Rûmi’s Eco Garden, a long-term dream combining activities of beach cleaning, recycling and permaculture, has kept our team joyful and busy during the tough times of Covid-19 and economic crisis that followed in 2022.
Rûmi’s Eco Garden has been…
Our Corporate Social Responsibility project
A livelihood opportunity for our team
A beautiful result of our team’s hard work
A beach cleaning initiative
A recycling workshop
A permaculture dream
An organic model garden
A home for 79 different plant species
A sustainable tourism experience
A SLTDA awarded project
A (partly) European Union funded project
A SLTA sustainability champion
A space for community events and education
A regenerative project
A safe haven for biodiversity to thrive
Unhappily, at the end of the initial 2-year lease agreement, we were denied the right to lease the land further in 2022. The garden was fully destroyed during several gang attacks in 2023 by the owners and neighbours who wanted to grasp this land to make a parking. With great difficulties, we managed to have the attackers produced to court, and there is nowadays a criminal court case going on.
A dream come true…
This video, made after the destruction, shows what we had accomplished in 2.5 years, starting from a bare sandy land, to a living ecosystem hosting number of birds, insects, butterflies.
If the video does not appear, you can watch it here: Rûmi’s Eco Garden on Youtube
With Rûmi’s quote as an inspiration…
As Rûmi’s quote says… “Beauty surrounds us, but usually we need to be walking in a garden to know it”
The following video, made in 2021, describes the dream and the concepts that are at work in the development of the garden.
If the video does not appear, you can watch it here: Introducting.. Rûmi’s Eco Garden on Youtube
The version 2 of Rûmi’s Eco Garden…
Even though the whole team has been strongly shaken, emotionally distressed by the attacks and the sheer impunity enjoyed by the attackers, patience is key. We are confident that the court case will soon bring us justice.
Trees growing wildly in the now abandoned land show us daily the quality of the soil we have developed. Motivation to start again our beloved garden gets stronger day after day, we just need to make sure we get land again!
Once land is secured, we will get joyfully busy again by…
Recreating an ecosystem:
- From 79 to 150 plant species
- Involving more neighbours
- Developing home gardens
- Regenerating abandoned lands
Welcoming volunteers:
- For one-day discovery
- For short stays in groups
- For extended stays for qualified practitioners
Offering additional services:
- Exhibition of local handicraft
- Community restaurant
- Learning opportunities
- Educational sessions for kids
- Multi cultural events
