Misha O'Dale
go! - South Africa|October 2017

The 35-year-old head of Greenpop – an environmental NGO – has planted thousands of trees all over Africa.

Jason Hermann
Misha O'Dale

Where does your love of the outdoors come from?

My mum was an avid weekend hiker. More often than not, she dragged me along for the adventure. Once you start spending time in the mountains of the Western Cape, it’s hard not to feel passionate about the environment.

In my early twenties, I was lucky enough to travel through Africa from Cape Town to London, visiting 17 countries along the way. This, by far, was my most immersive time in nature. The Ethiopian highlands were a real highlight. The mountains, the people, the gelada baboons…

How did Greenpop come about?

In 2010, I flew around the world with a team of filmmakers to produce a documentary about soccer for Volkswagen. We visited 12 countries on four continents, flying about 360 000 km, and we wanted to do something to offset the environmental impact of all those flights.

This story is from the October 2017 edition of go! - South Africa.

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This story is from the October 2017 edition of go! - South Africa.

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