1 + 1 = 1 Pledge Drive

1 + 1 = 1 Dinner at GOLD Restaurant in celebration of the first leg of the project!

2009-06-25T12:43:00.000-07:00

Special guest, the executive Mayor of Cape Town, Alderman Dan Plato seen here receiving the "Citizens of Cape Town" scroll. This scroll depicts a united commitment towards one future. A more environmentally and socially stable future for all!

It was an evening of drum beat and colour. Of gorgeous entertainers and huge dancing puppets. Of well known South Africans bringing smiles and tears!. Of dish after dish of scrumptious fare, paired with Rickety Bridge wine and pure GOLD service!

Braam Malherbe gave an inspirational talk entitled - NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!

Braam and David Grier walked/ ran / climbed the Great Wall of China for "Miles of Smiles" an organisation that gives the gift of a SMILE to children born with cleft palettes. Indeed NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!

An unforgettable evening, celebrating a meaningful and significant project!

Jonathan Rixon and Sarah Bergs reached
14 090 children, handed out 20 000 seeds, planted / donated a tree at every school they visited. They travelled over 10 000 kms over 8 weeks with a message of social and environmental tolerance.

Soli Philander accepted the "Schools of SA" scroll on behalf of the United Nations Environment Programme. Soli not only reduced us all to fits of giggles, but made it clear to the guests that he was very touched by Wilderness Vision and reiterated that living a life of tolerance with ones environment is the only way to live!!

The Wilderness Vision team took this opportunity to thank the sponsors and supporters of the 1 + 1 = 1 Pledge Drive SA. Gifts of walking sticks were given as a token of our appreciation for the "Walk with Vision" that these individuals and companies have committed to.

United Nations Environment Programme, Billion Tree Campaign, Sun International, Protea Hotels, Trophy Toyota, Element Skateboards SA, Passage to Africa, Chef Bruce Robertson, Aurora, Tanda Tula, Alan McSmith Safaris, GOLD Restaurant, Rickety Bridge wine, Smart Staging Solutions, 14 090 children and all those who took the pledge, signed the scroll and paid their rand, we thank you all.

On the Countdown - In Cape Town...

2009-06-17T14:12:00.000-07:00

Cape Town - our final destination ...an end to a journey but a start to a future ...of this project, of awareness, and towards a GREENER Planet!!

Our start in the "Mother City" found us orientating ourselves by the famous Table Mountain...and driving to Chapel Street School early this morning. Wow - is Cape town traffic something to contend with!!

Chapel Street School were great in allowing us to speak to about 560 - 600 of their primary school students. After morning prayers, which the students did in three languages ( something that impressed us no end! ) we did our short presentation on the 1+1=1 Pledge Drive. The message was well received and we left a scroll for the students to add their signatures and pledges to! Thank you to the Principal, Mr Alexander for allowing us the time to speak to the students and bring across our message - and of course to the kids...for braving the chilly wind this morning in assembly to listen to us!

Our next stop was Sea Point Primary School - a school of 365 students. This school seems to already have the vision, as they have already established a school vegetable garden and earthworm farm. The proceeds of the garden has even once been donated to a local soup kitchen! Having said this - the students and teachers were still eager to hear about our project and what it involved!

We would like to thank Sea Point Primary School for their support!!

The rest of our afternoon was spent enjoying the view at the V & A Waterfront and ducking the crazy seagulls...not a bad way to spend a day.

And of course...its GREAT to be back together with Sa & Al, who have now joined us in CT for the finale!! Lots of fun catching up...!

More tomorrow!

2009-06-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

Cape Agulhas - or in Portuguese Cabo das Agulhas ( Cape of the Needle) ...so-called because early sailors found no declination between true north and magnetic north on their compasses at this spot.

It is the geographic southern tip of the African continent and the official point where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet.

The seas around Cape Agulhas are very treacherous and have caused many ship wrecks. This led to a lighthouse being built in 1848, this being only the second one to be built in the country after the Green Point Lighthouse in Cape Town. It is still a working lighthouse - as well as a national monument, and our climb to the top of the lighthouse gave us a bird's eye view of the Tip, and the breathtaking landscape around us.

2009-06-13T11:12:00.001-07:00

If is picture is worth a thousand words ...then surely this picture will tell you everything you need to know!! A beautiful Friday morning found us driving from our cosy little Robertson backpackers past picturesque vineyards through to McGregor to pay a visit to McGregor Waldorf School.

This school was such fun for us to give a presentation to - the students being super enthusiastic! It was such a pleasure for us to see students exhibit real interest - one student even coming up to us after the presentation to ask HOW trees gave us oxygen. A valid question - and definitely one that means we got those minds ticking!!

We would like to say thank you to Ken and the students and teachers of Waldorf School in McGregor for signing the scroll and committing to "Live their Most Significant Lives."

It was then back on the road to Robertson...and onwards. Towards the Southern Most Tip of Africa!!

We made a stop in Bredasdorp, where the Cape Agulhas Municipality is located. There we had the pleasure of a lunch-time meeting with the Executive Mayor, Councillor Robert Mitchell as well as the Deputy Mayor and 2 other Councillors.

They were very eager to hear about our project and also keen to share with us their own visions for the Cape Agulhas Municipality - so much so that they took us out to one of their current projects...which involves paving the side streets for the kids to walk on, the planting of trees along the streets, as well as the urban greening through creating a safe park for kids to play in as well as an area for relaxation in the location. Their vision and passion for their project and their town was clearly brought forth as they drove us through the streets and pointed out how each step would be a clear improvement.

We would like to thank the Cape Agulhas Municipality for their support in our Project, as well as their time. We would like to commend them on their efforts so far, and wish them well in their "greening expeditions".

and then nose to the wind and south...south...south...!!

2009-06-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

A late start to the day, had us on our way to Heidelberg Christian School... after a much awaited lie-in and a lovely breakfast in the sun at the local nursery, where we also picked up a tree for the school.

The beautiful scenery of wine vineyards gracing the sides of the Swartberg mountains and the sheer size of them (both the vineyards and the mountains) made our trip pass quickly!!

Heidelberg School was an intimate school of about 45 students, and we hope that our message of environmental and social tolerance and the value of trees strikes a chord in each and every student. Thank you for your time and attention. We wish you well with the trees that you have already planted and in greening your school!

Robertson - famous for it's winery's, is a beautiful town set in on the heart of route 62. Of course no trip here would be complete without the taste of good wine! So naturally as is the custom when stopping by in this quaint little town - we tasted some good wine...and some not so good.

A few wine facts:

One barrel of wine equals to 1800 glasses of wine.
One ton of grapes makes about 720 bottles of wine.
One vine produces between 24 - 36 glasses of wine.

And a Robertson fact:

Robertson wine valley has 15 % of the total land under vines in South Africa.

Excited about going to L'Agulhas tomorrow - the most southern point in Africa.

