Today we decided to visit the Eden Project.
The Eden a project, an educational charity,creates gardens,exhibitions,art,events,experiences and projects that explore how people can work together and with nature to change things for the better .
The first project was to make a 35- acre global garden in a 50 m- deep crater that was once a china clay pit to demonstrate regeneration and the art of the possible.
The Eden Project was established as one of the Landmark Millenium a Projects to mark the year 2000 in the UK.
It is an international visitor destination featuring spectacular planting and architecture in a spectacular setting. It is an educational charity,celebrating connections and dependencies on plants and on each other.
Eden is also a social enterprise,doing business to give the greatest possible benefit to the widest number of people and show that improving the environment and livelihoods and building stronger communities can work hand in hand.

The beginning of the story:
" Around the late 1990's a small group of people gathered in pubs,hotels and offices to talk about an idea- to create a place like nothing anyone had ever seen before; a place that explored our place in nature, a place that demonstrated what could be done if people who wanted to make a difference got together .it was ridiculous to imagine it was possible and that hundreds of people trained to say no could be persuaded to say yes . But the greybeards had a brilliant plan:ask the youngsters to do it- they don't know it can't be done." Tim Smit, Eden.
While Tim Smit,( now Sir Tim,Executive Chairman,Eden Regeneration Ltd and co founder of the Eden Project) was restoring the almost Gardens of Heligan he realised that plants could be made far more interesting by weaving human stories around them,tales of emotion and adventure and other human aspects.
There was a big story to be told:plants that changed the world.A summer sunset on a china clay tip conjured thoughts of ancient civilisations in volcanic craters,and of putting the largest greenhouses in the world in a huge hole.Why not?
An exhausted, steep sided clay pit 60 meters deep,the area of 35 football pitches,with no soil,15 metres below the water table,was purchased and given life.
A huge diversity of plants planted in soil made from waste materials watered by the rain,in giant conservatories and buildings that drew inspiration from nature .
The recipe for the Project was as follows:
*take an exhausted,steep sided clay pit 60 m deep, the area of 35 football pitches, with no soil, 15 metres below the water table.
*Carve the pit into a flat bottomed bowl and landscape the sides.
*Mix and add 83 tonnes of soil made from recycled waste.
*Add superb architecture that draws inspiration from nature to remind us of human potential .
*Colonise with a huge diversity of plants,many that we use every day,but do not often get to see.
*Harvest the water draining into the pit and use it to irrigate the plants and flush the loos.
*Season with people from all walks of life.
*Spring 2000,open for preview of the making.
*Spring 2001,open.
This is a very slick operation and absolutely breathtaking to view.
We were totally immersed walking through the outdoor areas but once you enter the biomes you enter another world.
I have to say I loved the rainforest biome,this represented the humid tropic regions located between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn ,23.5 degrees N and south of the Equator .
It was wonderful steamy and warm.The locals found it difficult to deal with and they visited the cooling stations ,booths that you can go into to cool off!
Get a grip !!!!!!!
We saw many people locking themselves in these booths!
The food was prepared from the produce grown in the biomes and the gift shop had to be seen to be believed,it would be wonderful for that special gift.
All in all a wonderful unique experience! If you would like to find out more check out www.edenproject.com
Tomorrow we are heading to Whitby,a long trip so we have to hit the road early.
I may not have time to prepare an entry,bear with me !