THE CROAK is a weekly environmental newsletter put out by the eCoexist team. It is the voice of the environment on its last legs, the final croak that can either be a plea for attention or a call of triumph as the frogs jump out of the well of ignorance and denial.

If you were to get lost in an unknown landscape, far away from civilisation, would you know how to find food? Would you be able to look around you at the plants that grow wildly and know how to recognise what to eat?

In the months of monsoon, so many plants just burst out from the moist soil, and we mostly ignore them... when they show up in our gardens we often uproot them without paying attention.

But who are these wild ones? 

We have become so accustomed to buying our food from vendors and receiving it in sterilized plastic packages, that very few of us urban dwellers have the courage to pluck a wild leaf or a berry and put it right in our mouths. But those who live closer to the Earth, they retain a close familiarity and understanding of what is edible and what is not. 

Some of us who are gardeners, eagerly plant food plants and wait for them to reap harvest. But when a fertile composted soil or a generous passing bird, brings us seeds that sprout up on their own , we may be non plussed as to what to expect from the plant.

And then there is the idea of a 'weed'... anything that is unfamiliar or aggressive is considered to be a weed - it clutters a beautifully manicured garden and may take over space and sunlight from those we purposefully want to grow. 

A wild garden is neither desired for its looks nor appreciated for its diversity..

How can we turn around these ideas to open our minds and learn to welcome and value the wild species?

During the recent COVID 19 lockdown, eCoexist began a series of web talks called REVIVE - as a way to reconnect with self, with community and with Nature. These talks started as chats between friends to see how we were going to work towards a new normal and to find a way to envision a different future. Slowly, our audience grew to include more people and the discussions to cover various aspects of Sustainability and Self. 

Every Sunday between 4 to 6 pm, we welcome you to connect with us through the REVIVE talks, that is bringing together a fantastic community of sensitive and brilliant people, with whom we can co create a new future. 

The talks are free for registration and have ample time and space for a deep and authentic conversation with the speaker. Some of our guests are otherwise difficult to reach as they live and work in remote locations and so these are precious opportunities to hear from them in person. 

You are invited to a Zoom webinar. 

When: Aug 16, 2020 04:00 PM India 

Topic: Revive w eCoexist - Forgotten Greens : Wild Edibles

Register FREE in advance for this webinar:

https://kisan.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_HE6h-4dWRXKuD8aFzuPDVw

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

On 19 July, we launched a new initiative, the REVIVE support network to collect funds for authentic work done by various NGOS on issues of sustainability. We invite our esteemed speakers to recommend a deserving group that needs financial support. Participants of the talk are invited to send small ( or large!) amounts to the eCoexist foundation over the next few days. This contribution is gathered and then sent as a collective sum to the organisation identified by the speaker. 

On 19 July we raised RS 27,000 which was sent to the Grama Vikas group in Mulbagal, Karnataka on the guidance of our speaker S Vishwanath who knows their work closely.

We will continue this effort for all the upcoming speakers. Participants can pay as little as Rs 100 to contribute. 

The registration for the REVIVE talks is FREE and the organisers and speakers both offer their time and energy in creating these talks voluntarily. You are also welcome to send in a voluntary contribution to REVIVE to enable us to expand the reach of  this series. 

The REVIVE support network allows for all of us to enable authentic work on the ground to help our country and its people through this crisis and to protect our natural resources. We welcome you to join our efforts. 

( Pl mention the cause for which you would like to contribute on your transfer)

The Croak is a weekly environmental newsletter put out by the eCoexist team. It is the voice of the environment on its last legs, the final croak that can either be a plea for attention or a call of triumph as the frogs jump out of the well of ignorance and denial. Satirical, urgent and wise the newsletter brings to your attention, topics of global environmental relevance as well as emerging encouraging alternatives. Put together by a team of passionate Nature lovers, The Croak hopes to look at the environmental crisis in its face. It is a tool to reconnect readers to Nature, through questioning and self reflection. To understand the outer environment as a reflection of our own inner state, individually and as a species. And to take responsibility for enabling change.
If you would like to contribute articles on ecology consciousness and sustainability please get in touch with us.

Not interested in our newsletter anymore? Give us feedback before you unsubscribe.