WHO WE ARE
ME
I'm Karel Blondeel. I studied history only a medium long time ago. I lived in Lisbon for a year, at the Universidade Nova, among other courses, I took Cultura Portuguesa I, II, III and IV. Nowadays I spend most of my time in front of a computer screen, trying to help people have healthier sexual lives. I do still have time to love my friends, including my partner and family, though I would like more time to be with them. I would also like to be a photographer, a dancer and a writer. I don't have favourite colours or food, I generally like a lot and I hope the lot likes me back.
SAVING THE PLANET?
I don't care about saving the planet, the planet is fine just by herself, we wouldn't be able to save her anyway once the sun is dying.
What I do care about is extending the time of the human race living on the planet in more or less pleasant conditions. Even though I will not have children and the future, as in after I die, shouldn't worry me too much from that perspective, I do still feel that humans are interesting enough to be saved, for now. I want to be on the right side of history.
I deeply believe that reforesting (long) devastated terrains is one of the things we can do to make this world a better place, for you and for me and the entire human race. Restoring, even a small piece, what is now left to nothing, into a lush environment is a wonder that can be quite easily achieved, even within a human's lifetime. The way trees generate quick gains in water management, erosion, carbon absorption, food chains is so fascinating about them and also that they are communicating with each other, are bigger underground than above and that they dance at night.
SELVAGEM
Selva means forest in Portuguese, Selvagem means wild in Portuguese and a gem is a gem.
Selvagem is a Belgian non-profit organisation, initially set up to give people (as in my friends) an easy and attractive opportunity to support tree planting. But it is not just about CO2 compensation, guilt is not a good concept to build your structure around. From it's conception, Selvagem is aiming to go wild in its imagination, reconciling the human colonisation of the planet with her resources. Using resources in a way that is constructive for all of us, thinking long term well-being, not quick financial gain, thinking diversification, not extinction, thinking together, not alone.
I managed not to use the word holistic, until now.
So for now, we are planting trees, just like so many other organisations are doing. The more, the merry I say, with all the ones that have been burning down, we do need to reforest and (re)build ecosystems, as quick and fast as possible.
MILESTONES
May 2019
18th
First funds collected - all gifts for a birthday party are donated to Selvagem.
August 2019
26th
Field trip to Alentejo, Portugal in search of land. Contact established with CLARA - centre for rural future, through Vos, aka Lisboneye, your not so average travel guide for Portugal. And we now have
Instagram - www.instagram.com/selvagem.woods/
Facebook - www.facebook.com/SELVAGEMWOODS/
November 2019
22nd
First selvagem plant action on the CLARA terrains. Two-hundred plants, of which around 80 trees.
November 2019
29th
First "Dance for trees"-event. Working as a human juke-box on parties brings extra funds for Selvagem
January 2020
16th
We have a website - www.selvagem.org
February 2020
9th
Official submission to register as a Belgian non-profit organisation SELVAGEM.WOODS -0743.440.959