Till then...

2009-06-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

A productive Oudtshoorn morning saw us giving a short talk to the staff of the Protea Hotel, Riempie Estate. They had been kind enough to sign the scroll and contribute their R1's towards the project, and were looking for a little more insight into what the concept is all about - something we were only to glad to help out with!

Another exciting addition to our day...and scroll, was the SAPS Band Western Cape. We saw them as we were pulling out of the hotel this morning, and jumped at the opportunity to share our message.

A great response had us unrolling the scroll over the bonnet of the car for them to sign and show their support.

To the Protea Hotel staff and the SAPS Band - Thank you!!

A beautiful drive back over the Oteniqua Pass led us to Holy Cross School in George - a primary school of 398 students. The excited chattering of the students as they entered the hall gave way to an interested silence!

As usual, more hands and questions than we had time for, but great answers for those that we did! Like we have said before - if this is the response from the youth, then our future is in good hands!

Thank you to Holy Cross for their support.

And then with the day to ourselves, we decided to spend a leisurely afternoon in Mossel Bay: Listed in the Guinness Book of Records as having the mildest climate year round...second only to Hawaii.

Next up Robertson...the heart of Route 62.

2009-06-09T11:44:00.001-07:00

A cold and chilly Oudtshoorn morning found us awake at 07:30, getting ready for breakfast and a meeting with the Executive Mayor, Councillor Diana de Jager at 09:30. After an hour long chat and a nice cup of tea, we left with both the scroll signed and a better idea of the good hearted person fronting the Oudtshoorn Municipality - Councillor Diana de Jager, thank you for your time this morning.

Next stop for the day was one of the 7 wonders of Southern Africa - The Cango Caves. These caves are of an ecological importance as the caverns began forming 20 million years ago and there is evidence of people inhabiting the caves from more than 80 000 years before the caves were "discovered".

Knowing this, we set off to do the adventure tour - 90 minutes through the heart of the Cango Caves, with exciting passages and narrow chimneys. There are impressive limestone formations such as stalagmites, stalactites and completed columns, where a stalagmite and stalactite have met.

This tour had us thrilled as we got to explore the different caverns - the guide occasionally dimming the lighting to give us an idea of what it would have been like for the original explorers!! Between 90- 100% humidity in the caves and a steady temperature of 18 degrees had us all glowing slightly after our adventurous excursion!

Probably one of the most awesome things we have found on this trip...As they say: a true GEM!!! Definitely a double thumbs-up from the 1+1=1 team!!

And of course no trip to Oudtshoorn would be complete without a visit to an Ostrich Farm. Oudtshoorn is the largest town in the Klein Karoo - it became a bustling city in about the 1870's when the feather market was booming in world fashion.

We decided to stop at the Cango Ostrich Farm, where we did a tour of the farm. This tour was awesome. We got to feel an ostrich egg ( which equates to about 24 chicken eggs: now THAT is one big omelette!! ) and even stand on it -to get an idea. f its strength.

Interesting fact: An ostrich egg can bear about 100kg's. Another interesting fact...while the ostrich egg is the LARGEST egg - the bee honey bird has the smallest egg...and you can fit 4700 bee honey bird eggs into ONE ostrich egg! Boggles one's mind, doesn't it!!

The guide then took us to see the ostriches. Betty, a young female...took quite a fancy to Jonathan and "kissed" him as the guide places food in Jonathan's mouth for the ostrich to take. Must say the look on his face was...as Mastercard says... "priceless"!!

We then decided to take the bull by the horns...or should i say the ostrich by the wings...and ride an ostrich. Think Jonathan almost fell over laughing, as I tried to mount and then careened around the arena. Not the most comfortable steed I will admit! But what fun - it was like riding a loose cannon. There is definitely a lot of power under all those feathers!!

An awesome day from our side - lots of fun and adventure...and we know know what makes Oudtshoorn such a place to visit!! Thanks to everyone involved - all our super guides - and of course our new ostrich friends for making our day!!

2009-06-08T12:06:00.000-07:00

Getting lost in Knysna this morning on our way to find Oakhill School was as good a way as any to start the day...A day crisp yet sunny met us both meandering along the lanes of Knysna, enjoying the views over the lagoon...and at the same time trying to make haste towards our first appointment. A winning combo!

Both the senior and junior students at the school responded enthusiastically to our presentations...getting involved in asking interesting questions!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time this morning with the students, and left with two scrolls filled with signatures and well wishes! Thank you to the great students of Oakhill School - and to Linda for helping coordinate.

Our day continued as we held a telephonic interview with Namaqualand FM to update them on the Drive and how the listeners could get involved. Let us just hope there were millions of listeners...

Will have to say that our drive on to Oudtshoorn was a spectacular one. The Oteniqua pass was simply amazing. Green rolling mountains, brief views back of the sea, jagged mountain crags, all set against the crisp blue sky...made this drive probably one of the most memorable. The time flew as the ostrich spotting began!!

Oudtshoorn, our next stop, is a town set in what is fondly known as the "Little Karoo". It is also home to the worlds LARGEST ostrich population... no small feat I should imagine!

Needless to say; one of our activities tomorrow will simply have to be riding an ostrich...something that has almost become a national sport in towns like Oudtshoorn...so on that note; "Giddy-up...and will let you know how it goes!"

*Sa & Jon*

2009-06-07T12:05:00.001-07:00

The Bloukrans Bridge is the largest single span concrete arch bridge in the world! It is also the highest road bridge in Africa and in the Southern Hemisphere...

...of course this could only lead adrenalin junkies to one thought - creating the highest commercially operated bungy jump in the world! With a free-fall of about 4 - 5 seconds, and a falling distance of about 160 - 180 metres - this gives you the ultimate opportunity to "Face your Fear"!

Yes it's scary or perhaps it's even stupid, but this morning found us waking up with only one thought: We want to do it!!!! This was something we had wanted to do since the beginning of this drive...so now the time was right, and we had much built-up anticipation!

We left Knysna at around 09:00 with nerves in Sarah's tummy, NOT mine! Ok, that's not true - I was slightly scared. It's amazing how nerves beforehand almost get the better of you as more than once we joked about just driving straight past!

Needless to say we made our way to the registration counter, signed our lives away and committed to the jump. Sarah marked Jumper # 11 ( J11) and myself J10. Much to Sarah's dismay as she had hoped to be brave and jump first!

In all honesty looking back, the hardest part of the whole exercise was the walk along the specially made catwalk under the bridge...Why do they always make them out of...MESH!

Meaning of course that your eyes are naturally drawn to the plunging gorge beneath. A question forms in our minds - "Why do we always put ourselves in these crazy, insane positions?"!

We now find ourselves at the jump site with no chance of a return to the comforts of solid ground - this being said, the staff and awesome sounds being played more than get you into the right frame of mind - the mind to JUMP, the mind to Face your Fears!

