Fale & Regenerative Practices in Sierra Leone

Fale

“Fale” (Mende for mushroom) is a low-tech, mycelium-based system designed to remediate toxic textile-dye wastewater in Sierra Leone. Using local oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) cultivation and agricultural waste like coconut husk, Fale filters pollutants from synthetic dye effluent produced by small-scale Gara (tie-dye) artisans. The system uses ceramic fermentation vessels to create an optimal microclimate for mycelium growth, enabling enzymatic degradation and biosorption of contaminants. With mushroom farming expanding across Sierra Leone, Fale taps into community knowledge, craft, and local waste-streams to offer an accessible solution to environmental pollution.

Mapping Regenerative Practices in Sierra Leone

“Mapping Regenerative Practices in Sierra Leone” is a book of conversations with four Sierra Leonean visionaries. Through activism, science, art, and community-led conservation, it highlights locally-rooted approaches to climate justice—showcasing new pathways for ecological renewal and regenerative futures in West Africa.

In a time of global environmental reckoning, Sierra Leoneans are cultivating solutions rooted in place, tradition, and possibility. This book presents conversations with four Sierra Leonean changemakers—environmentalist Tommy Garnett, youth climate activist Roseline Isata Mansaray, environmental researcher Abdul Sannoh, and artist Ngadi Smart—each defining pathways to climate justice.

Through personal reflections and grounded insights, these interviews trace how individuals and communities are reclaiming narratives, restoring ecosystems, and building transformative futures in the face of environmental crisis. From vibrant visual storytelling to grassroots activism and scientific research, this collection is a testament to Sierra Leone’s own models of reconnection, resistance, and renewal.