One day, while watching videos on YouTube, 65-year-old Sousan Samadani stumbled upon a staggering statistic: according to Unesco, 90% of global soil could be degraded by 2050. The soil that gives us life and food is dying.
For Samadani, the video—posted by the Save Soil movement—was a shock to the system. “How is it possible that the soil that gives us food is dying?” she thought. At that moment, she made a life-altering decision: she was going to dedicate herself 100% to this movement.
A Wild Adventure Begins
The Save Soil movement was launched by the spiritual leader Sadhguru, who announced a massive 19,000-mile motorbike ride across Europe, the Middle East, and India to raise awareness. A team was already booked to accompany him, but Samadani decided to make her own “shadow journey.”
While Sadhguru traveled to 27 countries, Samadani not only matched his route but exceeded it—continuing on to Nepal, Suriname, Guyana, and French Guiana to assist at campaign events.
She traveled via bus, train, and even hitchhiked from Turkey to Georgia. Sleeping in cheap hostels and sometimes going days without a proper meal because she was rushing from the station straight to a campaign site, her dedication was unwavering.
Rooted in Empathy and Memory
Samadani had never been an activist before. Her journey is deeply rooted in her upbringing in Iran, where her father once owned a farm with a magnificent garden full of fruit trees. Though the family had to flee persecution due to their Bahá’í faith, the memory and scent of that garden lingered in her mind.
After moving to the Netherlands as a refugee in 1995 to ensure her children could attend university without pressure, she began tending her own garden, growing vegetables and herbs to recreate a piece of her family’s past.
A New Direction After 60
Her newfound love for campaigning has been entirely transformative. “It’s where my life of adventure started,” she says. She has skydived and cycled nearly 400 miles in southern India to raise awareness. Even biking around her home city of Utrecht in her Save Soil T-shirt brings her joy through interactions with curious passersby.
Her ultimate dream? To bring the Save Soil campaign to Iran, a country she hasn’t seen in 31 years, and eventually cultivate a garden just like her parents had.
Source: The Guardian
