Day 3

Today I negotiated with Lisa Cronin regarding an interview into her "Rubber Sandals" and to also learn about what she does here at Eden.

Looking at some of the previous blog posts that Eden have put out, they take a very relaxed approach in a friendly manner, so we decided to meet informally over a coffee. Like the other staff I had met at Eden, Lisa was incredibly friendly and an interesting character.

While not wanting to sound like a scripted interviewer I tried to approach it as an informal chat, which seemed relatively easy because she had such interesting stories to tell and I found I was never searching for the next question on my notepad, it all just rather flowed.

While not describing herself as an artist, Lisa does describe herself as genuine with a real passion for people. Having worked here at Eden for 3 years, her previous travels across the globe, in particular in rain forests, have made Eden seem like a home from home.

Working as a "Pollinator", Lisa orchestrates educational and inspirational ways to hook the public into asking questions. While she would never go out and lecture anyone, she feels that using this is better because it gives people the opportunity to approach her instead.

On her latest 'hook' to gain the attention of the public, Lisa has been making sandals using disused car tyres. "Westerners are consumed by things we don't need; No pair of shoes over here is going to last as long as a pair of sandals from the Serengeti."

While not out to make any monetary gain, Lisa is attempting to show people how other cultures get by. While using old rubber for soles is often connected with poverty, they are actually far more practical and will last a lifetime.

"People ask, do they smell? No! Do they make your feet black? No! Are they comfy? Yes!"

It was very inspirational talking to Lisa and it seems as though she has really found her muse here at Eden. She is very engaging and has a great manner about her which is why she makes the perfect 'pollinator'.

I am currently writing up this interview to be transcribed for a blog post on the Eden website.