Ankles tied, a couple of hops to the edge of the platform, arms out and then 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 BUNGY - in that moment there is no more fear, you find your body just jumping on its own accord, and then the pure adrenalin rush of the 120km/h free fall - Freedom!

Over sooner than you would believe, you are hoisted back up after spending a few seconds hanging upside down, admiring the beauty of the gorge. Hand shakes and high 5's gave us the heady feeling of knowing that we had conquered the worlds highest bungy - Bloukrans!

"Fear is temporary, Regret is forever."

2009-06-06T13:05:00.001-07:00

The weekend has arrived...but work continues...9h30 found us driving through the drizzle to George...the "City for All Reasons". George is a bustling little city set in the heart of the Garden Route.

There we met with the Executive Mayor, Councillor Phillipus De Swardt, and Deputy Mayor, Councillor W. T Harris.

We spend about half an hour explaining the aim of the 1+1=1 Pledge Drive, and are proud to say that we now have the scroll signed on behalf of the George Municipality.

Thank you for offering us your time on a weekend...and definitely appreciate it! Thank you too for your interest and support for our project.

With the rest of the day to ourselves, and the sunshine starting to part the clouds...we set out to explore the beautiful little town of Knysna.

We are highly anticipating the bungee tomorrow ( and slightly nauseous at the thought! ) check out the blog tomorrow for the updates...

*Sa & Jon*

2009-06-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

Wow - what a whirlwind day!! 5h30 had us up and dressing...and as the sun rose over the harbour we were making our way through the city to our first appointment of the day...a radio interview with Bay FM, one of Port Elizabeths Local radio stations. Time being short, we gave the studio staff a rundown of the project and they decided to call us for a telephonic interview, which we could do on the road...

This decided we headed back to Woodridge College and Prep to pick up the scrolls that we had left. The school had given us great support.

As we drove out, and started making our way along the N2, Bay FM called - and we did the radio interview. It was short and sweet and well...let's hope that the message got out to lots of listeners!

The road towards Knysna is an adventure on its own. The scenery was breathtaking...and comical. Craggy hills, fields of proteas, thick forests and large bridges spanning gorges - making us think twice about our decision to do the Bloukrans Bungy - the highest bungy in the world...but no fear: we'll do it! On the comical side of the drive: we did see a sign to dial a cow....hmmm - go figure.

A combination of bad road works and slow trucks had us a bit frustrated as we found ourselves zigzagging town, and finally reaching Montessori School a few minutes late. One again, our apologies for this!

Had a great presentation to the junior school - with a fantastic response. The kids really got involved and answered questions, and made the talk such a pleasure.

We visited a few of the classrooms getting the students to sign the scroll and their complete exuberance over this project made us smile. Their Gardening Club, as seen above in the pic were so proud to show us their "green fingers". With their enthusiasm and our tight schedules, we left the scrolls with them -to be picked up later.

Thank you Tonya for your support and for having us at the school.

We next made our way to to Knysna Municipality to meet with Councillor Eleanor Bouw-Spies...the Mayor of Knysna. It was a pleasure to meet with you, and have you sign the scroll and support our project. Also thank you for your positive reaction - we would love to hear from you again in the future.

Will definately say that we were running on a bit of a minute-to-minute time schedule, but after our manic moring things definately seemed to catch up again.

Walking out of the Mayors Office, we were met by Bill Fussel, one of the directors of the volunteer programme Travellers Worldwide in South Africa. He led us to Thembelitsha School - in the Concordia location, which was our next appointment for the day!

Despite the short notice, the school princpipal kindly organised for us to meet with about 240 of the students- Gr6 & G7's.

A lot of hype to sign the scroll after the presentation...had the teachers doing "crowd control" as the students formed rows, and jostled in about 3 at a time to sign the scroll...adorning it with lots of colours, and names.

A tree planting ceremony after the scroll-signing completed our visit. We hope that the Orange Tree bears fruit for the future.

Thank you to Bill Fussel and Sharon Dreyer from Travellers Worldwide, and to their volunteers who also helped out! Also a big thank you of course, to everyone at Thembelitsha.

The idea that the day had been completed had us smiling even more, as after this chaotic week, we headed back to our hotel with that knowledge that we could now take a break...that said - we still had to change a tyre, and head back to Montessori School for our scroll - which after the tyre incident had smiles on our faces again. The colour-filled scroll is definitely an indication of their committment and effort - thank you again!

Off to meet the mayor...the wonderful mayor of George!

Bye

*Jon and Sa*

2009-06-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

"Be the change you want to see in the world"

Another busy day today - but what a fun one. The day started out quite sunny, but then the Windy City lived up to its name...and became quite blustery.

Did a great presentation this morning to Theodor Herzl School. The Gr 7's, 8's and 9's were a super audience! Think that they really enjoyed the 1+1=1 concept and were excited by the opportunity to plant their own seeds.

The staff from Theodor Herzl were very friendly, and we enjoyed our time chatting to them over tea. We would like to thank Anita for accepting the tree on behalf of the school - and for helping with our visit. And to the students - you guys were great; keep that enthusiasm!

We then took the scenic drive through to Amakhala Conservation Center - The Center was started about 6 years by Jennifer Gush. her aim was environmental education and research.

Today the Amakhala Conservation Center held an early World Environment Day. About 45 students from 4 different local schools attended. The kids topic today was global warming - as they got taught about terrariums, windmills and solar cookers. They learnt by "doing" and all walked away with smaller versions of the above ( terrariums made with plastic coke bottles, windmills made on pencils etc. )

It was great fun for us to share our message with the kids although a little tough as it needed to be translated into Xhosa as we went along.

Will definitely say the kids loved the opportunity to draw pictures on the scroll and receive their very own seed to plant and look after.

Our tree planting ceremony was much anticipated - and enjoyed by all...as everyone participated and added their handful of soil towards planting the tree.

We hope that the message that we left with the kids today, will take root as well as the tree that we planted. Thank you Jennifer and Thecha, and all the other staff for making today possible.

Another highlight of our day was our visit with Councillor Lonake on behalf of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. We thoroughly enjoyed spending the better part of an hour discussing the project and their local initiatives.

We are proud to have the support of Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality. To Councillor Lonake, and also Liziwe - thank you for your time.

Off to Knysna tomorrow - land of tiny seahorses, and great oysters... catch you there.

*Sa & Jon*

2009-06-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

Definitely a morning worth remembering! We arrived at Woodridge Schools to give our presentation and got to sit-in on their special morning assembly. They had some guest performers doing traditional African dances to drumming. It was great to watch! Made us wander how quickly we could add some break dancing into our presentation...or not so much.

Needless to say Jonathan left the dancing to professionals...but gave a great talk to the Junior School ( 365 children ), who seemed excited at the opportunity to make a difference and sign the scroll!

