Food Quality Control … Read more
Responsible Tourism Community based tourism: how it benefits local people by creating revenue streams while protecting environments
The Ecovillage Design Education course (EDE) is a wonderful way to promote eco-tourism. The social, cultural, economic and ecological potential that exists within coastal villages brings new and bigger visions for participants. Sandele Eco-Retreat hosted a second EDE for participants from 10 coastal villages. The participants decided to form PeCEN – “The People’s Coast Ecovillage Network”). It was emphasised that eco-tourism is just one of many possible local businesses and that it could bring … Read more
Decentralised renewable energy The multiple benefits of appropriate technology in the form of passive solar, solar electricity, small-scale hydro, ram pumps
To raise awareness about the potential for a human and ecological development path, based on a diversity of decentralised renewable energy technologies. We need to devote time, money and effort to counter the corporate energy path through educational campaigns. At the same time, we need to provide information about the multitude of renewable energy solutions. These range from those suited for high-rise, urban living, to those appropriate for rural villages in the global south: solar electricity, … Read more
Localisation-economics of happiness Promoting the renewal of local communities, economies and cultures
The answer lies in shifting away from economic globalization towards localization. Whereas the global economy demands monoculture, both human and ecological, localisation is a process that adapts economic activity to diversity -- a fundamental principle of life. The worldwide localisation movement, including local food and finance, ecovillages, permaculture and transition towns, demonstrate that local economies rebuild our connections to one another and to the natural world – connections that … Read more
Biofuels Use of vegetable oil as an alternative fuel in villages.
Guneskoy Cooperative developed a project for using vegetable oil as an alternative fuel for tractors used in agriculture. The project was supported by UNDP. According to this project farmers allocate about 10% of their land for growing the oil crop and vegetable oil was extracted using an oil press. Vegetable oil has higher viscosity compared to diesel fuel and it does not flow easily at lower temperature. However, the viscosity of vegetable oil decreases significantly when heated and at about … Read more
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA Building bridges between villages - Setting up direct relationships between growers and consumers of agricultural products -
Guneskoy Cooperative has applied CSA to support sustainable living in traditional villages by ecological food production based on an economy with mutual support between people living in city and a village. Each week vegetables are picked up and distributed to the supporters in the city. The villages in traditional villages could not take any risk for an alternative production, no matter how environmentally friendly it is. When organic agriculture was started in Guneskoy they silently observed … Read more
Portable Gardens – urban food Tackling the Urban food security
Plastic bags can be used or recycled and help in the growing of food Container plants offer a simple way to maximize small spaces. Despite their convenience, planning them properly is essential to success. since it can save a lot of water will reduce the amount of water used and keep containers moist and healthy hence saving a lot of water … Read more
Bread from Sweet Potatoes Creating local food sovereignty
Challenges also includes post harvest processing or storage. This can lengthen the period for which sweet potato can be marketed but may also be relevant for subsistence oriented households to increase the period over which sweetpotato can be consumed, particularly where there is a marked dry season. Improving the sweetpotato value chain should lead to a linked set of impacts on the livelihoods of the poor including: 1) Increased income of those selling sweetpotato with particular advantages … Read more
Biochar from Bamboo Kilns Sequestering CO2 while rebuilding soil
Convert the fastest growing terrestrial plant, bamboo, currently supplying livelihood to 1.2 billion humans because of its many uses and ability to grow in nearly all climates, from labile carbon to recalcitrant carbon through pyrolytic conversion in a low-cost, multiple-yield process. The application of this recalcitrant carbon to soil, or use as a component of building materials, living roofs and other ecovillage applications, establishes a significant, long-term sink for atmospheric carbon … Read more
The Laws of Manifestation How to attract the resources necessary to do what you need to do.
Working with spiritual principles can be very helpful here. David Spangler, one of the pioneers of the Findhorn Foundation community, set out some key principles in publications on “The Laws of Manifestation”. It is not simply a case of invoking and inviting money and resources to achieve whatever you want. It is more a case of ‘tuning in’ to what the universe, or Spirit, is asking for. If your project is really in the service of something greater, and if you are really fully aligned in thought, … Read more
