano, where a god had pulled together the productive plants of the world to inspire awe. I chose a clay pit because I wanted to show that you could create life where there was none. The result was a love child between an Aesop’s fable and science.

2

Have you always been into plants?

My granny had a walled garden in Cheshire, but I knew nothing about gardening – I used to work in the music industry in London. On holiday in Cornwall in the late Eighties, I ducked into an estate agents to shelter from the rain – I ended up buying a house and moving there. Two years later, I came across some abandoned gardens near St Austell. I started pruning and never stopped. That became The Lost Gardens of Heligan [Europe’s biggest garden restoration].

3

Now, you have projects across the world…

Each one is about restoring the land. In Costa Rica, we’ve transformed 10,000 acres of degraded farmland into rainforest. Where there was drought, now four rivers run. And in Morecambe, we’re planning to build five mussel-shaped biodomes on a derelict seafront, reimagining the Lancashire town as a modern resort.

4

Has the novelty of Eden worn off yet?

Definitely not for me. Even today, when I walk through the biomes in Cornwall, I feel massively energised. About a million people visit the Project every year and, for many, it is a place in their heart as much as a destination. I want people to realise the world is interconnected.

5

Your highlights of the past two decades?

On 17 March 2001, 2,000 of us gathered in the rainforest biome for the opening. Bishop Bill Ind, then Bishop of Truro, gave a blessing; the builders all went misty-eyed. Since then, the Queen and several politicians have come to visit, but one of my most treasured memories is hosting Live 8: Africa Calling in 2005. Peter Gabriel and I planned the whole thing in 17 days, raising more than £1 million. It was amazing – although two staff members fell out over who’d drive Angelina Jolie to the stage. 6 What’s still on the to-do list?

Eden is in the midst of radical change. We’re making our water systems circular and will grow fish and prawns within them. Our greenhouses, meanwhile, will grow 40 per cent of the vegetables, salads, herbs and spices we sell on site. Plus, after ten years of planning, our geothermal plant is in action. A drill goes 4.7 kilometres towards the centre of the earth, unlocking energy from the rock and creating enough hot water to heat our greenhouses and generate electricity. We want all our visitors to be carbon negative, even if they’ve travelled from Venus.

7

But can we really save Planet Earth?

Through geothermal technology, Cornwall alone could generate enough energy to power 20 per cent of Britain, so, if we are not clear of fossil fuels by 2030, I will be astonished. Don’t listen to those telling you we’re doomed; we’re not. We can find ways to solve the problems. Increasing biodiversity is a good place to start.

8

Environmentalist or entrepreneur: which are you?

I’ve been describing myself as an environmentalist for years. Until recently, that term was perceived as anti-business, but I believe in the power of commerce to liberate. You could call what I do pragmatism with a heart or social enterprise, but I am a capitalist. We’re about to see huge revolutions in business. I’ve spoken to countless CEOS who are changing their policies because they don’t want to be berated by their children over the environment.

9

How can Eden empower the next generation?

For a few years now, we’ve been offering degrees. In Holland, where I was born, gardeners are equal to doctors. At Eden, we want to teach students how to become entrepreneurs as well as about horticulture.

10

Your top tip for other budding entrepreneurs?

Magic is created by meeting people you didn’t know you needed to meet. My calendar is filled with events no sensible person would attend because I make a point of accepting every third invitation. It often pays dividends. For instance, in 1998, I was invited to give a talk in a Nissen hut in Somerset. It was 180 miles away, but I went. Three months later, the European Commission was allocating its budget. We weren’t on the list, but the chairman of Somerset County Council, due to receive money, had been at my talk and dropped a project to enable the Eden Project to go ahead. That talk was worth £12.7m.

“I wanted to show that you could create life where there was none. The result was a love child between an Aesop’s fable and science”