Now, some of them are in a bit of trouble, the bats in Belgium have troubles finding caves to hibernate over winter and the bees are globally on a very steep incline because of use of pesticides. They are pollinating 90% of our plants! And “Multiple scientific studies blame one group of toxic pesticides for their rapid demise..”

As for the bees there is something you can do for them.. Avaaz, a global web movement, which helps enforcing environment friendly policies through petitions, is currently collecting signatures to hopefully provoke a global ban on pesticides. I signed already, why don’t you sign it as well? http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_bees/

thanks,
Sylvia

PS: Avaaz also deals with human rights issues.

In July I had the opportunity to spend a week volunteering there and experience community life up close. Hoppi, the main contact for volunteers did a great job in organising and so I was able to help out on several pots, learning different things from stripping trees, cleaning bricks, liming a round house, repairing a water way and chopping firewood. Others helped the beekeeper to find the queen or put the reciprocal roof onto a roundhouse. We were six volunteers in total and a nice bunch of people – everybody coming from a different angle. I learned alot in terms of alternative constructions, saw an example of a community and had lots of interesting conversations.

The inhabitants are people like all of us, they came because it was their childhood dream or because of a very environmental consciousness or the urge for a change in their life. They might have a little bit of experience as hobby gardeners or hobby furniture makers, but all have lots to learn still and I admire their courage. One thing that stood out for me was a very strong sense of the motto Learning by doing: “If the roundhouse gets a crack, well then we have to fix it. Next time we will know what to do different.”

The ecovillage is part of the Lammas Project, which aims to show that there are sustainable solutions to the challenges of climate change, peak oil and rural regeneration. There will be also a community hub building that allows others to learn about this kind of lifestyle and benefit from lessons learned at Tir Y Gafel.

All the best to all plot holders and thanks for a great week,

Sylvia

PS: For all who would like to visit themselves. There are guided tours offered and another volunteer week is coming up in September, just subscribe to the Lammas mailing list to be kept up-to-date.

http://www.lammas.org.uk

WWOOF ‘willing/worldwide workers on organic farms’ is a worldwide network for people that are interested in organic farm projects.

You can contact a WWOOF network and against a small membership fee you receive a list of organic farms in your country of choice. You can then contact farmers directly and find a place to work.

At most places wwoofers have to work about 4-6 hours per day and they receive food & accomodation in return. The real win is however the cultural exchange and the experience that goes with this concept.

This might be your opportunity to learn how to bake bread, to clearcut an area and create a permaculture vegetable garden or to look after organic tomato plants. You might end up in a small community a big farmers family or in an educational project – each place has it’s own charme and most of the time you happen to meet openminded people that are more than willing to share their experiences with you and hear your travel stories.

Almost each country has their own list so you need to contact the country network that you are planning to visit: Independent, Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Sweden, UK, Switzerland

Here the Chinese explanation…

…and here the American version:

is a place for start ups that develop projects that approach social and environmental topics.

The approach:  Give people with innovative & entrepreneurial ideas the space and facilities they need to develop it.

The hub is also a good place to meet others and develop proects together and there is some support on the project management front.

The network works via membership fees that depend on how much time you work for your project. There are Hub offices in Bombay, Amsterdam, Sao Paolo, Stockholm, Madrid, Milan and many other parts of the world. One of these ideas that are made to travel around the world.

In a few weeks I will be visiting The Hub in Brussels the office over here is just being set up so I am curious how many interesting ideas will evelove from this. Can’t wait to do lots of interviews and blog about these projects.

Best wishes,
Mira

A group of individuals with NGO or corporate background that share a passion for environmental topics. Discussions about forestation, remaining fish stocks and how the recession impacts the environmental conscious behavior of corporates. At some point during the conversation you will find a common interest and exchange a website here and an email there… Networking the green way. I certainly enjoyed my Monday evening.

Greendrinks is a network that exists all around the world. Have a look at their site to see what’s going on in your city.

To give you a feel for the flavor of such an evening: Here a video from a Greendrinks event in Toronto.