Vertical Garden, Athenaeum Hotel, London - by Patrick Blanc

Vertical urban garden by green-haired, green-attired French botanist Patrick Blanc who works at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, where he specializes in plants from tropical forests.

more here from theurbn.com

And here’s a great little video called “The Truth About Bottled Water” and how “manufactured demand pushes what we don’t need and destroys what we need most.”

Join us for Mondays & Fridays for Eco Adventure Day camps on beautiful Lantau island and Surf & Sea Kayak Camps at Hong Kong’s crystal clear private beach – Pak Lap Wan, in Sai Kung Country Park.

Ultimate Summer Day Camp activities include hiking, beach games, coastal exploration, snorkeling, walking in water falls, tree planting, cooking, eco arts & crafts, making movies and so much more.

PLUS! New this summer — Overnight Surf & Sea-kayak camps for 3 days & 2 nights at Pak Lap Wan, Sai Kung, where you’ll learn coastal exploration, sea-kayaking, surfing, orienteering, environmental awareness, and many outdoor skills. See our brochure for details.

ON DUTY AT ALL TIMES: Professional instructors & lifeguards:  Outdoor Educators are professionally trained instructors in all aspects of sea and surf safety. Qualified and experienced native English instructors provide a full English immersion summer adventure.

See our Ark Eden & EOE Summer Camp Brochure for details

View or download the schedule for our Ark Eden Lantau Day Camp Schedule here.

Register now: download and fill in the  Ark Eden and EOE Summer Camp registration form and email it back to us at

jenny@arkedenonlantau.com or summercamp@environmentoutdoors.com

For more information give us a call:

Jenny Quinton: 9277 4025

Dave Wilson: 5368 0102

crystal clear water, white sand & private beaches at Pak Lap Wan for Ark Eden & EOE Ultimate Summer Camps

Hong Kong hillsides suffer from repeated vegetation fires, often caused by candles and incense left burning at gravesites during the bi-annual grave-sweeping festivals.

After fires, heavy rainfall washes away topsoil and creates huge eroded gullies and landslides and makes it very difficult for forests to grow back.

Hill fires are extremely destructive. They destroy the ecology, kill wild animals and their habitats and cause soil erosion that severely damages our rivers and estauries. In some cases too, hill fires threaten human property and life.

Time: If you are coming from Central take the 8.30am fast Ferry from Outlying Ferry Pier 6, From Mui Wo we will then take a Sampan at 9.15am outside China Bear over to the tree nursery site and then walk in to the tree-planting site.

Come prepared: wear hat, sunscreen/raincoat, shoes with good grip and bring at least 2 litres water each. Maybe a change of clothes for later and some snacks. We will finish at lunch-time and walk back to Mui Wo.

Contact us now to confirm your attendance jenny@arkedenonlantau.com Tel: 92774025

Please generously support Ark Eden’s Earth Day Challenge on Saturday April 23rd to raise badly needed funds for our valuable environmental initiatives. On April 23rd the Ark Eden Eco Action Team launches a day long challenge of beach cleaning and tree-planting, all on beautiful Lantau Island. Sign up on the sponsor sheet attached, read the ‘Getting there’ information sheet and visit our website for more details about the day and the important projects your donations will support.

Ark Eden Foundation is a registered Hong Kong Charity.

Sponsorships:

There will be two categories for our fund-raising:

1. Make an individual donation in any amount and please join us on the day for the eco-challenge – to beach clean, to plant trees or to do both.

2. If you are not able to take part but can support Ark Eden’s community projects for Earth day (and every day) then please pledge an amount through the website and send a cheque.  We value any amount you are able to give us. Thank you so much!

If you would like to pledge a larger amount we can do the following for you….

