Jul

First, Dare to Be Wild

by Joyce McGreevy on July 25, 2016

The Art of Gardening to Save the World

A close-up prairie flower in Chicago's Lurie Garden reflects the trend toward wild gardening. Image © Joyce McGreevy

Up close, a wildflower is a world.
© Joyce McGreevy

Here’s what happens when landscape designers dare to be wild. Lavender hyssop, maroon prairie smoke, blue quamash, and frothy calamint run rampant in all directions. The work of creative problem solvers, wild gardening centers you in the heart of nature.

Native spiderwort flourish in Chicago's Lurie Garden, thanks to wild gardening. Image © Joyce McGreevy

Native spiderwort and wild grasses grow knee-high in Midwestern fields.
© Joyce McGreevy

A Wild Surprise

Now, look skyward. See the skyscrapers. You’re standing in the center of America’s third largest urban area. Welcome to Chicago, city of wild surprises.

Laurie Garden, Chicago, IL is the work of creative problem solvers who dare to be wild. Image © Joyce McGreevy

Meadows in an ultra-urban setting draw 4 million visitors
annually to Lurie Garden, Chicago.
© Joyce McGreevy

Wild in the City

The urban oasis of Lurie Garden is part of a cultural trend toward New Wave Planting. Inspired by wild gardening, this relaxed style makes plant design less controlled and geometric than conventional gardens.

As Lurie Garden expert Noel Kingsbury wrote in Planting: A New Perspective, “When people say they want some nature, what they usually mean is a particular vision of nature, one that looks nice, fitting in to a distinctly human-centered idea of what nature is or should look like…. The task for the gardener or designer is to create an enhanced nature… one that supports biodiversity and looks just a little bit wild.”

Wild Irish Dreams

Chicago is also where an Irish lawyer dreamed of wild gardens. Says Vivienne DeCourcy, “After 20 years in a Chicago high-rise, I craved the wild West Cork landscapes of my childhood summers.”

Lough Hyne, Co. Cork, Ireland inspires Vivienne DeCourcy, writer-director of DARE TO BE WILD. Image © Joyce McGreevy

Lough Hyne, Ireland’s first marine nature reserve. epitomizes
the beauty of wild nature in West Cork. © Joyce McGreevy

Meanwhile, she wrote 16 screenplays, each reflecting her longing to affirm the wild beauty of our fragile planet.

In 2004, DeCourcy returned to Baltimore—no, not in Maryland, but southwest Ireland, where the place-name originates. It’s an Anglicization of Baile Tí Mhóir, Irish for “town of the big house.”

DeCourcy’s home, nestled into a mountain that sweeps down to the sea, inspired visions of a wild garden that invited the outdoors in.

Vivienne DeCourcy's home in Ireland reflects her love of wild gardening. Image © Vivienne deCourcy

DeCourcy “pictured native plants articulated into the vast landscape of Roaring Water Bay . . .”
© Vivienne DeCourcy

Sunset above Roaring Waters Bay, Ireland, home of creative problem solver and filmmaker Vivienne DeCourcy (DARE TO BE WILD). mage © Vivienne deCourcy

“ . . . And a moated effect around the house that would light up the living room at sunset.”
© Vivienne DeCourcy

Tiny Seed, Big Screen

When DeCourcy finally found the one landscape designer who understood her vision, her dream of wild Irish gardens became a cinematic vision. The extraordinary life of designer Mary Reynolds inspired DeCourcy’s movie Dare to be Wild.

Irish landscape designer Mary Reynolds advocates for wild gardening . Image © Dara Craul/ Mary Reynolds

Self-described “reformed landscape designer” Mary Reynolds
urges gardeners to work with nature, not control it.
© Dara Craul/ Mary Reynolds

By the time production wrapped a decade later, it had involved several Academy Award winners: producer Sarah Johnson (Birdman), costume designer Consolata Boyle, and musicians Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (Once). Acclaimed Irish musician Colm Mac Con Iomaire composed the score.

