"Messages from Below"
Presented by Ruud Kleinplaste
Messages from Below… for NZ Gardeners
Just think about it: this planet is not run by politicians, oil companies, television executives, economists, stock markets, lawyers, or Professors of Universities. Everything is subjected to the laws of biology and ecology, whether we like it or not, and one of the most important things to realize is that we are part of this ecological system; certainly not superior to it.
Having said that… as gardeners we are always trying to do things our way!
But why are Bugs always seen as … well… Bugs? Why do they have such a bad press? Why do we continue to treat them as problems? The short answer is: they’ve always been “in our face” and we don’t understand them at all.
I believe it is time to change the perceptions… as soon as possible! You see, if you take a closer look at Bugs, you’ll find that, instead of being the archetypal problem to us, they turn out to be the potential solution to many of our problems. But when you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that all species (our Biodiversity) are important to our survival on the Planet.
I am intending to give you a surprising synopsis of their best work. Its stuff we can learn from!
Ruud lives in Auckland with his wife Julie and son Tristan, He loves nature, ecology and invertebrates so much that he goes out of his way to find little bits of paradise all over the world; while constantly striving to change people's perceptions about the small things in life that matter so much to our world! Natural history has always been Ruud's passion. After high school, Ruud enrolled at Wageningen University, where he gained an MSc honours degree in Silviculture, Animal Ecology and Conservation, while managing to travel extensively around Europe and farther afield.
It became apparent that the plight of creepy crawlies needed an advocate: in 1987 "the Bugman" was born in the shape of a talk back show (Ruud's Awakening) on Newstalk ZB, a number one-rating program that has continued in various formats over the past 17 years.
Ruud's book scratching for a Living was published in 1997, and because it is out of print, it can now only be stolen from a reputable library. Television has been part of the Bugman's life since 1990; he worked on TV3's Early Bird Show", presented many items for the kid's show What Now? and the New Zealand Today Show.
Proudly Sponsored by
Ruuds Presentations will be held
at the Marlborough Convention Centre
These workshops will be held on
Sat 7 November 9.30am - 11.00am $15.00 Kids Workshop
Sat 7 November 9.30am - 11.00am $10.00 This ticket for bug entries.
Sat 7 November 1.00pm 4.00pm $60.00 Adult Workshop
