the entire Earth as UNESCO world heritage? Henry Mentink’s wheelbarrow walk

Henry Mentink will walk to Paris in 45 days from April 22 with a wheelbarrow full of earth. His goal? The UNESCO headquarters, where he nominates the entire Earth as a World Heritage Site. “Irreplaceable, unique and owned by everyone, very important to preserve.”

We wholeheartedly support Henry!

On Friday 15 April we are therefore organizing a support walk of Henry’s wheelbarrow walk on the Walk of Wisdom. Will you join us? You can also just say goodbye to Henry during a special goodbye ceremony in the Valkhofkapel, the oldest still public chapel of the Netherlands.

Participation is free. Bring a tablespoon of soil from your garden or town park to put in Henry’s wheelbarrow. Henry is from the Veerhuis for the Earth in Varik. The ceremony will be hosted by Manja Bente, co-developer of the Walk of Wisdom, together with singer-songwriter, shaman, ‘healthy madman’ Mark Schilders.

A gesture to save the planet

What gesture can save the planet?That question lead to the founding of the Walk of Wisdom. The question came from Professor Ritual Studies Ronald L Grimes. He meant the question as a “koan” – a riddle you cannot solve by your familiar logic. The solution is to perceive and think differently.

In an article Grimes pointed to the enormous potential of ritual. Thanks to ritual people ‘communicate’ with the Gods and connect vast nations, why then don’t we design ritual to help solve climate change or the vast depletion of biodiversity?

Challenged by Grimes’koan we developed the Walk of Wisdom: a pilgrimage that – in ambition – spans all countries of the world. It may seem like an impossible task (it probably is!), but we started small anyhow, with a pioneer trail of 136 kilometers around Nijmegen (Netherlands). That trail has been a success with 10.000 pilgrims in six years and we are now looking for an extension.