Gold: ($1000) your name on our Eco Earth Day web page

Platinum: ($2000 or more) Your name and / or company logo and a link to your website (where appropriate) featured prominently on our Ark Eden sponsor page and our Eco Earth Day web page for one month

Corporate: ($5,000 up) Your name and / or company logo plus a link to your website feature prominently on our Ark Eden sponsor page and Earth Day web page for one year

Your donations will sponsor these vital Ark Eden initiatives:

1. School programmes – help us to bring out as many classes as possible to Ark Eden to learn how they can make a difference to improve our local environment and take action.
2. Student Leadership programmes – support us to run as many training courses as possible for our young people on ‘Leading for the Environment’

Find out more about our initiatives on our website at www.arkedenonlantau.com

Ark Eden Eco Action team activities include:

Beach Clean: 8am onwards at Shui Hau beach, Lantau – our target – to collect 100 bags of rubbish

Tree-planting: Meeting 2pm outside China Bear in Mui Wo, Lantau to take Sanpans to Man Kok Tsui and walk into the tree-planting site – our target – to plant 1000 trees on the Man Kok Tsui Headland. Those walking in meet us on Man Kok Tsui Beach at 2.15pm

Eco Party at the Ark: celebrate the night away with music, dancing, and a vegetarian feast at Ark Eden.

Download our Sign Up and Sponsorsheet here:Ark Eden EarthdaySponsorsheet 2011

Getting there: Ark Eden Earth Day 2011 Map & Directions

Come along and joing the fun! (note: facepaint made with garden veggies)

Come for a day or come everyday.

Day 1 – Tuesday April 19th - We love this trip and every time it is different so we are going “Walking with Waterfalls.” with dogs, boogie boards, BBQ and everything again.  We are hoping it is going to get HOT again so we can travel in swimming costumes with nets and jars, swim lots and lots, picnic in the woods and then end up at Pui O beach. After jumping in the sea will we still have time to hang out with the crabs and the buffaloes? Come along and find out.

Day 2: Wednesday April 20th – You are going to say er? what? But this day is going to be FAR OUT! BRUSSSEL SPROUT!  Because this is our Permaculture Design Day for Kids.and Ark Eden is calling. So what does that mean? It means we are going to do a crazy crash course in copying nature. So we will be on the farm, in the hills, in the pond, in the stream, in the compost. And we are going to make a video at the same time featuring ‘Perma-pug and Dr. Pepper – our permaculture experts. And then by the end of the day you will know what it is.

Woodworkers are cool!

Day 3 – Tuesday April 26th – As you know April 22 is Earth Day so today we will celebrate with our own Ark Eden Earth Day Party. So everyone needs to wear green and blue and we will hike with dogs to plant some trees, jumping into the sea and river and playing games as we go. We will have an eco- barbeque and clean up a beach and go rock-pooling and there will be Earth Day treats for everyone. OOooo

Day 4: Wednesday April 27th – We are going back to the Tai O Waterfalls yeahhh!!! Without question Lantau’s best natural swimming pools, we will spend the day having a simply wonderful watery time in crystal clear water. Say no more.

Day 5: Friday April 29th- Today Woodworkers are cool! Want to take home a chair or a table that you made yourself today? We have been very busy pruning our fruit trees at Ark Eden and have some beautiful wood for you to work with over the course of the day with instruction from the experts. Your parents might keep sending you back for more of these days.

Wet & Wild!

For bookings and more information call 29848514 / 92774025 or email us

Here we go again!!!

Ark Eden’s second session of Summer Eco Programmes & Day Camps on Lantau Island for children 7years old and up begins August 4th.

Come along and join the fun!

Come for a day or come everyday.

Day 1 – Wednesday August 4th - We love this trip and every time it is different so we are going “Walking with Waterfalls.” with dogs, boogie boards, BBQ and everything again.  It is HOT so we will travel in swimming costumes with nets and jars, up the San Shek Wan stream bed, into every refreshingly cool rock-pool, spend a long time under waterfalls, picnic in the woods and then end up at Pui O beach. After jumping in the sea we will try to hang out with some crabs and buffaloes. A very wet sort of day.

Day 2: Thursday Aug ^5th – Eco-warriors unite because today we are going to have a lot of fun but also MAKE A DIFERENCE on our “Green Dream Day”. We will hike with dogs (not too far and in the shade), bathe, barbeque (this time you need to make your own fire), be beach bums, play games and yes clean up a beach. We will return by sampan with all our treasures.

