On 1 October, as dusk approached, we were joined by some 20 students to follow a Twilight Safari through the TU Delft campus, guided by ecologist and biologist Michel Grobbe. The invitation was to listen, feel and look at things with fresh eyes. This event marked the beginning of a collaboration between LDE Centre for Sustainability and Studium Generale TU Delft around the paradigm of Regeneration.
Michel took us on a fantastic journey, that did not take us very far in distance (just around 100 meters over two hours) but opened our eyes to the many plants and animals living on campus. Who knew that this spiky plant was edible and taste like cucumber? That another could be used as natural bandage with disinfectant properties? Or that we could predict tomorrow’s weather, just by observing ants?
Michel had a story to tell about every plant and animal we encountered. Specialized in indigenous knowledge of the Netherlands, he recalled ancient practices and connections with the natural world that we have long lost. As darkness fell and bats began flying above us, Michel brought out an old oil lamp. Using a metal tool made from iron sourced in the Veluwe, a family heirloom carrying its own story, he lit a fire fueled by hazelnut oil. With a new light in our hearts and a renewed sense of wonder at the world around us, we made our way home.
More about Michel Grobbe
Michel Grobbe is a Dutch ecologist, biologist and tracker and he works as a researcher an lecturer at the Aeres University of Applied Sciences in Wageningen. Featured in Tyson Yunkaporta’s “Right Story, Wrong Story,” he highlights the universality of Indigenous and place-based land-management methodologies, showing that deeply rooted, localized ecological knowledge is not exclusive to the Global South but survives within European lineages as well.
