– Unpacking the 4.6 bn Years Story of the Earth in a 4.6 km Walk-
Our latest Community Talks edition offered an experience for body, mind, and spirit, guided by Anca Gheorghica.
Deep Time Walk is a journey through Earth’s 4.6-billion-year story. Since such a timescale is difficult to grasp, its creators translated it into a 4.6 km walk, where each meter represents one million years.
A walk with a purpose
By retracing Earth’s evolution, we can better understand climate change and recognize the unique role of Homo sapiens – a species that, in the Anthropocene, has become a modelling geological force in its own right.
The event took place in the beautiful setting of the Botanical Garden of Iași, with pauses to reflect on key milestones: the formation of the Moon, oceans, and atmosphere; the first bacteria and the rise of complex organisms; great evolutionary leaps; mass extinctions; and finally, the emergence of humans. More details about this type of experience can be found at deeptimewalk.org.
A striking perspective
The last meter of the walk, and particularly the last segment of 30 centimeters contains the entire history of Homo sapiens. This makes it clear that Earth’s story is far larger than our own. It is also a reminder that our planet itself is a living system, continually reshaping and recycling continents, oceans, and atmosphere. The conditions that sustain our lives today are the result of a long and improbable chain of events.
Ultimately, the Deep Time Walk is designed to deepen our connection with Earth. As Anca emphasized, it invites us to “choose to live in a state of active hope,” even in the face of daunting ecological and social challenges.
About the facilitator
Anca Gheorghica is a lifelong nature enthusiast, ecologist, and aspiring botanical artist. She co-founded several organizations aligned with her values, including Mai Bine, CUIB, and REDU. Her work bridges harmony with nature, self, and community.
The deep time walk experience was originally created by ecologist Dr. Stephan Harding and his student, geologist Sergio Maraschin. Anca took this walk for the first time in 2011, guided by the co-initiator of this practice – Stephan Harding, in Totnes, UK, at Schumacher College, a transformative learning institution that offers experiential courses and programs in ecology, sustainability, and social change.
What is Community Talks
In the new reality of hybrid work, we feel the need to, once in a while, get together and learn about inspiring stories from our line of work or from our community that are relevant to us.
With this idea in mind, we created a program called Community Talks. It is part of our larger discussion about tech storytelling and how to have better conversations in our everyday work.
Once in a while, we want to invite somebody from outside RomSoft to share with us an inspiring story, or just to have an interesting conversation, be it in the technical area or anything else that we have a shared interest in.
Our guests will play the role of the Guide to any good story, helping us navigate through difficult challenges, acquire new skills, and understand where the opportunities lie in this rapidly changing world.