Tosca van der Wouden
“My mission is to add more life to the world.”
Tosca van der Wouden is a connector, wonderer, biodiversity advocate and she is busy planting a food forest. A woman with a mission, and she speaks about the power of connecting with nature.
Tosca van der Wouden senses at a young age that there is a lot wrong with the way we treat the planet and everything that lives on it. She is eleven years old when she decides to become a vegetarian because of the stories she hears about factory farming. It is the starting point for the many ways she tries to make an impact later in life.
Once Tosca had the idea of going green in the fashion world, but the harsh world in which fast fashion unfortunately still reigns turned out not to suit her. She therefore chose to study Media & Culture and later Master’s in Political Science – International Relations, with the goal of setting something in motion in society.
“ First I studied the mirror of society, then society itself.” The interesting thing is that reality and its mirror image constantly influence each other.”
When Tosca is 23, she suddenly loses her father by suicide. Her grief and the change in direction brought about by this profound event eventually set her on a different path. She searches for tools that will help her in her grief. Mourning for her father, but unusually, she also discovers a parallel with mourning for other life forms; the planet, nature.
She travels, discovers other cultures, philosophies and beliefs. She immerses herself in Buddhism, Hinduism and yoga, among other things. This offers solace, but also gives her insights into herself and her surroundings. She decides – upon returning to the Netherlands in 2020, in the midst of a pandemic – to take those insights with her in the next steps on her life path.
Tosca therefore does not attribute it to chance that in that same year, The Pollinators comes her way. This organization is dedicated to the survival of pollinating insects. Tosca has been working – as a freelance project manager from her own company FromTheWoods – for The Pollinators ever since. She organizes events and campaigns such as ‘Feed the Bee’, ‘Treevember’, ‘Food forest co-working days’ and various workshops and lectures. She is also the developer of The Pollinators Academy.
Tosca also teaches classical Hatha yoga and regularly gets her feet in the mud and hands in the clay. She works together on a one-acre meadow, which she is currently transforming into a food forest and vegetable garden. A healthy, green place, bursting with biodiversity. She shares her first-hand experiences and observations.
As a speaker and workshop facilitator, Tosca is committed to a livable planet for people, animals, plants and fungi from love, radical hope and a good dose of humor. She wants to show that when we feel ourselves truly part of nature again, when we connect with our home planet, that we can actually have a positive impact on our environment.
Tosca van der Wouden is a connector, wonderer, biodiversity advocate and she is busy planting a food forest. A woman with a mission, and she speaks about the power of connecting with nature. Tosca van der Wouden senses at a young age that there is a lot wrong with the way we treat the planet and everything that lives on it. She is eleven years old View more…
“Pollinating insects like bees are responsible for 75 percent of our food.”
“I see myself as a 'peaceful' warrior; I believe in having hope, but not in sitting back and passively hoping for change. We do have to take action.”
From anthropocene to symbiocene
With The pollinators, Tosca is committed to protecting pollinating insects, because they are pretty undervalued if you ask her.
“We take it very much for granted that we always have food available to us. In doing so, we often forget that 75 percent of our food depends on pollinating insects such as bees.”
What doesn’t exactly help is disinformation regarding these valuable pollinators;
“People think they are doing good by planting colorful plants from the garden center in their garden, not knowing that they have been sprayed with pesticides and insects die as a result.”
Not only is our food supply endangered by humans, but biodiversity in general and of course the climate have changed under our influence – we live in the so-called anthropocene. Tosca advocates an era called the symbiocene, in which we as humans live together with nature in connection and balance, rather than giving it space only in designated places. ‘’After all, we are nature itself.”
According to Tosca, wonder is one of the ways we can reconnect with nature.
“Nature is fascinating, if you take the time to observe it. There are some 20,000 species of bees, which is not for nothing; each species has an important function in the ecosystem. And I read the other day that there are more organisms in one teaspoon of earth than there are people on earth.”
On the one hand, Tosca believes it is important to wake people up with her urgent story, that we are heading for the sixth mass extinction. On the other hand, she wants to educate people in a positive way and call them to action. After all, it is a heavy message that can backfire; it can lead to apathy or even aversion. Tosca wants to achieve the opposite. For example, she likes to take people into a food forest to make them feel why it is so important to give nature a hand.
Tosca’s admiration of and wonder for everything that lives is contagious and inspiring. She shows you how we can transform into an era where humans live together with nature.
Book Tosca van der Wouden as a speaker?
