The journey to being an environmentalist

Waking up to the sound of the land-mower on weekend mornings is a sound I was well accustomed to in my younger years. This was, of course, my father landscaping our home. My favorite plant was the Weeping Bottlebrush. It bloomed these absolutely beautiful bright red flowers that attracted bees and made our garden come alive. Looking back, I think this is when my love for nature started. It grew more in my college years at Cedara College of Agriculture.

For those who have never visited Cedara College, it a tertiary institute located between Howick and Hilton, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. It's a tertiary institute as much as it is a farm, with hectares of open land and a diversity of plants, farm animals, and crops. It was at Cedara College where I fell truly and deeply connected to nature. I would take long walks and explore the forests, grasslands, and wetlands. After I had graduated at Cedara College, I went on to study permaculture. I fell in love with permaculture. I love the concept of studying the principles and patterns in nature in order to replicate them for food agricultural production.

A year after my permaculture studies I became an Environmental Operator at Somta Tools. 3 months later I was promoted to be the first Environmental Officer at the company. It has been quite an exciting journey so far. Designing new systems, practices, and policies brings a lot of challenges and certainly cuts the time sitting in the office short. I am still growing and still learning and falling more and more in love with Environmentalism everyday

My name is Siyethemba Mbambo, and I am an Environmentalist.