Woodridge is set on a beautiful backdrop between Van Stadens Pass and the Van Stadens Flower Reserve. What lucky kids to be able to learn and explore the world in an environment like this...

We also got to give a short presentation to Woodridge College to about 335 of the students. A very attentive audience that was great to speak to. Let us hope that some of those facts sink in, and they each realise their own potential to make a difference.

Thank you to Alan Campbell and Gary Baines for their involvement in our project. It was such a pleasure to meet with you this morning and we wish Woodridge Schools all the best. Good luck "greening" those school grounds Anthony.

A quiet afternoon spent catching up on "paperwork" and organising the next few days...No sunshine along the Sunshine Coast ironically, maybe tomorrow.

Will let you know...

*Sa & Jon*

2009-06-02T13:21:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances our blog tonight will not contain any photos. Technology - a blessing most of the time...seems to sometimes ultimately conspire against us - VERY FRUSTRATING from this side!!

Anyhow...life goes on - as did our busy trail of events today. Here's a basic run down of what we got up to.

This morning found us doing a short presentation to St. Andrews Prep in Grahamstown. The kids were great listeners and all received a seed to plant as they left assembly. Their students all signed the scroll - and I must say...did a great job. Quotes - pictures and cool signatures have our scroll from St. Andrews being a memorable one! I would also like to commend and thank a certain student from the school - who really made our day...He walked up to us after the presentation and asked if he could donate R10 to the project, personally...and then shook our hands. What a big thing to do - !

This yet again made me realise the importance of what we are doing on this drive...and the vital impact that we can have by talking to students and reaching out to schools. If out of every school - we can even inspire and encourage ONE student like this...to reach out, and be bold, and take accountability - then this trip will have been worthwhile.

We would like to thank Mark Paul from St. Andrews Prep for his time this morning and for participating in the 1+1=1 Pledge.

After leaving St. Andrews we took the scenic drive through to Port Alfred. What an awesome little town - postcard material right there...that's for sure! We spent the next few hours at EISS International, which is a Hotel Training School. It was great for Jonathan and i to have a chance to chat to people our own age, and really give out a bit more of an in depth talk about the project and trip and how exciting we find it! We also spent some time out in the sunshine...helping to find the perfect spot to plant the tree which we donated to the school - as a thank you for allowing us time to give our presentation...and as a reminder of our project and our mission to commit to the Future and GREEN SA!

A big "Thank- you" to Wouter Hensens from EISS International -

We then pointed our noses back towards Grahamstown and our next appointment at Rhodes University. Not a big turn out to be honest - but then it IS study week...so all those dedicated students have their hands full. We did have the great opportunity to plant a tree on the school grounds, with the help of the Grounds Staff and a few Students. Thanks to all of you for your enthusiastic participation - what we lacked in numbers, we definitely made up for in spirit!

To Nikki Kohly, we would like to extend a huge thank you...for all your help in arranging things - and for opening your home to us!! Should you ever wander up to the Limpopo province in your travels...we would love to reciprocate your hospitality! Also to Lauren Kent - for all your help... THANK YOU. If only more people had your attitude - we love it!

Another bright spot on our busy repertoire was our quick photo opp for the Grocotts Newspaper. We are hoping to receive a positive response from that side of things - !

All that under the belt we then headed into the sunset toward the Sunshine Coast...and Port Elizabeth...the Friendly City! Let's hope it bears up to its name..."Windy City" is another fond nick-name for P.E... so let us see what tomorrow holds...By the sounds of it, wind and smiles will be the order of the day. Till then...

*Sa & Jon*

2009-06-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

Super eventful day on the 1+1=1 Pledge Drive calendar ...started off to a bit of a drizzly morning at Shamwari that had us longing to stay sitting in front of their nice log-burning fireplace.

After breakfast we made our way through to Sandilsiwasi, the local High School in Paterson. The visit was kindly arranged for us by Christine who works at Shamwari.

Sandilsiwasi High School is quite an environmentally aware school - that has quite a big eco focus. Their theme this year is"Recycling" which as we all know is something super important. Its nice to see the future leaders of tomorrow getting the opportunity to learn and practice important things like recycling while still in school.

Mr Gouza, the principal, was excited about our project and we enjoyed a few minutes telling him about our drive.

We would like to thank Mr Gouza for adding his signature to our scroll and taking the pledge on behalf of the Sandilsiwasi High School and for committing to the future.

After our short stop in Paterson we continued on to Grahamstown...or City of Saints, as it is known...due to the fact that it has so many churches and religious buildings. ( interesting fact: there are about 52 churches of various denominations...and more than 100 religious structures scattered through Grahamstown )

Our next school today was Graeme College - where we had a great meeting with about 400 or so of the students. An excellent crowd to talk to, who seemed to really understand the concept...and responded with enthusiasm.

After the presentation of our project in assembly, we collected signatures on the scroll, and R1 donations in each classroom... Each and every class participated, which was great!

Thank you so much to Brendon Grant and Peter Reed from Graeme College -as well as, of course, all the awesome students. We appreciate your time -and the commitment you all made towards sustainability and Greening SA.

Also on the events list this afternoon was a live interview on RMR (Rhodes Music Radio), which we thoroughly enjoyed. It's great to know that we are able to get the word out to thousands of people all over and have such an impact. We are hoping that the message of environmental and social awareness that we are spreading really takes "root"!

Another busy day for us tomorrow - zipping back and forth between Grahamstown and Port Alfred... looking forward to it from this side, so will let you know how it goes!

*Sa & Jon*

2009-06-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

Going nowhere slowly...? or...in our case, going somewhere fast! We spent most of yesterday on the road, travelling from Upington in the Northern Cape all the way down to Shamwari Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape. A sum distance of about 851 km's.

Miles and miles of nothing would fly by - and if you looked carefully you would see subtle changes in the environment and in the types of plants and even sand... but it was so subtle a change that one would almost not even notice it - if you weren't looking for it. All beautiful though... and peaceful in its way - made us realise that life really is so simple.

We passed through quite a few small town on the way down. You know...those blink-and-miss-them type. The most interesting things to observe along route were the HUGE buffalo-weaver nests...as seen in the pic. Its always astounding to see what grandeur and complexity nature can produce... I think perhaps sometimes people almost underestimate the miracle of little creatures like the buffalo weaver...that possess skills and sometimes even an intelligence that way surpasses ours.

With our long journey behind us ( a total of almost 10 hours on the road...) it was such a pleasure to arrive at our home for the night; which we are lucky enough to say was Riverdene Lodge in the Shamwari Game Reserve... What a place to be able to rest our heads after a long day of travels.

*J&S*

2009-05-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

For us the highlight of our stay in Upington was definitely our visit to the Orange River - the largest perennial river in SA, which flows from the highlands of Lesotho to the Atlantic Ocean.