Would you like to book Tosca as a speaker for your event? Ask about the possibilities and her availability.
Why invite Tosca van der Wouden as a speaker for your event?
1. Active hope
Tosca acknowledges the destructive forces threatening our planet while managing to paint a hopeful picture of the future.
“Hope is necessary to make you believe that everything is possible, at the same time we have to work ourselves to make it possible.”
2. Amazement
Ask her about her observations and experiences – about growing a plant, about how trees under the ground communicate with each other and about nature’s resilience and persistence – and Tosca’s eyes sparkle. Through her open wonderment, you inevitably begin to see the world and nature through her eyes. Literally an eye opener.
3. From the heart
Tosca does not like pointing fingers, but she does like doing what you can with the means you have; for good! She is not know-it-all and certainly does not think she is perfect. But her concern and love for the planet and everything that lives on it is genuine and touches a sensitive chord with her audience.
4. Personal
Tosca does not shy away from a personal note and thus dares to make herself vulnerable. She highlights different perspectives that evoke recognition and cause walls to crumble.
5. Connecting
Connection is central to Tosca’s lectures. Connecting with nature, getting connected to each other as people with the same mission, but also connecting different insights, philosophies, wisdoms and mindsets. Thus, she draws the parallel between our inner world and how we interact with the world outside ourselves. Connecting with ourselves and with nature.
1. Active hope
Tosca acknowledges the destructive forces threatening our planet while managing to paint a hopeful picture of the future.
“Hope is necessary to make you believe that everything is possible, at the same time we have to work ourselves to make it possible.”
2. Amazement
Ask her about her observations and experiences – about growing a plant, about how trees under the ground communicate with each other and about nature’s resilience and persistence – and Tosca’s eyes sparkle. Through her open wonderment, you inevitably begin to see the world and nature through her eyes. Literally an eye opener.
3. From the heart
Tosca does not like pointing fingers, but she does like doing what you can with the means you have; for good! She is not know-it-all and certainly does not think she is perfect. But her concern and love for the planet and everything that lives on it is genuine and touches a sensitive chord with her audience.
4. Personal
Tosca does not shy away from a personal note and thus dares to make herself vulnerable. She highlights different perspectives that evoke recognition and cause walls to crumble.
5. Connecting
Connection is central to Tosca’s lectures. Connecting with nature, getting connected to each other as people with the same mission, but also connecting different insights, philosophies, wisdoms and mindsets. Thus, she draws the parallel between our inner world and how we interact with the world outside ourselves. Connecting with ourselves and with nature.
Keynotes
Would you like to book Tosca as (keynote) speaker, panelist, chairperson or workshop facilitator for a conference, lecture or event? Below you will find a selection of keynotes. Customized program? Ask for the possibilities.
The power of connection
Connection changes everything, because everything is connected.
It is precisely by reconnecting ourselves to the world around us that we simultaneously solve challenges. Climate change, species extinction, polarization, violence and disease are all outgrowths of the lost connection to the land. When we reconnect, feel part of the ecosystem again, and realize that we ourselves are an ecosystem, we deal with it very differently.
Atonishment for nature
Be amazed at everything that lives
Did you know that one teaspoon of garden soil contains more organisms than people on our entire planet? So why do we know so little about them? Every animal and plant species has its own place in an ecosystem and is connected to the big picture. Learn more about the species that live in our environment – such as bees, flowers, butterflies and worms – and discover why they are so important. Tosca shares her observations firsthand; as worker on a piece of land, which she is transforming into a food forest.
From inner world to outer world
How turning inward impacts the world around us
Losing our connection to nature has a lot to do with the diminished connection to ourselves, which is partly due to our fleeting, rushed lives. Meditation, rest and hatha yoga help to reconnect with ourselves and what really matters. Reconnect with yourself and nature.
Agricultural transition
The role of food forests in future-proof agriculture
In this keynote, Tosca focuses on food forests and how permaculture can contribute to a healthy ecosystem. She shows why local food production and connection to our food and the land is good for us as humans, animals, plants and nature.
The power of connection
Connection changes everything, because everything is connected.
It is precisely by reconnecting ourselves to the world around us that we simultaneously solve challenges. Climate change, species extinction, polarization, violence and disease are all outgrowths of the lost connection to the land. When we reconnect, feel part of the ecosystem again, and realize that we ourselves are an ecosystem, we deal with it very differently.
