Hosted by ethical retailer Faithful to Nature, the inaugural Force of Nature event was streamed live earlier this month, providing a platform for women at the forefront of environmental conservation to share insights on the state of the planet, environmental sustainability and what can be done to save the environment in a South African context.
Speakers included Xoli Fuyani, environmental education project manager at Earthchild Project; Yola Mgogwana, a high school student and activist; Aaniyah Omardien, the founder and director of The Beach Co-op; and Faithful to Nature’s founder and director, Robyn Smith. Kia Johnson, an ambassador for the World Wildlife Fund SA (WWFSA), acted as master of ceremonies.
As the event organiser, Faithful to Nature itself is already implementing various ways to tackle the green economy – vetting each ingredient in every product offered and advocating for plastic-free products. Says ethical consumption pioneer Smith, “Given the right environment, the right conditions, and most importantly the right information, people would choose to buy products that were better for the environment and were not harmful to others.”
Climate crisis
Mgogwana became an activist for environmental change at just 10 years old. Now, three years later, she continues to learn about climate change and global warming and shares this information with the world. “People don’t see and realise there’s a crisis, but I know because I have seen it,” she says. “I am already living in the future that many environmentalists fear.”
Aaniyah Omardien, whose core goal is protecting the marine environment, spent her time on stage at the V&A Amphitheatre encouraging everyone to get involved by joining her Beach Co-Op and help clean our beautiful beaches and learn more about biodiversity.
Xoli Fuyani was excited to join the Earthchild Project after learning that they will be working with schools in Khayelitsha, where she grew up. “One of the philosophies at Earthchild Project is that we are not separated from nature, and the way to cultivate this love and respect for Earth is to fall in love with yourself. Once you fall in love with yourself, it becomes really easy to fall in love with the natural world.”
“By organising events such as Force of Nature, we would like to push ourselves (and others) to inspire change in people by providing knowledge on issues affecting the environment. We hope to reach many and bring light to environmental issues affecting South Africans,” concluded Smith.
