20^th Eco-gen Ambassador Program- 1^st Report April 2018

I want to share with the Eco-Gen family, an idea that has been on my mind for some time, ever since I came to Austria and met a wonderful couple, very passionate about nature. Meeting them reinforced my belief that living with nature can make us feel one with it, love it and of course take care of it.

Ms. Helga Grausam and Mr. Werner Grausam are both about 70 years old and reside in the small village of Gmund in Austria. I was fortunate to have met them when I came to Austria last year and have been invited to their wonderful home many times. I was highly impressed to know that Mr. Werner, an electrical technician had built their home with his own hands, (except for few highly technical services that required skilled/professional installations). Vocational training is an integral part of the education system in Austria and it makes Austrians self-reliant in many ways; and for many services that people from other parts of the world, would outsource. However, what left me completely awestruck was a well nurtured garden that is a part of their estate.

Their estate, surrounded by a 2 feet wide hedge, and about the size of a football field, is a treat to the eyes. The lush green garden is interspersed not only with decorative and ornamental plants but also has fruit trees, vegetable plants and an aromatic herb garden. The Grausams get a lot of kitchen ingredients from their garden. The flora attracts a variety of fauna including bees, wasps, birds, squirrels and at times even deer pass by. Set within a stone boundary and with lovely water plants, there is also a small and shallow fish pond. The beauty of the garden is to be seen to be believed.

My first visit to their home was in spring last year, when the garden was in full bloom and then later again in winter when the trees were barren. Now, I am waiting for a chance to visit them again as we have just ushered in the spring season after a cold and harsh winter. To quote Ms. Helga, ?I look forward to the spring to witness the new shoots appear and the garden recover its glory." Her eyes shine when she talks about her garden and her love for nature is infectious.

It is amazing to note that the couple take care of their huge garden all by themselves. I was struggling for time, trying to maintain a small balcony garden back home in Dubai and looking at the magnitude of their garden, I can only imagine the mammoth effort they must be putting to maintain its beauty.

Austria is a nation bestowed with immense environmental resources and natural beauty. Living and growing up in such surroundings makes people consider nature as a part of their lives. They appreciate the boons of nature and take care of it.

So is it the nature that motivates people to love it and protect it? Or is it we humans have to take the first step, that when people take care of their environment, it stays beautiful and thrives? I think it is a never ending cycle. If we are fortunate to enjoy the beauty of nature around us, let us make it a part of our lives and be one with it, so that we love it and cannot hurt it in any way; and continue to enjoy this blessing. And if we live in man-made areas and lack nature in our surroundings, let us protect what we have, plant more trees, create green areas and balcony gardens. This way we can nurture and supplement nature to make it grow around us and be a part of it.