Groundswell 2025: where we got to meet some of our heroes
Groundswell 2025 was inspiring and revitalising in equal measure.
We met some of our heroes, including Marc-André Selosse with whom we held a packed, standing-room-only talk in the Grass Tent (here it is in the calm moment before it started filling up). What a coup! ‘Vulgariser of science’ (a brilliant French phrase) and inspirational mycologist Marc-André made his first appearance at Groundswell. An unmissably energetic speaker, Marc-André brought home the urgency of improving soil health. This theory was brought to life by Jules Phillips’ 7 year journey regenerative journey at Ham Street vineyard, plus Joel from Vinescapes’ experiences of improving UK vineyard soils through building soil biology.
Marc-André’s credentials are impeccable. He is a microbiologist and ecologist, teacher and populariser of science, and Professor at the French Natural History Museum, the universities of Gdansk and Kunming. He studies the ecology and evolution of mutually beneficial associations, specialising in mycorrhizal symbioses. He has published over 230 research articles, 300 popular articles and many books in French including ‘The origin of the world’, where he popularises a largely ignored ecosystem, the soil. We just wish his books were available in English.
We also co-hosted drinks (wine of course!) with Climate Farmers, Datamars Sustainability Foundation, Christian Polman. Which meant we also got to meet some of our other heroes Philippe Birker and Ivo Degn of Climate Farmers (who, incredibly, are even more gentle, generous and inspiring in real life).
And that’s not all. We also saw some of our heroes talking, including Gabe Brown and DJing (Andy Cato).
One chap in a cape was doing great work demonstrating the difference between land management types with his Marvellous Muddy Marble Run.
But we know that not all heroes wear capes.
One of them wore a space suit for time travel to a future world. A future world where all our efforts have paid off (Rob Hopkins). This was to us one of the most inspiring parts of Groundswell 2025, that of storytelling.
The revolution needs optimists!
And sometimes we need wine (possibly even more than one glass at a time)