Day 3 – Friday Aug 6th – This day is going to be different. This is our Magic Tree House Day because guess what – we are going to start making a tree-house and it will need to be magic because we need to design a way the dogs can get in. Today we will learn lots of wood-working skills and yes – we will need to pick and cook our own lunch again – and yes we need to jump into the paddling pool.. a lot!

Day 4: Tuesday August 10th – We are going back to the Tai O Waterfalls yeahhh!!! Without question Lantau’s best natural swimming pools, we will spend the day having a simply wonderful watery time in crystal clear water. This time we will make a BBQ in the rocks but can someone remember to bring the marshmallows please?

Day 5: Wednesday Aug 11th- We are Going Bananas today!  Banana pancakes, banana milkshakes, banana face-packs, Banana Skipper butterfly life cycle, planting banana trees, making banana dye, banana flower curry, finding all the many creatures that live inside banana trees oooohhh, banana leaf art, banana games, banana art etc etc etc. After today you may never quite think of bananas in quite the same way

Day 6: Thursday August 12th – Today we are Island Hoppers! We take the ferry – dogs and all – to Cheung Chau and spend some time at beautiful Morning Beach playing water games and jumping off pontoons. Then our private sampan arrives to take us to Tai Long Wan where we will step off for lunch and to visit a fire-fly breeding place(!) and then its back on the boat to Mong Tung Wan – a secluded beach where we will  hike to Pui O (about half an hour), jumping in the sea there and head for home. We are really looking forward to this day!

Day 7 –Tuesday August 17th lets go Mui Wo Water-holing! Lets try not to dry off at all on this day – from water games at the beach, to rock-pooling and catching fish (but you have to put them back) at the waterfalls with time for a BBQ. Then up we climb for even more fun at the Mui Wo’s big rock-pool. Always a favourite for children and dogs alike!

Day 8: Wednesday August 18th – Is Ark Eden’s Arty Party and we are going to do all sorts of amazing art projects in nature. Our aim today will be to incorporate all we do into an incredible Ark Eden eco-art installation – which will also be an Arc installation. Naturally we will also throw in some rather arty cooking. We are looking forward to our grand finale day which will leave us with great memories, and a little piece of you that we can keep until we launch Ark Eden Eco-Camps 2011!

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But STOP PRESS: Just when you thought the party was over was over …there’s another one!!

Day 9: Tuesday Aug 24th – This day is called Arty Party II as we love parties and not everyone was able to come to last weeks and so we hope everyone can come to this one. Also last time we were so busy covering ourselves in paint and making pizzas to look like the dogs (or our brothers and sisters) that we didn’t manage to do the great ‘Arc’– which is actually going to be a wonderful doorway for Charlie (the big fat pig) so we still want to put all our great wood-working and multi-media skills into that! This day will be full of ‘Art’ as never seen before – like painting a house  – and lots of GAMES and all of our favourite things.

Day 10 –Thursday August 26th lets go Mui Wo Water-holing! This REALLY is our very last day of the summer camps and we want to spend it in the place we like best – up to our necks in water. We will start off at the beach playing the games that we didn’t have time for last time – that will of course include the dogs and water. Then off to the Mui Wo waterfalls for a spot of gentle rock-pooling and catching fish (but you have to put them back) and the best BBQ yet. Then up we climb to the ‘secret’ waterfall for more fun at the Mui Wo’s big rock-pool. This is always a favourite for us, children and dogs alike!

For bookings and more information call 29848514 / 92774025 or email jenny@arkedenonlantau.com

Thanks to everyone who showed up for our Vigil for Climate Change Dec 12, doing our bit for the climate pact.

But first there were tree seeds to pot and garden beds to be raised:

Angus, Harrison, Sharon, Brett, Raymond potting tree seeds

Radar, front row centre, in black, brown, white coat, supervising bed raising

Thanks Brett for all the photos…you can see more Ark Eden Eco Day pictures at Brett’s Picasa page here

Thanks are due also to everyone who generously donated to help us  support Ark Eden’s eco centres.

Find out who our stars are here.

We’ll upload pix from beach cleaning, bedding and potting to our Facebook page later.