The most exciting event in the Eden Campus calendar was the launch of our very own student businesses. These businesses act as action learning for our students where they practice all they learn in the classroom. These businesses are totally run by the students of Eden Campus with guidance of various local business people and mentors.
Different teams of motivated students run these businesses. The primary goal of these businesses is to generate an income for the future of Eden Campus. It is therefore so vital for the students of Eden Campus to make a success of these businesses. In running these businesses the students are gaining a lot of business skills and are exposed to the greater business world. The students are also challenged to utilise their theoretical knowledge in there businesses.
These businesses include :
Eden Veggies
The vegetable business is looking at providing organic vegetables to the campus and the surround communities and businesses. The business is friendly to the environment in the sense that they will sell organic vegetables.
We are a team of dynamic students at Eden Campus who came up with a business idea of selling organic vegetables, chickens and honey. We are starting this business to provide funds that will be generated into everyday life at campus such as buying food and paying for textbooks, to name a few of the expenses.
Eden Bicycles
(Karatara Nature Cycle)
The bicycle business has been donated 120 bicycles by Ben Bikes and is looking at encouraging the surrounding communities to make use of their bicycles instead of vehicles, which will also make a positive impact on global warming.
Eden Transport
Eden transport is a business that young students of Eden Campus want to initiate. The aim of the business is to provide a safe, reliable transport to the greater garden route area, and the profit generated by the business will be used for education. The core of the business is to promote global warming awareness, by using environmental friendly fuel (bio-diesel) and by using green cars. The profit generated by the business will be used for education. The core of the business is to promote Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), and global warming awareness.
Tara of Eden
The Tara of Eden is looking at providing accommodation and entertainment to local residents and international tourists. Our vision is to be the number one tourist destination for travellers with a social conscience.
In the short term we will provide our visitors with an experience that enables the socially conscious to engage with the regeneration of education possibilities. We wish to educate our visitors about our spectacular surroundings by partnering with local businessmen who have the necessary knowledge about Karatara.
The hiking trails, talent shows and the showing of movies that we also offer will enable our visitors to have first hand experience of the beauty that exists in Karatara
Eden Clothing
Eden clothing received a donation of clothing worth r50 000. Clothing that suits all occasions and different kind of personalities and creating diversity in which every one feels comfortable.
Gug’o thandayo comes from the diversity aspect of the business, where we do not exclude anyone. Mainly by saying coalition clothing is for all ages, culture and genders.
The term “gug’o thandayo” means: you are only old when you want to be old. Our future aims are to hold fashion shows and to work with young african designers, and form partnerships with the other Eden Campus businesses.
When we decided to start a Green Business School from nothing we focused on the Business and creating our amazing multiversity in Karatara — a small town on the Garden Route, and did not immediately get the green side going. That was in February 2006 and now it is May 2007 and we are going green.
We have allocated time in our weekly timetable to a subject we have called “Going Green”. This is where our students — 52 in total — are given assignments and tasks to take an old, dilapidated building and change it into a green — lush — healing — environmentally aware campus and to make daily differences in the way we live. Our plan is to take what we learn to the community of Karatara and for each student to take their new found awareness home to their various communities where, whatever they do, is going to make a difference.
We have recycle bins all over our campus, we are beginning to compost our waste, have started the most beautiful organic vegetable and herb garden and the most exciting new addition is our very own Worm Farm. Our plan is to have up to 10 working worm farms on the campus and market and sell our special vermicast to the community. Our plan for the next 2 months is to get a full recycling programme started in Karatara and to start an awareness campaign getting the locals to plant and grow organic vegetables.
We will keep you up updated in the next newsletter.
On 25 April 2007 we launched our student businesses with a very special event and the acceptance of a donation of 60 Bicycles from BEN (Bicycle Empowerment Network). The students of Eden Campu,s with the help of staff, mentors and angels, hosted a wonderful event which included handing over of 60 bicycles to our local primary school, a fun ride where more than 120 people cycled around Karatara and a wonderful music concert with Verity and her band.
It was an evening to remember and opened up a way forward for more positive, non-alcohol and non-violent, magic and connectedness that has taken steps to heal and nurture a depressed and often forgotten community.