PEOPLE can achieve amazing things when they work together, even change the world, and it all starts with tapping into the community around us, says Helene Fisher, a social and environmental activist.

“People together can create more than they think they can…pulling together to create something bigger than themselves,” she says.

Fisher spent five years living at Findhorn, an internationally renowned eco-village in Scotland.

Founders Dorothy Maclean and Peter and Eileen Caddy astounded the world in the 1960s with their revolutionary methods of growing plentiful crops on dry, sandy soil, including their legendary 18 kilo cabbages.

• Helene Fisher. Photo by Jenny D’Anger

Over the years they developed a communal style of living that has seen people flocking to the village for more than half a century.

Fisher is running a workshop on the Findhorn community approach at Replants, on Wray Avenue in Fremantle, this Saturday (September 16).

“Together we’ll unpack what makes a thriving community ‘tick’,” she says.

“You’ll get to experience some of the many ways in which Findhorn enables people from diverse backgrounds to work together to build a healthy, socially-vibrant and ecologically thriving world.”

Prior to going to Scotland, Ms Fisher was a teacher and passionate about the environment, taking her students to the bush to connect to the land and planting trees to reduce salinity.

But behind sowing seeds and growing trees for planting was the concept of bringing the students together as a “community”.

“My interest was for them to connect,” Ms Fisher says.

In her 50s she realized a long-held dream and lived at Findhorn, learning heaps about sustainable living, ecology and community spirit.

“A lot of the things I leant…were about creating trust and safety and a sense of connectedness that is real,” Ms Fisher says.

To register for Saturday’s Findhorn community workshop, call Fisher on 0429 110 595.

by JENNY D’ANGER