The Eden Project

About The Eden Project

There is a planetary emergency. Only by deepening our collective understanding of the interconnections between all living things and seeing them as a whole can we protect the Earth and engender environmental harmony and social equity.

We need to inspire citizenship over consumption in order to care for this planet, Spaceship Earth, our only home, that provides us ‒ and all life ‒ with fresh air, clean water, fertile soil, rich biodiversity, a stable climate and an awesome recycling system. Exploring how it all interconnects can transform our understanding of the world and help us see, how together, our actions can make a difference. Eden is a beacon of hope.

That’s why we work collaboratively with other organisations, walk the talk at our own site in Cornwall, and share our stories through horticulture exhibits, arts and culture programmes, community initiatives and education work.

In the late 1990s a small group gathered to talk about an idea – to create a place like nothing anyone had ever seen before; a place that explored our place in nature, a place that demonstrated what could be done if people who wanted to make a difference got together.

We bought an exhausted, steep-sided clay pit 60 metres deep, with no soil, 15 metres below the water table, and essentially gave it life. Into it we brought a huge diversity of plants that we use every day but often don’t get to see, planted in soil made from ‘waste’ materials, watered by the rain, in giant conservatories and buildings that drew inspiration from nature. Behind this vision a dedicated team was brought together – made up of people who wanted to change something, who wanted to be able to say, ‘I’m glad I did,’ rather than, ‘I wish I had.’

As a social enterprise and educational charity, the Eden Project delivers transformational projects which change people’s lives for the better. By making a donation today, you’ll help us to deliver our global mission for future generations.