If you live in Cornwall or Devon, make the most of visits to Eden throughout the year with a one-year Locals’ Annual Pass for just £5, or two years for £10.

We’re running this special offer for locals until Friday 10 February 2012. Don’t worry, if you can’t visit straight away but are keen to benefit from the Annual Pass deal, you can buy online now and then activate the one- or two-year pass here at Eden at any time until 31 October 2012.

In case you need any more persuading, we’ve put together 52 things to do at Eden throughout the seasons. That’s one for every week of the year.

1. Trek through the largest rainforest in captivity, complete with steamy jungle and waterfall.
2. Watch chefs baking fresh bread in the Bakery.
3. Enjoy beautiful birdsong from the robins that visit the Mediterranean Biome.
4. Take a spin our glacial ice rink, perfect for everyone from toddlers to pros.
5. Find your way to the heart of our ancient Labyrinth in the Myth and Folklore garden.
6. Enjoy al fresco style eating in our Mediterranean Biome.
7. Check out our cola tree, whose seeds traditionally went into cola drinks.
8. See what happens in a world without plants, in the hilarious mechanical puppet show ‘Plant Takeaway’.
9. Explore the willow tunnels, one of our shortcuts for little ones.
10. Feel what Eden looks like, by exploring our tactile map.
11. Hear a tale or two from one of Eden’s mesmerising storytellers.
12. See the ‘chewing gum tree‘.
13. Try freshly made food – from savoury twirls to pizza to warming stew.
14. Enjoy a traditional Cornish cream tea in one of our cafes.
15. Marvel at the smelly Corpse Flower, which blooms for just a couple of days.
16. Get new ideas for your veg plot from our Global Gardeners international allotment.
17. Play on the wooden tractor, perfect for toddlers.
18. Lose yourself in the bamboo maze, a favourite with kids.
19. Look for the hidden Eve sculpture, deep in our Wild Cornwall garden.
20. Marvel at our magnificent dahlia displays, out in June.
21. Keep your eyes peeled for tree frogs in the Rainforest Biome.
22. See bananas growing in real life.
23. Spot as many things as you can in the towering robot made of waste.
24. Hop on our very own Land Train, pulled by a tractor.
25. Create a tune on the sound sculpture, our outdoor instrument that’s a favourite with kids.
26. Challenge yourself on Eden’s outdoor bouldering wall.
27. Enjoy the largest slice of cake you’ll have ever seen, our chef’s Victoria sponge.
28. Catch a glimpse of cashew nuts, used for everything from cooking to brake pads.
29. Get a unique view of the sky from inside the cloud chamber.
30. Clamber on our huge wooden pirate ship, set amidst the gardens.
31. Feel the refreshing spray from our crashing tropical waterfall.
32. Master the nets, bars and poles of our Nest climbing frame.
33. Spot the full-size horse made of driftwood.
34. See a real Malaysian jungle hut, complete with veg plot and paddy field.
35. Check out the kapok tree that’s so tall it’s nearly touching the top of the Biome
36. Catch a glimpse of our shiney solar panels on the roof of the Core.
37. Refresh yourself with a glass of homemade lemonade in our Bakery.
38. Watch our gardeners prune huge trees from a helium balloon.
39. Test your sense of smell in our perfume exhibit.
40. Seek out the Seed, the giant granite sculpture set inside a tranquil chamber.
41. Spot the brightly coloured South American sugar truck.
42. Get a bird’s eye view of the treetops from the Rainforest Lookout.
43. See if you can spot the roul roul partridges in the Rainforest Biome.
44. Try out our award-winning, rain-harvesting toilets.
45. Touch a cork tree, used in wine bottles the world over.
46. Have a taste of our fairly traded baobab smoothies as you explore the rainforest.
47. Try your hand at cracking nuts using our huge Heath Robinson-esque machine in the Core.
48. Come and see how pineapples actually grow on the ground!
49. Dig in to our spice drawers, an enormous fragrant chest of drawers in the middle of the rainforest.
50. Warm yourself with a glass of mulled wine in the run-up to Christmas.
51. Take part in our magical lantern parade during our late-night winter festival.
52. Find beautiful, ethical and educational gifts in our lovely shop.

Get full details on how to buy your Locals’ Annual Pass.

We’ve put them together for anyone looking for refreshing and creative approaches to kickstart conversations about where they live and work, which go far beyond the usual stakeholder engagement techniques.

The case studies include stories such as:

• The seven Cornish towns that worked with playful theatre company Wildworks to animate open spaces and support regeneration.
• The communities on Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula who asked the Eden Project to help them encourage outdoor play.
• The project that Eden worked on with the people of Kingsbridge, Devon, to create a design brief for a recreation ground.