Tom Hughes and Emma Greenwell star in Dare to Be Wild, a film written and directed by creative problem solver Vivienne deCourcy. Image © Vivienne deCourcy

Emma Greenwell and Tom Hughes portray Mary Reynolds and Christy Collard
in the upcoming independent film Dare to Be Wild.
Both images © Vivienne deCourcy

A love story based on true events, Dare to be Wild has more twists than a corkscrew hazel tree. Ranging from the green hills of Ireland to the arid mountains of Ethiopia, it centers around London’s famed Chelsea Flower Show.

The Olympics of Gardening

This isn’t just any garden show, but the Olympics of gardening. In 2002, Reynolds, unknown and unemployed, became the youngest person in history to win Chelsea’s coveted Gold Medal for garden design. Among the finalists Reynolds bested for the prize was HRH Prince Charles.

Reynold’s “Celtic Sanctuary” featured hundreds of wild plant species, a traditional drystone wall, monumental stone chairs, and a fire bowl–all of it transported to England and built in three weeks.

A Celtic Sanctuary scene from DARE TO BE WILD reflects the film's focus on wild gardening. Image © Vivienne DeCourcy

Recreated for the film Dare to Be Wild, Reynold’s “Celtic Sanctuary”
shook up design circles with its iconoclastic style.
© Vivienne DeCourcy

Now Reynolds and DeCourcy are on a mission to protect the planet. Reynolds has authored The Garden Awakening: Designs to Nurture Our Land and Ourselves. The wild gardening book became an overnight bestseller in the UK and, with advance screenings of Dare to Be Wild, was rapturously received in Japan.

Fans of Reynolds’ book include Jane Goodall—yes, that Jane Goodall:

Wild Buzz

Meanwhile, DeCourcy is generating buzz. As a passionate advocate for the bees that nurture wildflowers and food plants, she wants people to rethink the conventional culture of gardening.

Irish filmmaker and writer Vivienne deCourcy is a creative problem solver with a love of wild gardening. Image © Vivienne deCourcy/ Dr. Michael Sheehan

“We need to throw a lifeline to the wilderness,” says DeCourcy,
echoing a line from her screenplay.
© Vivienne DeCourcy/ Dr. Michael Sheehan

“Only by experiencing the wonder of wild nature locally can we appreciate what’s at stake and be moved to protect wild nature globally.”

One way to do this, she says, is to replace conventional lawns with clover.

“The typical lawn is a matte green desert that guzzles chemicals. It cannot support a single bee—a creature responsible for one in every three bites of food we take.”

But a clover lawn is a habitat, where nature’s balance can thrive. “It supports a myriad of pollinators, only needs mowing once a year, and, being chemical-free, presents no toxic downside.”

The grounds of Lismore Castle, Ireland showcase the beauty of wild gardening. Image © Joyce McGreevy

At Lismore Castle, Ireland, one of DeCourcy’s favorite gardens,
wildness receives a royal welcome.
© Joyce McGreevy

A Wild Idea

Suddenly, a smile lights DeCourcy’s face. “Imagine your clover lawn, then a hundred of them, and then thousands, and you can see how easily we could create a sanctuary for our friends the bees.”

“Oh, I see”: The seed of a wild idea can grow into gardens around the world.

DeCourcy and Reynold’s wild ideas took root in Ireland, spread to Ethiopia, and flourished in England and Japan. Now they inspire gardeners everywhere. That’s what happens when creative problem solvers dare to be wild.

See the trailer for Dare to Be Wild here. Follow it here.

Meet Reynolds here and discover her gardens here.

Explore Chicago’s Lurie Garden here.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 1 Comment

Ireland/Nature Discovery/The World's Art & Design/USA

Jul

Sweet Dreams of Ice Cream and Primal Rhythms

by Meredith Mullins on July 18, 2016

Ingoma Nshya Drummers in Rwanda, breaking cultural barriers. (Image © Lex Fletcher.)

The unifying power of music
© Lex Fletcher

Conquering Cultural Barriers in Rwanda

An open-air truck bumps along the rutted streets of Butare, Rwanda. The beaming woman in the back broadcasts through a crackling microphone.

Hello. Hello. You are about to experience something new.

