Emilie & I are back in London after an enchanting month with Star Seed involving digital detox, reconnection & co-creation in Kilifi, Kenya.
To carry forward the energy from Kenya, we are calling 2024, the Year of Co-creation. Join us as we manifest this.
Kilifi is the birthplace of Star Seed. It is where we wildcrafted our formulations for the Forest Cream, Moon Cream, Star Serum and our newest Sunrise SPF. It's also where our regenerative range found their first boutique hotels along the Kenyan coast, including Lamu & Watamu.
Stepping away from our digital life and returning to Star Seed's roots was so grounding. With time & space, we deeply reconnected to our mission: to leave the world more beautiful and biodiverse than we found it.
Now home to 4 Regeneration Projects and many of our wild & organic botanicals, Kilifi will always be our spiritual sanctuary.
Arriving just after Christmas, Emilie & I spent New Years Eve celebrating East African music & culture in a Baobab forest in Kilifi. Accompanied by friends & musicians, 2024 began with a special feeling to it.
Exploring joint projects with The LEAF, Star Seed's Coastal Regeneration Partners, here were a few of our highlights:
We interviewed The LEAF Team at their Pwani University indigenous tree nursery. Housing a staggering 30,000 native saplings from 170+ species, local communities collect wild forest seeds & The LEAF nurture them into healthy saplings. Together, they transplant the saplings back into the wild, achieving an impressive 90%+ survival rate. The result; East Africa's most biodiverse tree planting project, protecting & restoring one of the last remaining strips of East African Coastal Forest, the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest.
We planted indigenous mangroves with Friends of Nature, the stewards of Kilifi Creek's Mangrove Restoration Scheme. Once a wild mangrove forest, the collection of sand banks & depleted marine life are calling out for the success of this project. With 7 hectares of creek restored & 80,000 mangroves planted over the 3 years, the communities feel very hopeful. The 10 Year vision is to restore the entire creek with a further 1,000,000 mangroves. We are so thrilled to play our part.
And finally exploring Cha Simba caves, an ancient limestone coral cave, close to some of the oldest human burial sites discovered. Nestled next to the caves is Star Seed's community tree nursery. So far, the Cave Community have successfully nurtured 4,000+ tree saplings with 1,000+ replanted locally. This project feels extra special to us, not only as a location for our upcoming Brand Video, Cha Simba also has 196+ plant species with 31 on IUCN's Red List. All of this is now under threat from a new limestone quarry & cement site. Join us as we prevent this from happening.
With nature in focus, we collaborated with videographer and conservationist, Max Melesi to capture the essence of Star Seed in a brand video.
Joined by friends from circular fashion & jewellery brands - Hamaji, Kapoeta, Ascend Earth & Akwad Jewellery - each shoot encapsulated natural beauty, regeneration, circular design and community.
Emilie & I were awe-inspired by the collective energy and creativity, Kilifi is East Africa's artisanal hub and we can't wait to watch our collaborators grow.
Ending on a high, we met up with Francesca, one of our Kenyan botanical partners for an exclusive Q&A interview led by Emilie.
To see how it unfolds, follow our instagram page @starseednatural and witness where nature meets craftsmanship.
From a country-wide perspective, Kenya experienced El Nino in late 2023 bringing welcomed rains to Kilifi. With 10% of our profits, Star Seed maximised on the rainfall, growing 4,500+ indigenous trees & mangroves, impacting 100s of local livelihoods & 12+ schools.
And that's only in our first year. With your help, we aim to grow 150,000 indigenous trees & improve 15,000 livelihoods by Year 5.
You can even see our impact in real-time here
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Join the Regeneration.
With love,
