We’re delighted to share that Ecofluency won GOLD at the Eco-logic Awards!

Ecofluency, founded by ONE’s co-director Dr. Saskia von Diest, is defined as “the ability to fluidly and accurately converse with more-than-human nature using the expanded spectrum of human sensory awareness”. It’s been a nascent field that is increasingly attracting attention.

And this is Ecofluency’s first award and Saskia sees it as a HUGE win for all of Nature and for the whole field of Nature communication, which includes animal communication and intuitive interspecies communication.

See Saskia’s acceptance speech on Instagram. Here are Saskia’s afterthoughts on the Award (see original article here):

“I have such deep gratitude to Jane Lourens for the nomination, the judges, the Eco-logic team for recognising the innovative potential of Nature communication, Reclite for sponsoring this award category, and MC Themba Robin for the delightful banter 😉

I’m grateful to David Parry-Davies (founder of the Eco-logic Awards) for his open-minded vision to recognise and promote eco-champions in South Africa.In his welcome, he said that “we cannot solve the problems we face now with the same logic that created them”. Hence Eco-logic.
It’s changemakers like David that help move this world in a direction of hope-filled and innovative co-creation of our future together with the rest of Nature.

Thank you to Karina Miotto for prepping me for my presentation on Nature communication that David had invited me to give to the audience later in the evening.

And to those who gave me much needed advice and help on my outfit, I couldn’t have done it without you!
Thank you to my wonderful cousin Fati Gani for sponsoring the gorgeous dress and my dear sister and friends for all their love, support and input. And to my fantastic friend Guy Hamilton for joining me as +1 and filming me on stage!

I have never aspired to look like a mermaid, but in this dress and with the venue being the exquisite Two Oceans Aquarium, this is probably about as close to it as I’ll get!

For South Africans, the show will air on SABC3 on 9 November at 5pm, and on People’s Planet (Openview ch 115) on
Sat 22 Nov @ 09:30 & 20:30 and Fri 28 Nov @ 10:00 & 19:30
Sat 20 Dec @ 09:30 & 20:30 and Tue 23 Dec @ 10:00 & 19:30

Mixed reactions to the win

The presentation I gave to the awards ceremony audience on Nature communication later on in the evening was well-received.
Lots of people came up to me afterwards and said how much my story had touched them and given them hope.

But there was still at least one staunch skeptic who didn’t like that I won anything for my work and definitely not gold.

One of them chased me down at the end of the awards ceremony to say as much and quizzed me on my qualifications (where did I get my PhD, who was my supervisor etc). She was shocked that my qualifications were from highly respected universities, because as a scientist, she “couldn’t believe I’d come this far doing what I do.”

She wanted to see the scientific evidence on Nature communication before she’d even consider being convinced.
I had already mentioned in my talk that there’s over 100 years of scientific evidence on Nature communication, but shared with her again about some of the current research projects going on in Nature communication, at multiple universities around the world.

I also shared that I’d been as disbelieving as she was 13 years ago, and that no amount of scientific papers changing my mind.
The only thing that had convinced me in the end was gaining my own experiential evidence, i.e. having my own embodied experience of Nature communication.

I recognise in her the battle I’d once gone through. This was a made-up mind that was poking holes in the reasoning that one searches for to justify follow the yearning of one’s soul. She was a perfect external representation of my inner critic.

I’d also shared in my presentation that Nature communication had given me a sense of belonging that I’d had no memory of before.
I could sense that THAT was what she was really yearning for in our interaction. Or at least the permission to believe in something different.

If she’d showed a willingness to experience it herself, I would have offered her a free place on one of my day workshops, especially because she works in the field of conservation.

She chose to walk away with her mind unchanged. And my heart was sore for her, because I know a little of how she felt.
I’d been there.

It was probably a huge threat to her worldview, to see a Nature communicator standing there, trophy in hand, appearing to flaunt my weirdness by sharing an extreme message on stage and TV in a ridiculously sparkly dress (which I was doing, to be fair).

People’s worldviews are often founded on outdated beliefs and propped up by fear of all kinds.
But even if my goal is supporting the expansion of worldviews, not threatening them, sometimes a bold invitation to consider change is perceived as threatening because the unknown can be absolutely terrifying.

I’d showed as much compassion and grace as I could before she left. I didn’t get defensive and just stayed centred in the truth of my experience. So I’d like to think that something in her soul might have shifted.

Sometimes the most meaningful validation comes from Nature…

The awards ceremony was held at the Two Oceans Aquarium, and after being presented with the trophy, the sponsor and I were taken to a separate room for a brief interview. After the interview, I greeted the animals in the aquarium tank that had been the interview background, and an eagle ray came to ‘land’ in front of me.

This was deeply meaningful, because I love all the ocean beings so deeply, but ever since I read Peter Benchley’s book ‘The Girl of the Sea of Cortez’ as a child, I’ve had a secret soft spot for rays of all kinds.

I told the eagle ray that this award recognises the work I do for Nature, and I said out loud “you know I do this for you.”
The ray stayed still for a few seconds and before swimming off, and even the sponsor said that it looked like we’d had a little moment!

I had to hold back tears to avoid my makeup running, but that was actually the highlight of the whole evening for me.
Because to get that kind of response, which I interpreted as visible validation, from a more-than-human being means the world to me, and trumps any naysayers. This is what I reminded myself of when the skeptic walked away.

I’ve experienced so much pushback in the past, and I’ll no doubt keep experiencing it at times, especially as Ecofluency grows.

And that’s ok.”