Do you want to have a good life?

Do you want your children to grow up healthy?

Sweet dreams. The answer to your prayers.

Ice cream.

If you’re old, it will make you young again.

Come and see the dreams of women.

Ice cream.

It will change your life.

Her words are true. The ice cream in this African town has changed lives.

Rwanda girl tastes ice cream, breaking cultural barriers. (Image courtesy of Liro Films.)

Sweet Dreams: The first taste of ice cream
Courtesy of Liro Films

The first ice cream shop in Rwanda, Inzozi Nziza (translated as “Sweet Dreams”), broke cultural barriers in many ways.

The shop changed lives not just by bringing the first taste of ice cream to Rwanda. It also deeply affected the lives of the cooperative of women who made these sweet dreams come true.

Hope and joy were leading characters in this moving story, documented in a film by siblings Rob and Lisa Fruchtman called “Sweet Dreams.”

Rwanda houses and countryside, a place where cultural barriers must be broken. (Image © Sloot/iStock.)

A beautiful country shadowed by its history.
© Sloot/iStock

Rebuilding from the Horror of Genocide

In a country where the burden of the 1994 genocide touches everyone, the need for unity and reconciliation is critical to moving forward.

This need was felt deeply by Rwandan playwright/poet/musician Odile Gakire (“Kiki”) Katese. The country was slowly working through the rebuilding process. But, as Kiki noted, “People are not like roads and buildings. How do you rebuild a human being?”

Map of Rwanda, a country where women are breaking cultural barriers. (Image © bogdanserban.)

Rebuilding Rwanda after the genocide.
© bogdanserban

To help the healing process, Kiki called on music as a powerful universal force. She formed a drumming troupe—Ingoma Nshya (translated as “New Kingdom”).

She wanted to start a new chapter in Rwanda’s history, a new era. She brought together a group of women and challenged yet another cultural barrier.

Kiki Katese: Challenging cultural barriers. (Image courtesy of Liro Films.)

Kiki Katese: Challenging cultural barriers
Courtesy of Liro Films

Women had been forbidden to even touch the drums in Rwanda. Drumming was exclusively for men. But when Kiki asked why, she was told only that “drums were too heavy for women to carry.” Kiki’s response: “Okay, if it’s only because it’s heavy, let’s see how strong we are.”

The women proved their strength . . . and their ability to move beyond the past. They came from both sides of the genocide—Hutus and Tutsis. Many had lost Tutsi family members, friends and neighbors; and some had Hutu family members imprisoned for their role in the murders.

Rwanda women drummers, breaking cultural barriers. (Image © Lex Fletcher.)

Joy and power in the drums
© Lex Fletcher

“People have to reconcile with themselves, with happiness, with life,” Kiki suggests. When these women lose themselves in their drums, the past is forgiven. They come together as friends, as a unified rhythm—with obvious joy.

And Then There Was Ice Cream

Drumming began transforming the women’s lives. It gave them purpose . . . and pleasure. But there was more transformation to come.

Kiki believed that when you introduce one new idea, it creates the space for other new ideas. With that guiding philosophy, Kiki then met Alexis Miesen and Jennie Dundas, co-founders of Blue Marble Ice Cream in Brooklyn, New York.

Alexis Miesen and Jennie Dundas, founders of Blue Marble Ice Cream, breaking cultural barriers in Rwanda. (Image courtesy of Liro Films.)

Alexis Miesen and Jennie Dundas, Co-founders of Blue Marble Ice Cream
Courtesy of Liro Films

Kiki explained that she wanted to bring ice cream to Rwanda, and with it, an opportunity for members of the drumming troupe to become active in a small business.

A partnership was formed and the team rose to the challenges. They needed machines and furniture. They needed to find good local sources for milk, fresh fruit, and honey. They needed to learn the basics of business. They needed to select the shop staff from many members of the cooperative. They needed to set salaries and prices so that people in the town could afford this new treat.

Sweet Dreams manager and menu board, breaking cultural barriers in Rwanda. (Image courtesy of Liro Films.)