From the moment we woke up - we were confronted with and astounded by its beauty and power. Our room at the Protea Hotel has a great little deck overlooking the River - so this morning we got to see it covered in mist, as the day slowly started waking up.

We then headed off for our activity of the day: White Water Rafting Neus Gorge on the Orange River. We were super excited and looking forward to an awesome time! An early morning saw us with swimsuits on (and admittedly jackets on... as it was FREEZING) making our way through to the tiny, but quaint little town of Kakamas.

We spent a totally awesome day on the river. The water, as expected, was more than a tad chilly...but the excitement of the rapids warmed us up a wee bit. Eben, our guide, was great! He has recently started his own company...and his love for the river and chilled-out manner made our trip what it was.

After surviving the first rapid, lovingly dubbed "Chicken Run"...and paddling for a while through some gorgeous scenery - we pulled our boats over onto a side bank...where Eben proceeded to whip up lunch. Amazing how food just tastes so much better when you're hungry...and outdoors, and have spent the day fighting rapids (and hypothermia ) :-) We all huddled round the fire on the sandbank...and enjoyed boerewors rolls, before manning the boats again, and making our merry way along.

Think that Jon and I quite mastered the art of steering our little boat, as we didn't even capsize once (something we were quite proud of...) We will admit to going through two sets of rapids backwards though - but hey... think we managed to convince people that we planned it that way...so it's all good.

Pulling out the river at about 3ish...we were thoroughly exhausted - and more than ready for an early night...but all in all - oh what a good day.

Thanks to Eben from Liquid360Adventures for an awesome trip and experience - we would love to come back again one day... (perhaps in Summer!)

Long drive tomorrow - all the way to Grahamstown...

Catch up with you there

*Sa & Jon*

2009-05-29T10:31:00.001-07:00

Kuruman - a tiny little town...but a very eventful one as things go.

One of the "must-see" things is of course the Eye of Kuruman, which is the biggest natural fountain in the Southern Hemisphere. The Eye once supplied about 20 - 30 million litres of crystal clear water, which fed the towns domestic needs. However due to geological changes in the area, the Eye no longer supplies the same volume of water as it once used to.

Discovered in 1801, this natural water source led to a mission being established in the early 19th century - the Moffat Mission. The Eye is thus sometimes described as the "Fountain of Christianity".

Another name associated with Kuruman is that of David Livingstone - a well-known missionary and explorer. Mary Moffat, daughter of Robert Moffat (one of the founders of the Mission) was proposed to, and married Dr David Livingstone. At the Mission one can still see the remains of the Almond Tree under which David proposed to Mary before later setting off onto his explorations of Africa.

Our experience of Kuruman was added to by our night at the Hotel Kgalagadi. Set about 20kms out of town in a local township - the true colour, flavour and culture of the people comes through. It was a great place to stay for the night with its quirky decor, and fun vibe.

The owner, Meshak, was simply awesome - and made us feel so welcome. We had a great chat to him over breakfast about his ideas of using local resources and people in his hotel. His passion for the area and his staff were contagious. We wish him all the best and would love to stop by again sometime and get to have a swim in the little rock pool.

We would also like to thank Meshak for adding his signature to our scroll this morning.

One of the highlights of our visit was our presentation to the Kuruman Christian Academy - a school of about 220 pupils. Yet another awesome response, and a full scroll of well-wishes and signatures!

Thank you for allowing us the time to speak to the students this

morning. It's always great to see such happy and enthusiastic children.

We hope your school continues to grow!

Adios Kuruman - and hello Upington....

*Sarah & Jonathan*

2009-05-28T09:51:00.000-07:00

Our drive from Mafikeng to "The Oasis of the Kalahari", found us travelling along "ghost roads" as we dubbed them...roads that seemed to span on forever...and forever. With vast amounts of open emptiness - we really felt that it was just us out there in the Big Wide World...especially so when we would check our cellphones and find ourselves with no signal...

It was beautiful in its simplicity - yet also scary in its complexity, as every now and then a white- tailed mongoose would cross the road - and show that life can still be sustained in an area like this.

It almost led us to feeling insignificant - which is an awesome

"freeing" experience. You can really just be yourself out there - and let go of all the mess and chaos that sometimes fills our worlds...It's something that cannot be explained, as the experience cannot be contained by a few words...

Our only company on the road at times was a donkey-cart (something that Jonathan was proud to say...NEVER overtook us... no matter how hard they tried) ;-)

Some days we just thoroughly enjoy the trip itself - the pure freedom of being on the road...driving along with windows down, sunroof open, and Dixie Chics playing...enjoying the open road - and autumn sunshine.

"Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of travelling." - Margaret Lee Runbeck

2009-05-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

Mafikeng has been a place with a wry sense of humour.

Our visit this morning to the Credo Mutwa Cultural Village turned out to be a bit of an adventure, as we found ourselves having to leave the car, traipse through the bush and arrive at a ram shackled dwelling - the remnants of a once living museum showing traditional African villages and cultures.

We had researched Credo Mutwa - a world famous Sangoma - before setting out. Needless to say, we were quite excited at this prospect of visiting a site so rich in history and cultural heritage.

However, the truth of the visit is that there was not much to be seen - apart from some drawings that were still left on the walls of the derelict dwellings. Not exactly what we set out expecting, nonetheless an enjoyable morning in the sun!

Something that brought joy to our day was meeting with Keletso Nxumalo - the General Manager of the Mafikeng Protea Hotel. Her enthusiasm at having us at the hotel and hearing about our project were more than projected by her bubbly manner towards us.

We really enjoyed chatting with her today, and would like to thank her for her willingness to participate in having the hotel sign the scroll!! We hope you had a safe journey to Johannesburg, and that the seeds we gave you will flourish!

Next stop...the Oasis of the Kalahari - Kuruman!

See you there, Jon and Sa.

2009-05-27T02:10:00.000-07:00

Wow - what a location for a school!! Our trip to the Kimberley Christian School had us travelling on a gravel road, then part tar and then onto more gravel...situated just outside Kimberley in the middle of nowhere!

For these kids, just 45 of them, the environment truly plays a part in their education. In fact, we were blown away by the knowledge of some of the children. One 9 year old in particular wowed us with his exceptionally broad understanding of trees and the influence that they have on the carbon emmisions front! An answer like - "Trees take in carbon dioxide, but I belive that if we cut them down, they release more carbon dioxide into the air." - what an assuring feeling to know that our future lies in the hands of children like these!

We hope that the message that we are spreading throughout our journey inspires more children to think this way!

Thanks to Lizette for allowing us to visit the school, and for her patience in giving us directions along the way!

And a thanks to the students for their participation in our "Drive", for signing the scroll, paying their rands and committing to the future!

We wish your school all the best.

*Jon and Sa*

2009-05-25T13:09:00.000-07:00

Monday morning had us up bright and early... reminiscent of the days when we ourselves used to have school uniforms on, lunches packed, home-work done...and be heading toward the Monday blues.

