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ro Binnale 13th 2019Everyone here is Connected
This film begins with the premise that in the Eastern Mediterranean & MENA region, the
effects of a changing climate are already being felt on a daily basis, through enhanced heat-
waves, extreme water-related weather events, air quality deterioration—just as the wounds
of our parching landscapes are also becoming increasingly visible. This region is faced with
more accelerated environmental challenges—and extreme predictions for the future—than
any other part of the world. Our interconnected challenges need interconnected solutions.
And there ARE solutions. Solutions that go beyond sustainability. This region, this ‘East’ of
ours, is a world of possibility—an area still rooted in tradition, but overflowing with creative
ideas and emerging ecological innovations, that hold the answers to the world’s problems.
(EVERYONE HERE IS CONNECTED) is not about the enormity or the complexity of the chal-
lenges we face. It is an acknowledgement of those truly genuine and exceptional individuals
throughout our region who are working on the ground in the ‘culture of the earth’, or within
academia and scientific institutions, to bring these possibilities to all of us. Some were born
here, and others were not, some work to survive, some research to find new answers. But
they all work with the same home-grown and mindful dedication to making a difference,
and to ensuring the future well-being of the lives of people of this region; to restore its
over-extended resources, to grow nutrient-dense food, to repair the natural function of our
environmental systems and reverse desertification. And all of these individuals are in some
way connected in real life.
This presentation is in simple terms, a mosaic of people, some of their thoughts and practic-
es, transmitting what they know and sharing what they seek. It is of course just a glimpse of
this network of knowledge and experience, but is a personal tribute to all of the people that
embody our connective potential, as they look towards our region not just as a place worth
preserving, but as the source of nature-based solutions, green energy ideas, and regenerative
practices, with the inspiration to build a cleaner, brighter future as an example to the rest of
the world. Real transformation can only be achieved as a regional community. But we need
to learn from each other as quickly as possible—as this must be the ‘heritage’ of our future,
one that we build together.
To conclude, this film focuses on a transformative example of ecological restoration from
Cyprus, Atsas Organic Farm, run by a farmer practicing regenerative dryland agro-ecology
and transitioning an arid, rocky landscape with no topsoil and with very limited resources
of water into a diverse and productive agricultural ecosystem that is resilient, abundant, and
goes beyond sustainable; while also actively reversing the effects of climate change.
293
This film begins with the premise that in the Eastern Mediterranean & MENA region, the
effects of a changing climate are already being felt on a daily basis, through enhanced heat-
waves, extreme water-related weather events, air quality deterioration—just as the wounds
of our parching landscapes are also becoming increasingly visible. This region is faced with
more accelerated environmental challenges—and extreme predictions for the future—than
any other part of the world. Our interconnected challenges need interconnected solutions.
And there ARE solutions. Solutions that go beyond sustainability. This region, this ‘East’ of
ours, is a world of possibility—an area still rooted in tradition, but overflowing with creative
ideas and emerging ecological innovations, that hold the answers to the world’s problems.
(EVERYONE HERE IS CONNECTED) is not about the enormity or the complexity of the chal-
lenges we face. It is an acknowledgement of those truly genuine and exceptional individuals
throughout our region who are working on the ground in the ‘culture of the earth’, or within
academia and scientific institutions, to bring these possibilities to all of us. Some were born
here, and others were not, some work to survive, some research to find new answers. But
they all work with the same home-grown and mindful dedication to making a difference,
and to ensuring the future well-being of the lives of people of this region; to restore its
over-extended resources, to grow nutrient-dense food, to repair the natural function of our
environmental systems and reverse desertification. And all of these individuals are in some
way connected in real life.
This presentation is in simple terms, a mosaic of people, some of their thoughts and practic-
es, transmitting what they know and sharing what they seek. It is of course just a glimpse of
this network of knowledge and experience, but is a personal tribute to all of the people that
embody our connective potential, as they look towards our region not just as a place worth
preserving, but as the source of nature-based solutions, green energy ideas, and regenerative
practices, with the inspiration to build a cleaner, brighter future as an example to the rest of
the world. Real transformation can only be achieved as a regional community. But we need
to learn from each other as quickly as possible—as this must be the ‘heritage’ of our future,
one that we build together.
To conclude, this film focuses on a transformative example of ecological restoration from
Cyprus, Atsas Organic Farm, run by a farmer practicing regenerative dryland agro-ecology
and transitioning an arid, rocky landscape with no topsoil and with very limited resources
of water into a diverse and productive agricultural ecosystem that is resilient, abundant, and
goes beyond sustainable; while also actively reversing the effects of climate change.
293