Building a business one item at a time
Courtesy of Liro Films

The processes were democratic. They even decided as a group the names for the sizes of ice cream—teta (baby) for small and nyshuti (friend) for medium.

The film documents the winding road, filled with obstacles. It culminates with the ultimate joy of success.

A dish of soft serve ice cream in Rwanda, breaking cultural barriers. (Image courtesy of Liro Films.)

A towering treasure
Courtesy of Liro Films

Ice cream arrives in Butare in all its sweet cream, passion fruit, strawberry, and pineapple glory. The curious townspeople overcome their trepidations and taste this new treasure.

“We’ve seen it in the movies, but we never had it in Rwanda before,” says one young man.

“It’s like eating hailstones,” says a more skeptical customer.

“Oh my god, give me more,” says a new fan, immediately falling prey to the velvety taste.

Rwanda drummers in front of Sweet Dreams ice cream shop, breaking cultural barriers. (Image courtesy of Liro Films.)

Opening Day in 2010—still a success six years later
Courtesy of Liro Films

Oh I See: The Path of Possibilities

Six years after the arrival of the new treat in Rwanda, a few more ice cream venues have appeared, but the women’s cooperative is keeping pace with the times. They now sell snacks, pizzas, juices, coffees, and teas to ensure their continued success.

The drumming troupe is performing near and far, with joy and passion.

The film “Sweet Dreams” has won awards and accolades around the world.

The rewards of this new era of breaking cultural barriers go beyond the obvious. The directors shared a moving moment after a screening of the film in Armenia when a woman in the audience stood tall and said, “This film is not just about Rwandan women. It’s about all of us.”

The final “Oh I see” moment comes in a quote from Kiki: “When you believe that something is possible, it’s done already.”

Yes, indeed, Rwanda. Give me more.

Find out more about the film “Sweet Dreams.” View the trailer below.

If video does not display, watch it here.

Find out more about Blue Marble Ice Cream and the nonprofit Hope Shines.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 2 Comments

Cultural Do's & Taboos/Rwanda

Jul

A Ticket to Surf (No Fear)

by Eva Boynton on July 11, 2016

A shark fin in the ocean, prompting creative thinkers to invent shark repellent (image © DIgitalStorm/Thinkstock).

The shark fin—native to its ocean habitat and symbol of horror films.
© DigitalStorm/Thinkstock

Creative Thinkers Invent Shark Repellent

Ahhhh. A beach vacation with adventure—

Catching a wave in Australia

Diving in Hawaii’s coral reef

Kayaking the coast of California

You won’t be alone . . . dunah . . . dunah. That’s right, there will be other tourists there too! And of course, marine life, possibly sharks.

Surfers, who decide to play in the playground of a predator, are used to taking a ration of fear along for the ride. But now ocean enthusiasts and other creative thinkers have teamed up to develop a shark repellent that relaxes the mind and eliminates the fear for surfers.

And it just might provide an answer for coexisting with sharks, who are essential animals in the ocean environment.

A beach full of people, showing the need for a shark repellent by creative thinkers (image © Blackeyedog/Thinkstock)

Too Much Fun In the Sun?

Why are shark attacks on the increase? The number of people in coastal waters has skyrocketed. For example, Toronga Conservation Society of Australia reports this population increase for Australia:

1900 = 3.7 million
1950 = 8.3 million
1990 = 17 million
2011 = 22.7 million
2014 = 23.5 million

Of course, more people going into the water will result in a higher chance for contact with marine life, including sharks.

A person giving surf lessons at the beach, showing the reason for creative thinkers to invent shark repellent (image © Anthony Ong).

The recent rise in shark attacks has set in motion reactions from governments, organizations, scientists, surfers, and other ocean enthusiasts.

The goal: reinstate a relaxed vibe by protecting ocean goers. Meeting this goal can manifest itself in government plans for shark culling—the trapping and killing of sharks—or lenient policies on hunting sharks for their fins. Even as shark numbers are decreasing, 100 million are being killed annually for shark fin soup in Asia.

But, what about the sharks?

Step into the Fins of a Shark

Sharks get a bad rap for simply surviving in their habitat.