They show how unusual techniques can get a broad range of people involved in putting forward their opinions, including:

• A festival approach, which can set the right ambience for sharing ideas
• Getting people to bring in artefacts and photographs to share memories about where they live
• Eliciting suggestions on an area using postcards pegged to a washing line or stuck on a map
• Video interviews where kids talk about their experiences of a particular place
• Creative sessions where people make objects that represent their views

You can get hold of the case studies on our creative community engagement case studies page. You might also like to explore our neighbourhood planning case studies from communities who are working together to draw up their own plans for where they live.

We produced the downloadable case studies as part of our work within the Building Communities Consortium neighbourhood planning project.

The centre, known as The Green Build Cornwall Foundation, is to be run by Cornwall Sustainable Building Trust (CSBT) and will be housed within a cutting-edge green building itself (see below for a photo of Eden’s sustainable Core building).

Its design and exact location within Eden is yet to be decided, but the space has a clear aim: to facilitate collaboration and catalyse exciting innovations within the green building industry in the county.

Paul Bright, CEO of CSBT, explains that green building suppliers will be able to bring in innovations, products and experiments to be trialed and monitored and shared with the public. He describes it as an ‘open book, open door set up’.

He says: ‘It’s going to be an experimental test-bed of everything that’s best in Cornwall. Bring your talents, bring your materials and bring your expertise… There’s a business ethic behind this… We want people to understand that the sum of the parts is greater than the parts.’

The centre will also establish academic partnerships, with a view to it being used for training, awareness raising and the sharing of best practice.

Gaynor Coley, Eden’s Managing Director, said at the launch: ‘The great thing about Cornwall Sustainable Building Trust is that they want everyday housing in Cornwall to be more sustainable, to be more energy-efficient and actually to be a more pleasant place to live. And that’s absolutely spot on in terms of Eden’s mission.’

Visit the Cornwall Sustainable Building Trust website or watch a video about the forthcoming Green Build Cornwall Foundation.

It’s almost Christmas, so in our final competition of the Advent calendar, we’re giving away an Eden Project annual pass, allowing one lucky person to free entry to visit us for a whole year.

They’ll get to come back and see our plants change throughout the seasons, visit for special events like our February chocolate festival, our summer play sessions and our winter evenings.

To be in with a chance of winning the annual pass, please fill in our online form by 31 December 2011.

Prize draw terms and conditions

• The prize offered is: an annual pass to the Eden Project, allowing one person free entry for one year. The annual pass excludes ticketed events.
• Entry is free. One entry per household. Automated entries will not be accepted.
• The first name drawn at random after the closing date will receive the prize as detailed above.
• The prize is non-refundable, non-transferable and subject to availability. No alternative prize will be offered and there is no cash alternative.
• The draw is not open to employees of The Eden Project, their families, its agents or anyone professionally connected with the prize draw.
• All entries must be received by midnight on 31 December 2011. The winner will be notified by email after the closing date.
• By entering this competition you are giving the Eden Project permission to contact you at a future date. You can subscribe from this service at any time.
• Prize draw open to all UK residents. Entrants must be over 16 years of age.

We’re open late on certain evenings throughout December, for craft activities, music and song, food and drink, plus storytelling, massage and comedy for all the family – all topped off with a magical lantern parade.

Check out this video to see what’s on offer on 16, 17, 27, 28, 29, 30 December 2011.

Watch the video on YouTube

This Friday we’re delighted to host post-rock duo Nordic Giants, as well as piano prodigy Samuel Osmond.

Hidden behind feathered masks and effortlessly changing between instruments, Nordic Giants perform live, original soundtracks to a backdrop of award winning short films.

They’re influenced by the likes of Sigur Ros, Massive Attack and Cinematic Orchestra and their music includes dreamy ambient swells, epic builds and huge moments of power.

Imagine the visual story telling of a cinema experience mixed with the raw energy and passion of a live gig, and you’ve hit the nail on the head! You can listen to their music at www.myspace.com/nordicgiants

Local piano prodigy Samuel Osmond is set to amaze us with his performance of Debussy and Rachmaninoff, amongst others. Sam is currently learning to read music and has only been playing the piano for two years, yet is able to recite extremely complex compositions from musical memory.

He learns the pieces, which take more experienced pianists years to master, in an incredibly short period of time, working out the notes by ear.

The gig takes place at the Eden Project Café in White River Place, St Austell. Tickets cost £5 (or £4 if you buy them in advance at the café). Doors open at 8pm, music starts and 9pm, and doors close at 11.15pm. We’ll be serving delicious Chick Pea & Pumpkin Curry served until 9.30pm.

Since it started in October 2010, the course has worked with 315 people from 273 businesses in the local area.

Designed and delivered by the Eden team and funded by the European Social Fund, Green Foundation motivates businesses to engage with sustainability and identify opportunities to help them secure a competitive edge in the low-carbon economy.

Organisations are encouraged to make positive changes helping to ensure that Cornwall has a resilient and sustainable business base.