Atonishment for nature
Be amazed at everything that lives
Did you know that one teaspoon of garden soil contains more organisms than people on our entire planet? So why do we know so little about them? Every animal and plant species has its own place in an ecosystem and is connected to the big picture. Learn more about the species that live in our environment – such as bees, flowers, butterflies and worms – and discover why they are so important. Tosca shares her observations firsthand; as worker on a piece of land, which she is transforming into a food forest.
From inner world to outer world
How turning inward impacts the world around us
Losing our connection to nature has a lot to do with the diminished connection to ourselves, which is partly due to our fleeting, rushed lives. Meditation, rest and hatha yoga help to reconnect with ourselves and what really matters. Reconnect with yourself and nature.
Agricultural transition
The role of food forests in future-proof agriculture
In this keynote, Tosca focuses on food forests and how permaculture can contribute to a healthy ecosystem. She shows why local food production and connection to our food and the land is good for us as humans, animals, plants and nature.
Three questions for Tosca van der Wouden
For Good: What does ‘good’ mean to you?
“Love, unity in diversity, equality, respect, connection, for well-being for humans, animals, plants and fungi and all other life forms. From the anthropocene to the symbiocene, where we live together in symbiosis. From growth to well-being, from destructive to regenerative, from fossil to new energy. From exploiting the earth to living together with everything that lives here on earth.”
Walk the talk: how are you of value?
“I share my knowledge and experience(s) with enthusiasm, with passion, from the heart. I give a loving, friendly push towards a green and peaceful future. Sometimes, as human beings, we can look up to the enormous tasks ahead, the transition of the foundations of our society that we must inevitably make. I encourage us to start doing the right thing step by step. We need to start planting seed by seed, watering them and seeing the first flowers emerge. If we all do that, before you know it, a whole field of flowers will grow.””
Do you have an example or source of inspiration?
“I have a lot of great role models, but if I had to name one person, Jane Goodall comes to mind first. Because of her work with and for chimpanzees and her connection to the natural world. Even at her age, she continues unabated and never seems to lose hope, despite having encountered so many dark sides of the world. She is still an inspiration from which millions of people around the world draw hope. That’s how I hope to grow old, too.”
I also draw a lot of inspiration from nature. As humans we tend to give up when the task seems too big, but nature doesn’t think, it just acts. Look at the bees; a bee pollinates hundreds of flowers a day, it doesn’t think in the morning ‘pooh pooh, forget it, it won’t work anyway’. It’s just in their nature. We can all learn something from that.”
For Good: What does ‘good’ mean to you?
“Love, unity in diversity, equality, respect, connection, for well-being for humans, animals, plants and fungi and all other life forms. From the anthropocene to the symbiocene, where we live together in symbiosis. From growth to well-being, from destructive to regenerative, from fossil to new energy. From exploiting the earth to living together with everything that lives here on earth.”
Walk the talk: how are you of value?
“I share my knowledge and experience(s) with enthusiasm, with passion, from the heart. I give a loving, friendly push towards a green and peaceful future. Sometimes, as human beings, we can look up to the enormous tasks ahead, the transition of the foundations of our society that we must inevitably make. I encourage us to start doing the right thing step by step. We need to start planting seed by seed, watering them and seeing the first flowers emerge. If we all do that, before you know it, a whole field of flowers will grow.””
Do you have an example or source of inspiration?
“I have a lot of great role models, but if I had to name one person, Jane Goodall comes to mind first. Because of her work with and for chimpanzees and her connection to the natural world. Even at her age, she continues unabated and never seems to lose hope, despite having encountered so many dark sides of the world. She is still an inspiration from which millions of people around the world draw hope. That’s how I hope to grow old, too.”
I also draw a lot of inspiration from nature. As humans we tend to give up when the task seems too big, but nature doesn’t think, it just acts. Look at the bees; a bee pollinates hundreds of flowers a day, it doesn’t think in the morning ‘pooh pooh, forget it, it won’t work anyway’. It’s just in their nature. We can all learn something from that.”
Treevember
2022
A selection of companies that Tosca van der Wouden already had impactful collaborations with….
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Tosca van der Wouden gives a super inspiring talk at a meeting for the benefit of the 2022 National Bee Strategy.
National Bee Strategy -
Tosca van der Wouden gives an inspiring and refreshing talk during Museum Night on 4 November
Museum Night -
Tosca van der Wouden gives an inspiring and transformative workshop ‘Through the eye of the bee’.
Green Dream Permacultuur Festival