Consider Hollywood horror movies like Jaws, Jaws 2, Cruel Jaws, and Jurassic Shark. In my opinion, they are due for a required disclaimer:

Beware! Side effects may include an irrational fear of the ocean and demonization of the shark species. Watch at your own risk.

In a real shark attack, the media often portrays the survivor as hero and the shark as villain. But it’s not that simple.

In reality, humans depend on sharks for keeping a natural balance in the ocean.

A shark swimming in the ocean, showing why creative thinkers invented shark repellent (image © Ajlber/Thinkstock).

Sharks have been on earth for over 200 million years; humans, 200,000 years. We need sharks around because they eat marine animals that are sick and weak, leaving a healthier animal population in the ocean for the food we eat. Humans, as it turns out, are only accidental prey.

Graffiti of sharks and a sign against shark finning, showing why creative thinkers invented shark repellent (image © Nathan Garrison).

Elyse Frankcom, who was bitten by a shark while guiding a scuba tour, supports shark protection. She explains that government money is better spent on investing in a solution that not only thinks about human safety but will also “preserve the wildlife in the ocean that’s a natural beauty and belongs there.”

Like-minded people began asking, “Might there be a way to protect both the ocean enthusiasts and the sharks?” That’s when the creative thinkers got going, and the idea of shark repellent was born.

The Science Behind Shark Repellent

Surfers, scientists and ocean enthusiasts put their heads together to invent products that allow people to have fun in the sun while protecting sharks living in their natural habitat.

How do the products work? Sharks use electroreception, an electrical signal detection that can spot prey without using their eyes.

An illustration of how sharks sense their prey, showing the danger to surfers and why creative thinkers invented shark repellent (image © Shark Shield).

New products from both Sharkbanz and Shark Shield repel sharks by overriding that sense without causing long-term effects to the shark.

A woman surfer wearing a shark repellent bracelet, showing the invention of creative thinkers (image © Elyse Lu).

Sharkbanz, a band placed on the wrist or ankle, sends out magnetic waves that disrupt the shark’s electroreception, and the shark abruptly turns around. Dr. Stroud, senior chemist for, a company researching shark repellent technology, explains it this way:

It is “like a person suddenly shining a very bright light in your eyes in a dark room, and it’s not pleasant.”

A spear fisherman swimming with shark repellent, showing the invention of creative thinkers (image © Jose Debassa).

The Shark Shield comes as a cord attached to the ankle or as an antenna connected to the grip pad of a surfboard. These send out electrical waves that cause short-term muscle spasms in the electroreceptors of sharks, also repelling them. They dart away into the blue.

Although Sharkbanz and Sharkshield cannot confirm 100% effectiveness as a repellent, they are absolutely effective in reducing the fears of surfers, divers, kayakers, swimmers, and spear fisherman.

As Dean Gregory from Perth in Western Australia says:

“It takes that little niggle out of the back of my mind, helps you relax and just surf.”

Protecting Surfers, Protecting Sharks

Lindsay Lyon, CEO and managing director of Shark Shield, explains,

“I’d say the biggest ‘Oh, I see’ moment in the business was realizing that selling on fear was a very bad thing. Our brand is about ‘enabling’ our customers to enjoy their adventure sport, it’s not about selling fear, this is the wrong approach.”

Reducing the fear also reduces the need for harmful action against sharks. A win-win for sharks and humans.

Those who enjoy using the ocean have a responsibility to preserve the habitat for all living things. Shark repellents are encouraging us in that direction: to find solutions that work for humans and for the animals in the natural environment we play in.

A surfer wearing shark repellent, showing how creative thinkers have found a solution (image © Josh Letchworth).

Perhaps these Hong Kong children, creative thinkers themselves, said it best when they showed their respect for sharks on Kids Ocean Day:

Thank you, Lindsay from Shark Shield and Nathan from Sharkbanz, for providing me with information and photographs about shark repellent, and thank you especially for your conservation efforts.

Educate yourself about sharks and shark safety at Taronga (Conservation Society of Australia).

Check out shark myths at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).