Making Peace – by Grace Deathride

1.  Can you introduce yourself to our readers, just as if you were introducing yourself to a room full of like-minded people at a very welcoming meeting?

I call myself a ‘social entrepreneur’ because I always end up working on projects that are aimed at improving the world in one way or another such as Ecobob.co.nz here in NZ, FoodWithAStory.co.za in South Africa and an exciting new venture, soon to be revealed (can’t say too much yet!). I’m a web software developer by trade but my heart lies in developing socially uplifting web sites.

2.  What are seven words your closest friends would use to honestly describe you?

Motivated, eco-warrior (worrier?), compassionate, happy, competitive (when it comes to games!), relaxed (when I’m not worrying about the planet), thinker

3.  What’s your core mission in life – as in what do you always find yourself doing, regardless of the context or project?

Reduce the damage human’s are doing to the planet.

4.  What kind of food do you like to eat right now and why?

Right now I’m on a mission to only eat food where I truly understand its origin. It is actually the reason I started one of my current projects ,www.foodwithastory.co.za, so I could better understand what good, local food is available as an alternative to the often mass-produced and environmentally destructive items we find at the super market. It’s about thinking beyond ‘organic’ or ‘free range’ and finding out the full story of where our food comes from.

5.  What’s one dream you’d just love to pull off, for New Zealand?

Increase the number of people buying locally grown, organic food from a farmers market or whole food store.

6.  What’s one pass time you seriously have to indulge in occasionally because it fills you up and recharges you?

Drink a few glasses of good organic red wine.

7.  Who are you closest to in your family and why?

My two brothers – I think they understand me more than most.

8.  Who should be NZ’s Prime Minister and why?

Someone who takes a long term outlook and looks beyond what will keep the masses happy in the short term, but rather at what will make the population happy and healthy in the long term.

9.  What are three things you do to stay or become healthy and happy?

The main thing I do is eat well – by that I mean eating good whole food that is grown in a sustainable and ethical way. Secondly I exercise a lot – getting some oxygen pumping through my lungs makes me feel alive! Thirdly I meditate each morning. It’s something I learned to do a long time ago and really helps calm the otherwise often over-active mind.

10.  What core quality do you think New Zealand recognised and valued for, on the world-stage?

I think we have a reputation for being open and honest. I’m currently working on a project in Cape Town, South Africa and find people have a good opinion of New Zealanders believing us to be trustworthy and open – I hope I’m doing my part to maintain that reputation!