A room full of invasive plants showed the backdrop for this fun event. With a diverse group of people we started off with a lecture about invasive species. We spoke about what qualifies as an invasive species, and what makes them dangerous. The purpose of the lecture was to create a space where everyone could voice their thoughts, opinions and questions, and this was super successful! Everyone involved felt comfortable enough to speak on the subject, even if they did not have a background in biology of some sorts.

As soon as Saar explained the basic topics around invasive species we continued discussing more complex issues, such as the problems around finding solutions for invasive species, and how climate change can have a stimulating effect on invasive species in the future.

After the lecture, Merel (a fine arts student at HKU) gave a really fun drawing workshop. We started off with some exercises; drawing the plant in front of you without looking at your paper, and describing a plant to someone else while they had to draw it. After that, she let everyone choose a plant which they could replicate on a smaller piece of paper. When finished, you could write a short wish on it for the future of our planet.

By Saar Ellerbroek