Recently you can buy a very special baby shower gift on Live Green Magazine: a babysuit made of biodynamic cotton produced at SEKEM in Egypt. ‘Dreaming is thinking with your heart.’ A life motto from which SEKEM originated. A philosophy that blogger Sigrid supports. It gave her the inspiration to develop a babysuit with the imprint I am the Future. As not only a young little person is a great miracle and our future, SEKEM in Egypt is too!
Also interesting: 1th Demeter babysuit in the Netherlands by SEKEM
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Sigrid is the first in the Netherlands to launch textiles with the Demeter quality mark. You may know this quality mark from food. It means that the product comes from biodynamic agriculture, in this case from the biodynamic cotton from SEKEM. The creation of this green paradise in the Egyptian desert is a story full of hope and too special not to share
SEKEM: from desert to fertile oasis
The story of SEKEM reads like a fairy tale. Egyptian Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish, who lives in Austria, gave up his successful job as a biochemist in 1977 and bought 70 ha of arid desert land in Egypt to create something completely new. His background in anthroposophical philosophy, art and culture formed the basis for his vision for the future for Egypt. He gave this piece of earth the ancient Egyptian name SEKEM, which means “life force of the sun”. With SEKEM he wanted to give the earth, the people and the community a development impulse. He did not only envisage economic, social and cultural renewal with this in Egypt. He also wanted to create an inspiring model for sustainable development for the world. He succeeded!
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SEKEM is a sustainable development of a future in which every individual can unfold his or her potential, in which people live together in social forms reflecting human dignities, and in which all economic action is focused on strengthening ecological and ethical principles.
Prospering, inspiring community
It seemed like a mission impossible. Against all odds, Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish succeeded in making the desert soil suitable for growing herbs, fruit, vegetables, cotton and other crops using biodynamic farming methods. SEKEM grew and Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish founded companies to process and distribute the crops. A school was established in 1989 and a medical center has been taking care of the employees of SEKEM and residents of the surrounding villages since 1996. In 2012, Heliopolis University for Sustainable Development was opened in Cairo. SEKEM now employs 1,200 people and 800 more employees in 140 affiliated independent biodynamic farms throughout Egypt. A development fund – in which 10% of the operating profit is deposited – supports childcare, a primary and secondary school, vocational and adult education, medical care, care for people with mental disorders and the education of street children.
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For SEKEM, sustainability does not only mean improving what is already there (cleaner water, more fertile soil, better physical health, etc.), but also creating space to create something new, such as peace and interest in the other and the world. This pursuit transcends every single religion or culture. SEKEM is an example for the world in this.
Sustainable example for the whole world
Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish passed away on the 15th of June 2017 at the age of 80 at the SEKEM farm, where he was buried in the presence of the entire community. With SEKEM he has produced something that can be a model for development in the 21st century for the world. It was not without reason that he received the Right Livelihood Award in 2003 for his achievements (and many other awards). SEKEM is not only a company, but also a living community in which people are encouraged to develop in a multifaceted way and where different cultures meet and work together to further develop the SEKEM vision. This makes SEKEM the example of sustainable development for the entire world.
Ibrahim Abouleish once had a dream everyone thought impossible. He proved them all wrong. Now his dream can save the world – dr. Ibrahim Abouleish (1937-2017)
True Price: economy of love
Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish his goal: all of Africa 100% organic in 2050, with 100% renewable energy sources, 100% own seed production and a 100% circular economy, whereby all products receive the ‘economy of love’ label and where the true costs are included in all product prices. In the Netherlands, the SEKEM Circle of Friends maintains close contact with SEKEM and the circles of friends in Germany, Austria and Norway and the SEKEM Fund in Switzerland.
‘No one can go back
and make a brand new start.
But anyone
can start from now
and make a brand new ending’
‘Sustainable development is 1 of the most important challenges for humanity. It means to organize our lives in such a way that future generations can still live a dignified life.’ – Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish
With this babysuit Live Green Magazine contributes to this amazing lifework of Dr. Ibrahim Abouleish. Will you join us? You can order the suit here.
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