Based on the success of our programme working with Cornish businesses, we’re now developing Green Foundation to deliver to businesses across the country. Lindsey Brummitt, Programme Manager at Eden, said: ‘We are absolutely delighted to win this accolade.

‘Green Foundation offers a really practical response to some of the business challenges of today and the results have been fantastic – we have seen real tangible changes to save money, collaborate and drive positive change and we are very proud to be supporting local businesses on the journey to a low carbon economy.’

To find out more about the award-winning programme, go to www.greenfoundation.org.uk

Eden will be one of the host locations for the first day of the flame’s journey, Saturday 19 May 2012. The helium balloon used by our gardeners to reach the dizzy heights of the Biome has been chosen as a unique mode of transport for the Torchbearer.

Welcoming the news, Gaynor Coley, Managing Director of Eden, said: ‘The Olympic Flame is designed to spread the message of peace, unity and friendship so it will be a very special day for all of us in our beautiful county.

‘We want as many of our friends and neighbours as possible to join us here at Eden for the momentous occasion to show that in difficult times ordinary people working together can build a symbol of regeneration that provides a beacon of hope from Cornwall to the rest of the world.’

Eden is one of just a few landmarks and special activities to be announced today by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) through which the Olympic Flame will be carried by Torchbearers during the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.

LOCOG has worked closely with representatives from a number of sectors in the South West to include these on the route and the majority of other special events and activities will be confirmed next year as we aim to build further excitement and anticipation much closer to the time of the Torch Relay.

Sebastian Coe, Chair of LOCOG said: ‘We are thrilled to confirm that the Olympic Flame will be visiting the Eden Project as part of its journey around the UK. We have worked hard to devise a route that achieves the optimum mix of proximity to people whilst taking in diversity of the UK’s landscape and landmarks, and by taking in Eden, we are doing just that. This is the UK’s moment to shine and I want to encourage people across Cornwall to start planning how they can be part of this once in a lifetime opportunity and show their support for the inspirational Torchbearers chosen to carry the Olympic Flame as we count down to the start of the Olympic Games.’

You can check the interactive map on the London 2012 website to find your nearest community through which the Olympic Flame will be carried.

If you’re aged 11-19, you might be interested in entering our Plant Champions wreath-making competition.

Winners were voted for by the public after companies had been nominated by travel industry professionals. The Natural History Museum and the London Eye were also put forward for the same category.

Our Operations Director Ian Williams said: ‘This is Eden’s tenth anniversary and it has been a momentous 12 months for the project. A year ago we suffered a massive flood which caused millions of pounds worth of damage, but we bounced back quickly to enjoy a memorable year, including the anniversary celebrations, a great Eden Sessions season and our first summer residency with the brilliant NoFit State circus.’

‘Next year, 2012, will be a challenging one for the UK travel industry. This award marks Eden and Cornwall as must-see destinations for UK tourists next year.’

British Travel Awards’ Chief Executive Lorraine Barnes Burton said: ‘The British Travel Awards is the largest awards programme in the UK, created to reward travel companies, with the winning accolade being the benchmark for excellence when it comes to finding out who really is the best in the business of travel for the UK consumer. This year the competition was fierce and Eden is to be congratulated on their achievement.’

Since Eden opened officially in March 2001, we’ve welcomed more than 13 million visitors here, and generated £1.1
billion for the local economy. See a slideshow of how we’ve grown over the last decade.

The evening will feature choral music from the Cathedral Choir and the Eden Choir, as well as a number of guest speakers, including flood survivor Diana Mullis, Eden’s Tim Smit, and Oliver Baines from the Cornwall Community Foundation, the organisation which set up the Cornwall Flood Fund.

Choral music lovers will be treated to a special programme of songs, including the very apt Cloudburst, by American composer Eric Whitacre, and a haunting arrangement of the American folksong Shenandoah, as well as some more modern classics from the Eden Choir.

Chris Gray, Truro Cathedral’s Director of Music, says: ‘There are some truly spectacular effects, using voices as you’ve probably never heard them used before, to create a choral thunderstorm – a first in the Cathedral and something I can’t wait to hear.’

The concert followed a conversation between the Eden Project, the Foundation and the choir after the flood last November. Tim Smit of the Eden Project says: ‘The flood hit Eden hard and closed us down for a week. But right from the outset we were very aware that many of our neighbours and friends were suffering too.

‘With the first anniversary coming up, we hope that the concert will raise a good sum for the Flood Fund and provide a very enjoyable evening of song.’

The concert takes place at 7pm on Friday 11 November at Truro Cathedral. Tickets cost £10 and are available from Eden Project Box Office 01726 811972. There are a limited number of free tickets available for under-18s.

Have a listen to the fantastic mix of voices you’ll hear at the concert, in these recordings of the Truro Cathedral Choir and the Eden Choir