A Year in GreenTea and Tuk-Tuks
My unlikely adventure creating an organic farm in Sri Lanka by Rory
Spowers
Published by Harper Element in 2007.
Egrow has choosen to include this book because they feel it
reflects the way we should be thinking about and behaving towards our
world. We as gardeners can play a helpful role individually, and of course,
collectively we can make an even bigger impact. Don’t ever think I am
only one, I don’t matter.You DO .Even creating a compost heap reduces
landfill and provides an ecosystem for insects and wildlife, not to
mention providing excellent food for a healthy soil structure.
Rory Spowers, BBC journalist, passionate environmentalist,
wants to live his dream,a more ecologically sustainable lifestyle. He
abandons his life in London and moves with his wife and two toddler sons to
a 60 acre old tea estate in Sri Lanka. Rory sets out to transform it
into an organic farm.
In his first year he quickly realises that besides the wonderful
wildlife, lush hills and spices, there are venomous centipedes, maniac
tuk-tuk drivers and unusual local customs to cope with.
The account of his achievements is very well written.It is in no
way just a boring factual account. In fact, it is written with all the
ingredients of a good novel . It is achieved through the colourful
characters which are involved in the account. It also has the
essential emotional elements of happiness and heartache which go to make up any
novel but here we have it played out in real life.
The book starts off with how he came to hear of the tsunami
disaster and tells of some of the very early ways it was dealt with and
gives his contribution to the efforts. It lets us have some first hand
insight into the terrible disaster it was. Also points out just how
powerful nature is.Egrow feels modern man underestimates its greatness,
thinking that in this computer age he is powerful but nature is easily
more influential as we can not make the sun shine!!!
Following the tsunami,Rory copes with the biggest challenges
of his life. And at times he questions the sensibility of trying to walk
his talk.You will have to read the book to find out if he can hold on
long enough to achieve his dream!!
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall says that Rory writes with candour
and wit about the agony and ecstasy of trying to live the green dream.
He describes it as “inspiring stuff”.
Tim Smit,co-founder of the Eden Project says it is a book of
great charm and warmth. He recommends it.
Egrow hopes to have given you a flavour of this book and hopes
if you read it that you enjoy it. Feel free to email us with your
thoughts about it. Wishing you an enjoyable adventure on the tea estate.
You can purchase this book by going to Amazon. Just click on the link here.
