For the last seven years, Misha Teasdale has been all over the map for the right reasons. He wishes he had the stamina to work 24-hour days because there is so much opportunity and connectivity happening all around us, he doesn’t want to miss any chance to grow as a human. With this in mind, Misha co-founded the organisation Greenpop in 2010 after profiling over sixty organisations and NGOs worldwide with a group of six friends. From Cape Town to London, what he saw inspired him to become a creative catalyst for environmental and social mass action.

Greenpop is an award-winning social enterprise that has planted over 70,000 trees through Southern Africa. Its goal is to reconnect humans with nature through tree planting and other environmental and social mass action such as community events, workshops and festivals. Greenpop is currently expanding satellite projects to help organisations that need tree planting but don’t have the management systems of funding in place, with four project already in the works. Misha’s focus is to monitor day-to-day activities while fundraising, developing projects, creating fun and inspiration while maintaining a balance in the environmental work they do.

Misha originally studied Industrial Design, completing his B-Tech in sustainability-focused design. While studying he worked for a trend forecasting and product seeding marketing start-up by the name of Instant Grass. After working his way up to ‘grass’ manager for the entire Western Cape he realised his potential as a Climate Leader and pursued his trans-continental expedition.

Climate change was always of interest to Misha. He knew and understood the facts, and that there was a tough journey ahead of the world if sustainable development was not to become an important factor. He realised that economic growth needs to be socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable if prosperity is the desired outcome. During his mission, Misha witnessed many incredible projects and movements in the making which inspired him to create a collective value for the world. Outside of work, he tries his best to live in alignment with his social and environmental values.

As a Climate Leader who shares his passion of the environment with everyone he comes in contact with, he hopes to encourage mass participation, social innovations and appropriate technology.

Greenpop organises the annual Zambia Festival of Action (25 June – 16 July) which is an opportunity for local and international volunteers to plant trees, attend speaker evenings, workshops and concerts from local musicians!

Visit the link for more information: http://greenpop.org/events/zambia-festival-of-action/.

An African Climate Reality Leader from South Africa, Misha Teasdale is part of a dynamic group of world-changers shaping the conversation on climate in forums ranging from family dinners to international summits. Together they are building a 21st-century movement for solutions to tackle climate change and foster environmental sustainability in Africa and world-wide.

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