September 2023 Newsletter
At EMA, we champion actionable solutions. Words mean little unless we follow them with consistent action. On the other hand, we relate with individuals who feel overwhelmed by our many environmental issues. Thankfully, taking individual action as part of the collective impact can help ease climate anxiety.
That's why we're happy to share a resource where individuals can learn nature skills from leading minds. Earthed is the nature skills platform where you learn to grow! We spoke with the Co-Founding Director of Earthed, Christabel Reed, about the site and how people can make the most of its incredible information.
What is Earthed, and how did it come to fruition?
Earthed is a nature skills platform for a global community learning to grow. It's here for everyone who wants to restore the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we farm, and the food we eat. The platform hopes to ignite imaginations and empower real-world action through practical education to restore ecosystems, revitalize communities, and regenerate local economies.
Earthed is a charity (part of Initiative Earth) that my sister (Christabel and Ruby Reed), our old friend Cara Delevingne, and I set up. After working on our first climate action campaign, EcoResolution, we realized that while ecological awareness is essential, we need to build the mechanisms that enable people to transition from awareness into action to create futures where humans and nature can thrive in harmony.
As a team, we fell in love with the transformative potential of ecosystem restoration and set out to build a go-to platform for anyone who wants to restore nature and learn to grow. On the platform, members donate what they feel to access high-quality nature skills courses, community forums and live events.
The donations then support Earthed, the Earthed Teachers, and their projects, and, as Earthed grows, the creation of an Action Fund from which members can access the funds they need to start and scale their local projects.
In essence, Earthed is removing the obstacles preventing a mass-mobilized, peer-driven ecosystem restoration movement: access to skills, networks, and funds.
Is Earthed accessible for someone with little to no ecological knowledge or for people looking to expand their skills?
Earthed is for everyone! We have courses for every level of learner, with a wide range of teachers and locations to learn from. Whether you organize a community clean-up of your nearby river, support your neighborhood farmer's market, grow tomatoes on your balcony, or want to start a permaculture farm from scratch, Earthed courses are designed to enable everyone to be part of helping ecosystems thrive.
We also know that many people need more time or skills to engage in ecosystem restoration, but you don't have to quit your job and go off-grid to reconnect with nature (although you're welcome to!). All our courses are one hour long and are on demand, so they fit around your life at a pace that suits you.
Even if you're not quite ready to start growing and restoring, Earthed is also a great way to connect with local and global nature learners and start sharing your ideas, questions, experience, and encouragement.
I'm taking the Food Forests with Manisha Lath Gupta course because I find permaculture fascinating! What is your favorite video so far?
Manisha's course is amazing. Filmed at Aanandaa Permaculture Farm, it's incredible how a previously empty plot of land has transformed into such a wealth of biodiversity and abundance. It's hard for me to pick a favorite because each teacher brings a unique approach and personal passion for their project and location.
Right now, my favorite is Building Biodiverse Gardens with Mitch McCulloch. Filmed in an area of land the size of an average UK garden, this beautiful course offers so many exceptional practices, tips, and tricks that go into supporting wildlife and pollinators, bringing more biodiverse plant species into your garden, and even diversifying the varieties of fruit and vegetables you're growing. I recommend it to anyone with a small garden or access to a patch of land who wants to plant in a way that produces abundant and exciting produce while supporting the local ecosystem and wildlife nearby.
