Wola Nani works with paper and so will continue the Hanan Yanny paper range. This means that products like the magazine mirrors will still be around, but unfortunately their jewellery line has come to an end. Wola Nani no longer supplies Babazeka (as they can’t work with our new system of not holding stock) and so unfortunately it means that we won’t be able to supply you with any of Hanan Yanny’s products. For now. Let’s see if things change in the future.

And as for Hanan, I wish you all the best for your new endeavour! It’s been a real pleasure working with you…

The images you see above are from the Prudential Plaza in Boston, as part of Toyota’s launch of the latest Prius. Their theme is “Harmony between man, nature and machine”.

The only difference between my vision for the future and this picture of a current launch, is that in the future, the flowers will completely solar powered, not partially, and they will be providing free services just because. Nothing to sell, nothing to market, nothing to advertise. Just because it’s a nice thing to offer the public to make their lives easier and more enjoyable.

PS. Thanks Cath for the link!
PPS. Thanks Phutu for featuring the Babazeka shop today!

They’re also running the beautiful Mad World Heart Campaign whereby 108 wooden hearts are moving around the world. They’re passed from person to person, “carrying with it  the potential to change, and the chance to make a difference to the world in which we live”. As the hearts are passed on, and good deeds are done, their journey can be tracked through the website. What an amazing idea!

I urge you to join this wonderful campaign. Sign up, tell the world what difference you’ve already made to it, and then continue to make positive changes in every way you can. This concept is completely in line with my favourite quote by Mahatma Gandhi: You must be the change you wish to see in the world…

I’ve never wanted Babazeka blog to be about politics, philosophy or any topic too controversial, but on this topic I feel I’d like to have my say and this is it: The way we are currently operating as a human race has got to end. It has to. With big business and banks ruling our governments, ruling our lives, we’re heading one way, and that is downwards.

It’s now clear to me, that any business who’s PRIMARY goal is profit, will never be able to be purely ethical and focused on the benefit of society. The two just don’t go hand-in-hand. To support and improve society, you need to have people and the environment’s best interests at heart, but when profit is involved, it’s just not possible.

You can’t pay your staff enormous salaries and be profitable. Too often recyclable and renewable resources are more expensive than chemically made ones, and so to be profitable, the cheaper is used. Even a basic accounting principle of paying suppliers as late as one can, increases ones profits, but is just not ethical.

More businesses need to focus on ETHICS and not the bottom line. Business should not be about a select few prospering whilst the masses battle each day to get by. Please do yourself a favour, and watch The Corporation. I feel that the more people who know about, feel stongly about and spread the word about these mattters, the more chance we have of putting an end to an extremely destructive cycle.

I’ve been looking around to see if anything similar is offered that is either focused on South Africa or more open internationals (preferably offering free advice). I think it’s so important to have a meeting place for like-minded people, especially if advice could be asked for and given.

I re-discovered I-genius, which also focuses on supporting and networking between social entrepreneurs. They offer a free newsletter and  like to develop partnerships so as to stimulate the growth of their entrepreneur members. Then there’s Ashoka, again supporting social change through entrepreneurship. Social Edge is another online community with a similar focus. They offer two weekly online discussions based on various relevant topics.

I guess the point is that help is out there if you need it. I suppose that is the main wonder of the internet, no matter where you’re based, you can be connected to like-minded others and hopefully find the support you need.

If anyone knows of a particular site which focuses on connecting and supporting social entrepreneurs within South Africa, I’d love to hear about it.

The Kirstenbosch team chose the theme of biodiversity, wanting to show the public the importance of nature as our foundation blocks for survival (ie. food, fibres, energy, water and air). So, not only was it beautifully designed, it demonstrated a vital message too. Doesn’t that make you proud?

The event was a true success, most people walking away with a big smile on their face and no doubt the Hospice volunteers feeling very proud of all their efforts paying off.

Here’s the piece that I bought. So simple, but so creative. I just adore it. The colours match my office perfectly too!

It was painted by a super talented young girl, Stefni, who lives in Knysna. I’ve been taking a look at her website this morning and am so impressed by what I see. Being based in a small town, it’s really exciting to discover like-minded people and see what they’re getting up to. I can’t wait to pay an actual visit to her workshop.

Thanks for donating the artwork Stefni, it has a very happy home now and must say that I just love what you’re doing!

I just adore the contemporary african feel of the frames and storage boxes. Let’s see if Babazeka can get this craft initiative to join us.

Sometimes I think we all spend too much time rushing around and being busy that we don’t have a chance to recharge. Truthfully, life in Knysna never gets too hectic, but what I realised this weekend is that I never just sit. I sit and read, I sit and write, I sit and sew, I sit and think, but I never take the time to just SIT AND REST.

The card explained that by sitting and resting, you accumulate energy in your body and you give it the chance to be stored there. That way, you have more energy to spend on creative outlets when you need it, especially for work.

So, all you entrepreneurs out there, in fact, anyone who works at all, my advice to you is to make the time each day to SIT and REST. Do nothing, quieten your mind, and you’ll be amazed at how much more enthusiasm, excitement and motivation returns to you if you just allow it to. I dare you to give it a try…

My sister-in-law told me about such an amazing project that is running in Cape Town. It’s a group of people who’s main focus is on encouraging and teaching people how to grow organic vegetables. Like a quote on their website says, “Give a person an apple and they will eat for a day; teach a person to garden and they will eat forever”. And not only will they eat, they will eat healthy, wholesome, healing food and can gain a sense of pride and purpose through their efforts.

Farm and Garden Trust has a number of different projects under their umbrella. They provide resources, knowledge and support to these community-based projects, so that they are able to grow vegetables to feed their families, to give to those in need or to sell. At the moment they’re focusing mainly on the Cape Town area, but plan to spread nationwide.

It feels like everywhere you turn these days, you see more people wanting to help others and to help the Earth. I find this truly beautiful. It’s as if we’re finally starting to realise that we’re all on the same team… ]]> http://blog.babazeka.com/?feed=rss2&p=1175