St. Patricks School in Kimberley welcomed us into their morning assembly with open arms. It was an opportunity to tell their Gr1-7's ( +- 200 students ) about our Pledge Drive.

We thoroughly enjoyed our few minutes with the the kids - and Mr. Prinsloo, the Head of the Primary School. Really awesome response from the students - which always makes a

presentation so worthwhile... it's nice to know that the message really sinks in sometimes!

Many of the Gr1-7 students took the Pledge, signed the Scroll and donated their R1's. Thanks to all of you.

With the afternoon free we decided to take in some of what makes Kimberley so popular...Kimberley is famous - not only for the Big Hole, which some of you might know as being the largest man made excavation in the world.

Kamfers Dam is a National Heritage Site, although not protected. It is a beautiful perennial wetland, home to sometimes over 35 000 Lesser Flamingos - and more than 200 different bird species.

We took a short drive out of Kimberley to this haven...and spent the evening admiring the flocks of flamingos (which are resident almost all - year round).

What we found hard to believe after seeing this natural gem of Kimberley was the fact that the Kamfers Dam and Wetland are being threatened due to untreated sewage flooding into the dam from a broken sewage works and the possibility of a large housing development. It really does boggle one's mind to think that people would consider giving up something so beautiful - something so surely worth fighting to protect.

For us - this was definitely one of the highlights of Kimberley... something no one should miss should they stop in this little town.

This photo does not even do it justice - as it shows only a fraction.

If only society and environment could work together - we would have a masterpiece. - Author Unknown

Steve Hofmeyr and the 1 + 1 = 1 Pledge Drive!

2009-05-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

An early start to a cold day found us setting up for the Langenhoven Park Farm Market in Bloemfontein...a market with more than 400 stalls ranging from pancakes to pot plants, haberdashery and little unreal infant figures (that were so realistic that we had to check twice when we saw them on display)!

A good vibe , but a quiet start had us anticipating the evenings activities. That night, we were to meet with a well known South African artist that pulls off Neil Diamond to a tee - It was none other than Steve Hofmeyr!

Arriving more than an hour before his show, we were met with an already growing line of fans, awaiting Steve's entrance.

With the crowd rushing in, we were privileged enough to spend a few minutes with Steve backstage discussing the cause of the 1 + 1 = 1 Pledge Drive and our aims! He was enthusiastic about the concept and shared with us some of his own environmental "visions"...a short chat , but definitely well worth the time!

The concert itself was jaw dropping - the opening night of his "Neil Diamond Reunion" tour, and not only showcased his amazing singing ability but also gave interesting insight into the life of Neil Diamond. His performance was none other than exceptional, and clearly enjoyed by both young and old in the audience.

A highlight was having him mention our project to the crowd, giving it a personal twist. The response after the concert was overwhelming! It seems as though, "What Steve says, goes!" For more than 2 hours after the concert we were busy - with a queue forming almost to the door of people waiting to sign our scroll, and pay their R1's.

Thanks to an awesome response from the "Happy concert goers".

We would also like to specially thank Amanda Burger for her complete devotion to helping us with arranging this meet with Steve Hofmeyr. Her friendliness and positive manner from our first correspondence with her made everything run so smoothly - Amanda, Thank You!!

And of course to the star of our evening - Steve Hofmeyr - we would like to extend a great big "thank you", for his participation in the 1 + 1 = 1 Pledge Drive and for signing our scroll!

Till next time...

*Jonathan & Sarah*

2009-05-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

We were definitely quite excited about our next port-of-call... which was Tsoseletso High School- A huge school of about 1700 students. We got to chat to about 300 of the Grade 8 students out on the field.

They were all very interested in what we had to say - which was an awesome feeling. Afterwards we were positively swamped by them trying to gather round and sign the scroll.

Messages such as "Trees are life- life is trees" and "I love trees" graced our Scroll as one after another of the students signed. Clearly these kids know the importance of trees in their lives! It was really such a cool school to visit - and we would love to stop by again some time to see how our "thank-you" plum tree is faring!

We would like to extend a big thank you to Andrew, from Tsoseletso School. We would also like to thank Modise Finger from Vuka Tours for taking us by this school on our Township tour, and for his friendly participation.

The Township tour around Bloemfontein made a lot of our history come alive as Modise managed to explain it all in a very down-to-earth manor. We also stopped by Franklin Game Reserve, one of the only Game Reserves in the Southern Hemisphere to be completely within the city's limits. A view of ostriches, and the beautiful sky-line of Bloem completed our tour.

More tomorrow....

*Sarah & Jonathan*

2009-05-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

Bloemfontein greeted us with a whirlwind of action and activity. A frosty Free State morning found us heading toward St. Andrews School. We had the opportunity to speak to about 300 of their Junior Students during their Chapel period. The questions coming from some of the Grade 1's when asked about why trees were important were priceless.

We would like to thank St. Andrews School and the Principal, Mr Chris Thomas for their participation.

And look forward to seeing some hearty environmentalists coming forth from that school... So far 140 indigenous trees have been planted at the school - and they aim to reach 500. So all the best from W.V !

Next we got to stop in at Bloemfontein Christian Academy, which was quite exciting for me - as it was a small Christian school quite like one I had once gone to.

The kids there thoroughly enjoyed hearing about our project. It was a quick presentation out on the field to about 130 kids, but it was good to see such a positive response. Nearly all the kids lined up after our presentation to sign the scroll and donate their R1.

Also a big thank you to Bloemfontein Christian Academy for allowing us to visit today -

"Plant trees. They give us two of the most crucial elements for our survival: oxygen and books. "
A. Whitney Brown

2009-05-20T13:24:00.000-07:00

We were greeted this morning by a rather chilly East London rain...but even this did not dampen our spirits. We set out with anticipation for our first meeting of the day at the City Hall. Councillor Roy Angelbeck was appointed to meet with us on behalf Mayor Zukisa Faku-Hobona.

A meeting just shy of an hour saw us leaving with the endorsement and backing of Buffalo City Municipality. Roy was very interested and supportive of the 1+1=1 concept and pledge drive, and looks forward to future involvement from the Municipality's side with a project of this nature.

Thank you to Roy for his enthusiasm and time, and to Buffalo City Municipality for their support.

With this now under our belts, we headed for our next adventure...which found us traipsing around a quaint local nursery in the pouring rain and through puddles of mud - debating the merits of indigenous trees. A true test of character.

Now the search for the tree had its purpose as we made our way to Merrifields Preparatory School and College, where we were to hold a presenatation. Sarah's quirky and out there personality warmed the students to her, and consequently had their minds ticking and asking more about the project.

After the assembly, many of the students approached us to sign the scroll, and donate their R1.

Thank you to Dr Guy Hartley, the staff and the students for their warm welcome and passionate response. Your commitment to the cause is much appreciated.

