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y the realisation that she could help<br />
the company’s employees keep their<br />
jobs. She convinced some of the<br />
drivers who worked alongside her<br />
at her previous company, and who<br />
had lost their jobs, to join her in this<br />
new venture, and by the end of the<br />
second week had grown the client<br />
base sufficiently to offer each two<br />
days of work.<br />
Eventually, she and husband Danie<br />
had nurtured the company to a point<br />
where they were able to purchase<br />
their own fleet of vehicles and were<br />
even able to move to bigger premises.<br />
“That’s when we started thinking<br />
about solutions for food waste,”<br />
Carmen says. Danie, who is also an<br />
avid gardener, was just as eager to<br />
find a way to turn kitchen leavings<br />
into a force for good, and so the<br />
couple bought a piece of land, taking<br />
occupation in July and setting up<br />
Joburg’s very first company to offer<br />
both a food waste and curbside<br />
recycling collection service.<br />
Carmen says that watching the<br />
farm’s compost heap grow has been<br />
nothing short of thrilling: “As soon<br />
as we smelled that yeasty smell,<br />
we knew that the microbes were<br />
at work. We told ourselves it was<br />
finally happening!” Her customer<br />
base is just as excited, and within<br />
days of setting up the service, 100<br />
households had signed up to have<br />
their food waste removed.<br />
Carmen admits that although it has<br />
been deeply satisfying to watch her<br />
business’s upward trajectory, there<br />
have been times when it would<br />
have been far easier to walk away.<br />
“I held on because of my passion – I<br />
think if that key ingredient is absent,<br />
it becomes a lot harder to carry on<br />
when things get tough. But I’m also<br />
determined, and when I set my mind<br />
to something, I make it happen<br />
– especially when it’s something<br />
as important as looking after the<br />
environment. Because although I<br />
appreciate nature for its beauty, I’m<br />
also able to see the bigger picture<br />
... I understand how we could end<br />
up in a situation where we have<br />
nothing left if we just keep taking<br />
from the earth.”<br />
That’s why her and Danie’s plans for<br />
Whole Earth Organic Farm extend<br />
beyond food collection. Ultimately,<br />
she says, they would like to plant<br />
a natural forest that will provide a<br />
home to the bushbabies that are still<br />
left in the area. They hope that their<br />
neighbours will also take part in the<br />
project so that the little creatures<br />
have a belt where they can explore<br />
and flourish.<br />
They’re also looking forward to<br />
opening the farm for ‘Sustainable<br />
Sundays’ ... occasions where visitors<br />
can take part in veggie picking and<br />
compost making. Also on their list is<br />
the establishment of an earthworm<br />
farm, as worms are the most efficient<br />
composters around. “Nature has<br />
provided us with all these solutions<br />
– we just have to take note and use<br />
them!” she concludes.<br />
Details: wholeearth.co.za,<br />
Facebook: wholeearthrecycling and<br />
wholeearthorganicfarm,<br />
Instagram: @wholeearthrecycling and<br />
@wholeearthorganicfarm<br />
Carmen’s tips for<br />
raising an earth lover<br />
Carmen attributes her own<br />
love of nature to her parents<br />
encouragement to explore<br />
the world around her. “That’s<br />
why I think it’s important to<br />
involve children in nature<br />
wherever possible. Take<br />
them on trips to places<br />
like the Magaliesberg so<br />
they can see what life’s like<br />
outside the city. Walk our<br />
koppies with them, spend<br />
time outdoors so they can<br />
see what it is we’re trying<br />
to preserve.”<br />
Text: LISA WITEPSKI. Photo: MEGAN BRETT.<br />
<strong>Oct</strong>ober <strong>22</strong> Get It Magazine 11