Terena has worked on the land for the last 35 years, her passion is keeping sheep and working her dogs. Terena has worked milking sheep (a flock of over 1,000), has owned her own flock for 25 years, has trained dogs to a standard they can take part in country shows and also has kept other animals such as chickens, turkeys, horses and more. The Greening Campaign is her link with people and the environmental catastrophe unfolding before our eyes.
To value the environment, you need understand you are part of it.
About Terena Plowright
Terena lives in Midhurst in West Sussex, right on the ridge of her beloved South Downs.
Her interest in compassionate living began in the early 1980s when she opened a shop called ‘Live and Let Live’ promoting organic healthy eating and selling books on alternative lifestyles and energy. After spending time in Greece, Terena then ran a public house and music venue for several years.
Terena took a degree in Politics at Southampton University and went on to do a post-graduate degree in Broadcast Journalism. This allowed her to work for the BBC , in radio and making television documentaries on rural life. During this time Terena took part in many organisations and events campaigning and debating change in lifestyles to divert the impending risks of climate change.
In 2000, Terena and a business partner and set up the South Downs Natural Burial Site at The Sustainability Centre. The business was a great success and is still operating and she is still a Director of the site.
Terena was also Centre Manager at The Sustainability Centre for 8 years until 2008. Some of the main achievements whilst she was there were – Refurbishing a dilapidated building into an award winning eco-hostel, installing an award winning biomass boiler, and writing then implementing a plan for the land management of the site to increase the biodiversity and create a source for woodfuel for the boiler. Terena was also the fundraiser for the charity, and has given many talks and presentations to a variety of audience on a wide-ranging series of topics around the subject of sustainability.
Whilst working at the Centre Terena also set up the not-for-profit company Wood4Heat in 2006. The company was set up to alleviate the ‘chicken and egg’ situation that has been stopping the implementation of biomass heating due to lack of woodchip supply / demand.
Since the early 90’s shepherding has been a large part of Terena’s life, she worked running 2 thousand milking sheep for 5 years but now her sheep and dogs have become her true form of relaxation. She has demonstrated the skills of working with dogs at many county shows and to visiting schools. She is able to use the dogs as a way of getting children’s attention and then using the opportunity to explain sustainability through the lifestyle of a sheep!
In 2008 Terena originated and ran a campaign in her home town of Petersfield called The Greening Campaign. This campaign has now become a national campaign being run by well over 200 communities across the UK bringing sustainability to the heart of towns and villages. Her passion for this subject has led her to speak to all levels of government and link with many of the major companies operating across the UK.
Then in 2014, Terena's love of the South Downs meant she found a way to share that love with everyone by setting up the South Downs Show. She successfully ran the show for 6 years, and allowed people from all walks of life to demonstrate, display, sell or teach their skills at the event. Terena worked hard at the event and managed to get a band of 50 volunteers to regularly take part. She finally sold the show after the 2019 event to allow her to move back to the much needed Greening Campaign.
Being rather an active soul, in 2015, Terena realised that pet dogs were attacking sheep. She decided to find out how many sheep were being subjected to horrific deaths by dogs and so she carried out National evidence collection resulting in proof that over 15,000 sheep that had died from dog attacks that year . . . . SheepWatch was born. She joined forces with the All Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare, North Wales Police, DEFRA and other organisations to produce a report. This has led to the imminent change of the law. The reports can be found on the APGAW website or at this link Reports
The Greening Campaign is now a Community Interest Company and the programme is being requested by communities across England creating a demand and opportunity for information sharing that has also attracted links with Councils and Central Government. A series of toolkits developed by The Greening Campaign and its partners allows communities to take positive steps towards becoming more sustainable, whilst fighting Climate Change.
Terena’s love of the South Downs means she can often be seen walking over their rolling hills, shadowed by her dogs (her constant companions), the Downs offering inspiration for driving her belief in sustainable living forward.
Terena lives in Midhurst in West Sussex, right on the ridge of her beloved South Downs.
Her interest in compassionate living began in the early 1980s when she opened a shop called ‘Live and Let Live’ promoting organic healthy eating and selling books on alternative lifestyles and energy. After spending time in Greece, Terena then ran a public house and music venue for several years.
Terena took a degree in Politics at Southampton University and went on to do a post-graduate degree in Broadcast Journalism. This allowed her to work for the BBC , in radio and making television documentaries on rural life. During this time Terena took part in many organisations and events campaigning and debating change in lifestyles to divert the impending risks of climate change.
In 2000, Terena and a business partner and set up the South Downs Natural Burial Site at The Sustainability Centre. The business was a great success and is still operating and she is still a Director of the site.
Terena was also Centre Manager at The Sustainability Centre for 8 years until 2008. Some of the main achievements whilst she was there were – Refurbishing a dilapidated building into an award winning eco-hostel, installing an award winning biomass boiler, and writing then implementing a plan for the land management of the site to increase the biodiversity and create a source for woodfuel for the boiler. Terena was also the fundraiser for the charity, and has given many talks and presentations to a variety of audience on a wide-ranging series of topics around the subject of sustainability.
Whilst working at the Centre Terena also set up the not-for-profit company Wood4Heat in 2006. The company was set up to alleviate the ‘chicken and egg’ situation that has been stopping the implementation of biomass heating due to lack of woodchip supply / demand.
Since the early 90’s shepherding has been a large part of Terena’s life, she worked running 2 thousand milking sheep for 5 years but now her sheep and dogs have become her true form of relaxation. She has demonstrated the skills of working with dogs at many county shows and to visiting schools. She is able to use the dogs as a way of getting children’s attention and then using the opportunity to explain sustainability through the lifestyle of a sheep!
In 2008 Terena originated and ran a campaign in her home town of Petersfield called The Greening Campaign. This campaign has now become a national campaign being run by well over 200 communities across the UK bringing sustainability to the heart of towns and villages. Her passion for this subject has led her to speak to all levels of government and link with many of the major companies operating across the UK.
Then in 2014, Terena's love of the South Downs meant she found a way to share that love with everyone by setting up the South Downs Show. She successfully ran the show for 6 years, and allowed people from all walks of life to demonstrate, display, sell or teach their skills at the event. Terena worked hard at the event and managed to get a band of 50 volunteers to regularly take part. She finally sold the show after the 2019 event to allow her to move back to the much needed Greening Campaign.
Being rather an active soul, in 2015, Terena realised that pet dogs were attacking sheep. She decided to find out how many sheep were being subjected to horrific deaths by dogs and so she carried out National evidence collection resulting in proof that over 15,000 sheep that had died from dog attacks that year . . . . SheepWatch was born. She joined forces with the All Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare, North Wales Police, DEFRA and other organisations to produce a report. This has led to the imminent change of the law. The reports can be found on the APGAW website or at this link Reports
The Greening Campaign is now a Community Interest Company and the programme is being requested by communities across England creating a demand and opportunity for information sharing that has also attracted links with Councils and Central Government. A series of toolkits developed by The Greening Campaign and its partners allows communities to take positive steps towards becoming more sustainable, whilst fighting Climate Change.
Terena’s love of the South Downs means she can often be seen walking over their rolling hills, shadowed by her dogs (her constant companions), the Downs offering inspiration for driving her belief in sustainable living forward.