A long trip to Bloemfontein awaits us tomorrow...catch up with you there!

Jonathan.

2009-05-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

In search of a wild start to the day, we found ourselves heading toward Oribi Nature Reserve, where the World's HIGHEST Gorge Swing can be found. 70 metres of freefall in just under 2.5 seconds... an intense experience.

The feeling of knowing fear, and conquering it is a heady one. The beauty of the 100 m deep gorge that we swung into left us feeling both inspired and awed.

And so our journey onwards continued...

The scenery on our drive today was some of the most beautiful we have ever seen. Things that movies are made of. The endless fields dotted only by the circular huts so typical of this area... the goats slowly meandering along the dusty roads, and the striking beauty of the african sunset.

We also stopped along our way in Mthata, home of the Nelson Mandela "Long Walk to Freedom" Museum.

A fantastic museum with spine-chilling revelations of all that Nelson Mandela had to endure during his years of struggle.

A touching tribute to an amazing person... whose quotes never cease to amaze when one considers all that he has been through. Well worth a visit!

We also made our way through to Qunu, home-town of Nelson Mandela... also the town where he still currently chooses to spend the majority of his time when not in Johannesburg.

To see how he grew up in a small village, and be waved at by children as we drove through, was a touching experience. A great man...despite humble beginnings.

A visit to the Youth Heritage Centre in Qunu completed our activities for the day...

2009-05-19T15:07:00.001-07:00

...the only "footprints" we left on the Wild Coast!

2009-05-17T14:18:00.000-07:00

Hey hey...

Just checked into our oh-so-gorgeous hotel for the evening and am having a chance to recap over the events of the day.

Spent today visiting the Hare Krishna Temple of Understanding in Chatsworth, Durban. Originally started in the states by founders such as Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Dalai Lama - this temple is a place of "spiritual enlightenment"

We were welcomed in - shoes off, wandering around the palace marvelling at the ceilings covered in murals and gold-adorned walls. The Hare Krishna Temple, or Sri Sri Radhanath Temple is said to be the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere. The visit ended with a stroll through the Mahatma Ghandi Memorial garden.

Great place to have experienced, and amazing to feel the warmth and acceptance offered by all! Its definitely worth a visit... ( if you can find it - as its little roads and twists and turns make it quite a challenge.. )

Would also like to extend a heart-felt "Thank-You" to the Sharks Rugby team, who took the pledge, signed the Scroll, and contributed their R1 to the cause.

Off for now... exploring the Wild Coast tomorrow and will let you know what it has in store... !

Cheers

*Sarah*

Hilton College

2009-05-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

We awoke to the sound of the waves and the wind and what a beautiful morning it was!

Within the hour we found ourseleves surrounded by GREEN, green hills, green lawns, lush green everywhere and for us Limpopo folks this was a wonderful treat. The grounds of Hilton College are straight from the glossy pages of Garden and Home. Breathtaking is an apt description and I really felt like laying a rug under the old Oak tree and revealing in the dappled sunlight for an hour or five!

We were thrilled at the opportunity to present Wilderness Vision and the 1 + 1 = 1 project to the learners and educators of Hilton College. The response was extremly positive and we would like to thank Mr. Anthony Durnford for making this presentation possible and to Hilton College for the very generous donation. To Brian, Ian and Andy, thank you for your assistance and to Jonn and Dave, thank you for the encouragement and we look forward to future trails and projects.

Thank you to all the learners and we wish you a relaxing long weekend.

Wilderness Vision presented Mr. Durnford with a Sneezewood tree and 20 Tree Fuchsia seeds in honor of the day and the project.

Click here to visit the Hilton College website

2009-05-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

Trophy Toyota are the proud sponsors of the 1 + 1 = 1 Toyota Verso.

The official Pledge Drive SA vehicle is seen here on Durban Beach. Jonathan Rixon is extremely proud of the projects wheels and says that driving the Verso makes the journey a "dream".

Wilderness Vision would like to thank Trophy Toyota for their incredibly generous support.

The Wilderness Vision team received a very positive response from all at the 2009 Indaba. Tour operators, hotels, lodges, tourism departments and reserves were all keen to join the vision, pledge and vote for the future! We are hoping to expand the base of sponsors, supporters and friends after this very successful show. The team also found numerous opportunities to platform the founding sponsors.

Rocking Indaba!!

2009-05-11T12:41:00.000-07:00

Since arriving in Durban on Friday night, it's been all systems go! So we apologise for the long gap in the diary update.

Despite the rain Durban is still as friendly and as inviting as ever. Indaba is a buzz of people, funky stalls, dancing puppets and costumed dances and we are having a great time. Our angle here is contacts, contacts, contacts and thus far we have met many interesting and interested people.

One such person is none other than Kingsley Holgate, seen here signing the scroll and endorsing the project. We are thrilled to have Kingsleys endorsement as he is a huge inspiration to the Wilderness Vision team! Kingsley was at Indaba to launch his own latest project which entails travelling across several African countries to help fight malaria.

A chance meeting with Dallas Oberholzer, well know South African skateboarder presented

us with the fab opportunity of a drive out to the Indigo Skate Camp. Wow, what a breathtaking spot in the valley of a thousand hills with the Umgeni River winding below! We got to watch several kids take to the ramps, one 11 year old displayed extraordinary skills, style and attitude

with some smooth moves and a pair of shades to match!

We are inviting tour operators to join the 1 + 1 = 1 vision by opening up the opportunity for clients to pledge on confirmation of booking. As you all know, the more who join, the merrier!

Jonathan had a telephonic radio interview today, while standing on a skate ramp surrounded by hills, it was a great opportunity to let you all know about the SMS competition and to thank the sponsors for the great support!

We will be back at the ICC first thing tomorrow spreading the message...

Back soon..

Success at the Garden and Home Expo - Riaan and Michelle Garforth Venter Sign the scroll!

2009-05-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

Hey there,

Well after the copious amounts of driving and meeting with Bakkies Botha on Wednesday, I think we were on another planet! But that was to end at the news of us going to

the Garden and Home Expo. It was a full 3 days of hard, solid

work, but what a pay off!

With all the effort, we managed to fill up 3 scrolls, falling just shy of 4, and had fantastic support from all young and old! Thank you to all those present at the Expo, and to the organisers (Event X) for having us.

One of the achievments was having Riaan and Michelle Garforth - Venter both sign the scroll and pay their Rands - Riaan held a workshop at the Expo. Thank you to you both for your contribution!

And after an early wake-up (04:00 am) on Monday 4th May, we were on our way to Nelspruit to set up a stand in the Riverside Mall by 09:00...we made it! So if you are anywhere in the Nelspruit area - Drop by, take the Pledge, sign our scroll and commit to the future...it's a vote for the future!!

Next stop Richards Bay, see you there!

Jon

Bakkies Botha takes the pledge, signs the scroll and pays his buck!

