Words by Natalija Svrtan, President of Zemljane Staze (Earth Trek)
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought to light the importance of maintaining health and boosting the body’s immune system. Similarly, the pandemic has demonstrated how fragile the global food supply system can be in times of crisis. With closed borders, the residents of many countries worldwide are facing hunger and disease, making the act of growing food, as opposed to importing it, more important than ever.
Boosting immunity by eating healthy, non-toxic food and living in a healthy, unpolluted environment is one of the best ways to deal with the potential dangers of COVID-19, and sustain life even after the pandemic has run its course. Unfortunately, many Croatian consumers are unaware of the consequences of continuously consuming pesticides.
Zemljane Staze, my organization, and a Global Greengrants Fund grantee, set out to create a video to educate the public on pesticide use dangers, available alternatives, and practical examples, while emphasizing the benefits of sustainable food production.
Thanks to $5,000 from Global Greengrants Fund, Zemljane Staze was able to create not just one, but three educational videos on this important topic.
We are pleased that our first film, “Effects of Pesticides and Sustainable Alternatives“, premiered earlier this month. The impact and public response to this film was excellent. Many news portals published articles on the premiere, including one of the most popular online and print newspapers in Croatia. We were invited to talk about the movies on Croatian National Television as well as the morning show “Good morning Croatia”. These public appearances resulted in new contacts, suggestions for collaboration, many Facebook and Instagram shares, and lots of positive feedback.
You can watch our first film below.