In 1970, US Senator Gaylord Nelson promoted the establishment of a day to create common awareness about the problems of overpopulation, pollution, biodiversity conservation, and other environmental concerns to protect the Earth. That day would be called Earth Day, for its sonorous rhyme with Birthday, and thus, homage would be paid to our planet and the importance of caring for and protecting it would be kept alive.
We take advantage of the fact that this Thursday, April 22, Earth Day and a climate summit promoted by the US have been celebrated to discover the project Creadoras de Bosques (Forest Creators), an initiative created in Barcelona by women, which seeks to reconnect society with nature, betting on the creation of native forest mass. "We believe that the first step to being more reconnected is to be in contact with plants. We have a connection with nature without realizing it: for example, when we worry about whether they have brown leaves or are wilting," says the project's founder, Sílvia Royo. Reconnecting with something very much our own: returning to the origin. Why not get truly involved by planting your own tree?
To materialize this return to green, their commitment is based on different very powerful initiatives in which we can all participate, either from our homes on our balconies or going outdoors. "We work with native species because we know how important the correct balance is for the ecosystem and we use seeds and trees from the Mediterranean Climate, present throughout the Iberian Peninsula." With this maxim, their initiatives branch out into various axes, such as eco-products, Green campaigns, and experiences.
We work with native species because we know how important the correct balance is for the ecosystem and we use seeds and trees from the Mediterranean climate, present throughout the Iberian PeninsulaThus we can find, in addition to trees, the creator capsules and the super seeds, both formed by material from the three strata necessary for their survival ---herbaceous, shrubby, and arboreal---, which can either become a thank-you card or a gift for wedding guests, as they were presented at the 2019 Wedding Market, which was a success. Also, Green Campaigns involve actions carried out in collaboration with responsible brands; the possibility of planting aForest with Name, where a company or an individual can be benefactors of reforesting an area, always within the Iberian Peninsula, or the plan for city councils like Barcelona's,This spring they bring nature home to you, an action with whichdistribute creative capsules to paint balconies with flowers. Finally, they offer experiences that include workshops for creating super seeds with the Japanese cultivation techniqueNendo Dango, for schools or events; participate in a planting, or host a tree at home until it can be planted in a public park where it can be visited. "If Barcelona's sky is gray, may the ground be green," Sílvia tells us as a longing.
If Barcelona's sky is gray, may the ground be greenWhen Jules Michelet in his bookThe Sorceressof 1862 described the birth of thatwitch, spoke of a woman who, by dint of having to stay alone in the house, learned from her natural environment, the field and the forest, and from the knowledge that other women had of it. Here in Catalonia, there is the tradition of thetrementinaires, an occupation based on popular female wisdom passed down through generations, which consisted of making natural products with healing properties from, among other forest elements, turpentine. "Wewe pursue the empowerment of women on the path of returning to their origin, where contact with forests, their wisdom and medicine, were part of their own life."
There is something very interesting in the way Creadoras de Bosques works, completely aligned with its philosophy, which is having a Council of Wise Women: a group formed by two women over 60, two over 35, and two over 20, with whom actions are agreed upon to benefit from the richness of different viewpoints offered by age. The sorority of female leadership and learning from experience: "We are women creating the green world we want. You, too, are a creator, you just have to believe it."
In their latest campaign, Re-Naturalízate, they are looking to create a community of responsible brands that share values and whose common goal is their commitment to the environment. Products are thus accompanied by mini envelopes filled with native wild seeds of ecological interest. And the list of names joining the movement continues to grow.
When Lélia Deluiz Wanick Salgado, the wife of photographer Sebastiao Salgado, saw him so sad to see that the tropical forest he remembered had turned into a desert, she proposed the brilliant idea of replanting the forest. 20 years later, they have planted four million trees, and have not only recovered the environment but its entire ecosystem. We too can contribute to a greener world and thanks to women like those behind Creadoras de Bosques, believe that we can create.
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