2009-05-03T09:48:00.001-07:00

The great thing about a project like 1 + 1 = 1 is the incredible people you get to meet!

The team were lucky enough to meet another great South African sportsman - arguably the best rugby lock in the world - Bakkies Botha. Preparing for the remainder of the Super 14 season as well as the upcoming British and Irish Lions tour, Bakkies took some time out with Alan, Jonathan and Nick in Pretoria to sign the scroll. An avid conservationist and lover of the bush, we wish Bakkies, the Blue Bulls and the Boks all the best for the rest of the year...GO GREEN!!! Our thanks to Quentin Cloete of Neubrand (http://www.neubrand.co.za/) for arranging the day.

Trophy Toyota sponsors a Verso

2009-05-01T03:04:00.000-07:00

I know the last entry said WOW but I am going to have to say it again! WOW!!! and THANK YOU to Jon Hyde and team at Trophy Toyota for sponsoring a car for the duration of the Pledge Drive SA.

Trophy Toyota is situated in Modjadjiskloof and Toyota Vehicle Rentals and Transfers, a member of the Trophy group of companies, is in Hoedspruit which is also the home town of Wilderness Vision. We have hired vehicles from Robyn on a number of occasions. Always with fantastic service. After receiving this offer from Jon and
chatting to folks we have heard of how generous Jon and his team are, when it comes to charity golf days and fund raisers you will invariably find the Trophy Toyota sign of support!

The Verso is a fabulous ride and look how great it looks with the logo's of all those companies who took the 1 challenge in a BIG way! THANK YOU ALL, without this support there could be no drive.

P.S On the travel front - We will plant an additional 4 trees to repay the 6500kms travelled by car and an additional 2 trees for the air travel of the back up team to Cape Town.

The concept is that through our partnership with The United Nations Environment Programme, Billion Tree Campaign and through Wilderness Vision, A LOT of trees will be planted under the company banners of the various sponsorships that the 1 + 1 = 1 Pledge Drive has received. These sponsors will be directly responsible for the planting of thousands of trees across South Africa. It is through this type of commitment to social and environmental causes that will ensure a brighter greener future for all! To date the team has handed out over 2000 indigenous tree seeds, complete with care instructions.

Jonathan and Nick will be in Nelspruit on the 4th May at Riverside Mall and here we must mention that Ria of Riverside mall has sponsored the space for a three day period. Thank you Ria for taking the 1 challenge!

Come and join us at the mall to make your pledge and vote for the future!

Win an iphone 3G - SMS WVO plus your NAME and the NAME of your TOWN to 34008 to stand a chance to win. ONLY R2-00 an SMS.

Saturday at the Sustainable Living Festival!

2009-04-28T11:54:00.001-07:00

Hey All...

Wow, what an unbelievable couple of days! We’ve had such fantastic support at the Sustainable Living Festival over the weekend. Nick gave a speech earlier in the day with Axon Khoza (partner of Wilderness Vision and grandson of Chief Kapama of the Shangaan Tribe), and a lot of interest was generated. ONE of the highlights was having Sam Nzima and his wife, take the pledge, sign the scroll and pay their one Rands!

For those of you who don’t know Sam Nzima –he is the South African photographer who took the image of Hector Pieterson during the Sowetan Riots. What a privilege it is for us to have his signature on our scroll.

Another highlight was getting to spend some time with FreshlyGround and having them dedicate a song to us. And on this note, we would also like to extend a thank you to the Band and Heidi, Naz, and Yiorgos for their support in the 1 + 1 =1 Pledge Drive.
Just before their main performance, Jonathan went up in front of the massive audience, gave them our message and asked for their support and left to the roar of a clapping crowd.

All in all – an outstanding start to a much anticipated project!

So now it’s off to JHB! Wish us luck, and catch you all later.

Jonathan & Nick

1 + 1 = 1 enjoys a great day at the Sustainable Living Festival

2009-04-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

07h15am this morning found the Wilderness Vision team setting up the stall at the Sustainable Living festival in Hoedspruit, Limpopo.

What an awesome day it was. Everyone was so keen to get involved, take the pledge and sign the scroll. Several folks gave way more than the R1-00. Alex Williams, an 8 year old student at Southern Cross donated R100-00! Thank you AL.

Jessica Mayes worked so hard all day, giving a great presentation to all who passed by, Thank you Jess, you are a star. To all the others who jumped in and spread the word, to Jake, Meg, Moo and all, a great BIG hearty Thank you - you rock!

Khanyisa School from Giyani were thrilled to participate. They are seen here signing the scroll.

There was a superb turn out today and the presentation by Alan and Sarah McSmith went down well. Tomorrow Jonathan and Nick take a turn on the mic with back up from Axon who will give a demonstration of the pledge in 9 languages! Among the stalls were Aurora Development, worms Galore and Magpie handcrafted fineware.

!!!Come and join us all at the festival!!!

To stand a chance to win an apple iphone SMS WVO plus YOUR NAME plus the NAME OF YOUR TOWN to 34008.

Southern Cross Schools is the first to sign!

2009-04-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

Southern Cross School in Hoedspruit becomes the first school to sign the scroll.....

This they did with great enthusiasm on Friday 17th April.

The 1 + 1 = 1 team were invited to Southern Cross School to introduce the project to the learners and teachers.

Concepts like; sustainable living, planting trees and saving energy are not new to these kids! This is all a normal part of the day at this "School for the Planet"! In fact many of these students are so in tune with nature they could teach all of us a thing or two!

We were also priviledged to watch the Grade fours do a presentation of their goals, what an inspiration this was, thank you guys and gals. It was so interesting to see how many future wildlife vets are in the making at Southern Cross. Must have something to do with local vet, Dr. Pete Rogers and team who are great mentors to the kids.

Thank you Southern Cross your support is invaluable!

6500 kms, 8 weeks, 9 provinces!

2009-04-15T07:07:00.000-07:00

Six days to go before the official start of the

1 + 1 = 1 Pledge Drive SA.

One man One rand One future. For just one rand you can pledge your support towards the planting of 7 billion trees by December 2009!!!

Jonathan and Nick are all set to cover 6500 kms,

over 8 weeks, through 9 provinces!

"Thats a long way" you may say and indeed you would be right ! but these guys have a message to share and they intend to do it in a big way.

They are literally going the extra mile for this great cause.

The cause - TREES - they plan to share the value of trees in our lives in presentations at schools across the country. They will also be aiming to get 1000000 people to take the pledge, sign the scroll and pay a rand, by doing so you will be directly contributing to a global initaitive to counter climate change. The United Nations Environment Programme has endorsed the project and 50% of raised profits will go towards planting of trees under the Billion Tree Campaign!

Look out for Jonathan and Nick at malls, events and parties across the country for the next two months and join the vision...SIGN UP, PAY YOUR RAND AND MAKE VOTE FOR THE FUTURE!