"Prof Kader Asmal & Nozuko"

"Our ladies singing at the Launch"

"Tony Kendle and Jane from the Eden Project with Zwelithini"

"Our Fynbos Mountain we built for the CTICC"

"Preparing our stand at the CTICC"

"Hilary and the students on top of Table Mountain"

"Landscaping garden at one of the Grootbos houses"

"Freedom learning how to mix cement and brick lay"

"Landscaping a guest house in De Kelders"

The Launch

Green Futures was officially opened on the 9th August by Prof. Kader Asmal. This was definitely a highlight for the staff and students as so much hard work and effort had gone into getting things ready for the launch. The success of the day was mainly due to the students, and of course the teachers trying to keep their spirits up, as many days were spent outside in the cold wet weather clearing the site and getting the garden completed in time. They also worked hard on making up a song for the day and Nuzuko wrote a beautiful poem from her heart. The day was magically completed at Grootbos Lodge with incredible food, good company and flowing wine.

Green Futures Poem by Nozuko

“Lend me your ears” I want to posses something
I want to put you in Greenlight
Why we are here
I want to sweep the floor before my hero go

“Who is my hero?” My hero is Michael
Who collect the bone of the brain?
And dream about something, and that dream is true now

Who is going to fight or defend you in your dream. No one
I say go forward my hero to give us many opportunity in life
I say to you don’t live your dream
Half way because of the storm of the earth

I say go forward your dream becomes Green Futures now
Be strong Sean to feed the babies
By food of tomorrow

Susan the prey is on your hands for
Green Future become a Green Future for ever
Into another generation

Hilary share with us the knowledge of
Overseas to make us brighter in life"

Flower Shows

Waterfront
September saw the start of endless flower shows. We started with
the first one at the Waterfront in Cape Town.

Cape Town International Flower Show (CTICC)
The following week, we all headed into Cape Town to set up for the
first International Flower Show in the Cape, to be held at the Convention Centre. For many of the students this was the first time they had been to a big city and things like escalators, many of them had never seen before. For three days before the opening, we proceeded to set up a display, which represented our beautiful fynbos in Gansbaai.  We had truck loads of fynbos coming in daily and the students took shifts to help set up.

When they weren’t on shift, the teachers were taking them on excursions to Table Mountain and Kirstenbosch. Many a white face appeared back at the Convention Centre after going up Table Mountain, but at the same time pumped with adrenaline. Kirstenbosch was the highlight for many of them as they got a tour around the gardens and the propagation house and got to talk to the guides there.

After many hours of hard work late into the night, our beautiful fynbos mountain was set up. During the flower show the students were manning the stands and telling the public about their school, what they are learning and making various contacts aswell.

Hermanus Flower Show
A flower show was then held at Fernkloof Nature Reserve in Hermanus.
The students then knew how to set up the display of fynbos at the
stall themselves. The students spent the one morning manning the
stand and interacting with the public again.

What has been achieved in our second term at Green Futures?

	Our propagation house is complete (only awaiting the heating beds to be installed) and we can start with the propagation of plants.
	We have completed a garden in De Kelders for a guesthouse. The students all had to draw a plan of the site aswell as a planting plan using plants studied in the plant ID.
	Our Vegetable plots have been completed and vegetables planted with our first radishes harvested already
	We have revamped the garden area around the Grootbos pool.
	We are learning about bank accounts and how to go about opening a bank account
	We have gone for our first driver’s test. All the ladies passed and now start with the practical of how to drive a car.
	The students completed the re-design of a garden at one of the private Grootbos Houses. This included general maintenance, cleaning out of the pond, planted new summer flowering shrubs, improved the lawn area, planted a sour fig border as a firebreak and pruned. A new path is currently being designed from the terrace to the pond area.
	The students learnt the principles of foundation and brick laying and a wall was built at the stable area on Grootbos to make a raised flower bed.

© Green Futures & Electric Storm