viviendo vivienda

explorando nuestro futuro

Learning centres

November15

Here is an idea for what the purpose of our home can be. When I did my internship I lived at Axladitsa for 6 weeks experiencing a learning center like this. It was also a home, a farm and place to gather, for people who had something om their heart – people who cared.

So here a little bit about Learning centers and  a link to Axaladitsa and to Kufunda – a amazing learning village and strong community in Zimbawe, where they are really pioneering how to organize a community in a lifeaffirming way, using many ancient social technologies in a conscious way.

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Berkana Exchange: Learning Centers.

The Berkana Exchange is an ecosystem of learning centers, grassroots-based initiatives, individuals, regional learning communities and movements all working to create healthy and resilient communities. Participants are developing the capacity to solve their most pressing problems—such as community health, ecological sustainability and economic self-reliance—by acting locally, connecting regionally and learning trans-locally.

Why “trans-local”? We believe that large-scale systems change emerges when local actions get connected globally—while preserving their deeply local culture, flavor and form. There is no universal solution for the challenges of poverty, hunger or environmental destruction. But there is the possibility of widespread impact when people working at the local level are able to learn from one another, practice together and share their learning with communities everywhere. We do this by gathering face-to-face, engaging in communities of practice, learning exchanges and regional collaborations. We share stories, create new experiments and build relationships that help us better serve our communities at home.

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Kufunda:

We are a learning village whose purpose is to inspire the co-creation of strong life affirming communities in Zimbabwe and beyond by living and sharing the wisdom, practices and social systems that are required for such communities.

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Axladitsa:

Axladitsa-Avatakia is a home place, an olive farm and a place of collective inquiry , learning and retreat – a place for Living Wholeness.

Axladitsa-Avatakia is a practice and catalyst for exploring the relationship between the power of place and work/mastery through real-time collective inquire, research and practice - as contribution to the next level of our human evolution.

It is also a place that really touched me deeply and one of those places in the world where I really feel at home. I think that has to do with the setting of the place close to unspoiled nature, to the way it is hosted by its two stewards, and to the intention that runs through all tasks and all work here… a level of high consciousness in all that you do. It is truly of place of power.

written with love by rowan
posted under What to do?, english | No Comments »

Gaviotas

November15

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Gaviotas is a village of about 200 people in Colombia, South America. For three decades, Gaviotans – peasants, scientists, artists, and former street kids – have struggled to build an oasis of imagination and sustainability in the remote, barren savannas of eastern Colombia, an area ravaged by political terror. They have planted millions of trees, thus regenerating an indigenous rainforest. They farm organically and use wind and solar power. Every family enjoys free housing, community meals, and schooling. There are no weapons, no police, no jail. There is no mayor.

The United Nations named the village a model of sustainable development. Gabriel Garcia Marquez has called founder Paolo Lugari the “inventor of the world.”

Visit Gaviota’s website en inglés

A 25 minutes video about Gaviotas y Paolo lugari (en inglés).

written with love by zulma
posted under Communities, Sustainable building, english | No Comments »

Earth Ships

November15

Earth ship

It is an concept that allows you to build a house completely off grid – where you are completely selfsustained with heating, water, sewage, energy and home production of produce. It is build from sustainable recycled materials.

Earthship n. 1. passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials 2. thermal mass construction for temperature stabilization. 3. renewable energy & integrated water systems make the Earthship an off-grid home with little to no utility bills.
Biotecture n. 1. the profession of designing buildings and environments with consideration for their sustainability. 2. A combination of biology and architecture.
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written with love by rowan
posted under Sustainable building, english | No Comments »

Communities

November15

Exploring what community means, I have gathered some examples of what communities can be. It can be all from communities of practice to communities organized around a shared interess to people simply living next to eachother.

Here is a little list of communities:

  • EcoVillage: I found a nice definition of ecovillages on the Gaia Foundation website:
    “The ideal ecovillage, which does not yet exist – is a sustainable human settlement which is in harmony with all aspects of life, including the cultural, ecological and spiritual dimensions.”
  • Findhorn, Scotland -  the mother of Ecovillages and a role model for how to co-create your community with nature.
  • GENGlobal Ecovillage Network -  is a global confederation of people and communities that meet and share their ideas, exchange technologies, develop cultural and educational exchanges, directories and newsletters, and are dedicated to restoring the land and living “sustainable plus” lives by putting more back into the environment than we take out.
  • Read the rest of this entry »
written with love by rowan
posted under Communities, english | No Comments »

Ecovillage Network of the Americas

November15

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This evening I was just thinking about some of the important things about creating a home. One thing that came to mind was Community and if I can be part of a community where nature and sustainability is prioritized even better.

Then I came across a whole lot of links about Ecovillages and as it turns out there are actually 13 registrated Ecovillages in Colombia.  This website above has a directory of all the ecovillages in the americas, with contact info. We will go visit the ones closest to Bogota, when we are there in January.

written with love by rowan
posted under Communities, english | No Comments »

casa ecológica – taganga santamarta

November15

Esto es lo que a mi me da envidia (de la buena) en la vida…

Vanessa y familia van mucho mas adelante en su proceso de construir y vivir su vivienda. Y la documentación que han hecho de su proceso nos ayuda e inspira muchismo.

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Aqui un pequeño extracto de como describen el proyecto de la casa ecológica sus creadores.

“Consideramos que la casa es un experimento arquitectónico (al menos para nosotros) ya que la estamos construyendo en base en ideas propias y otras sacados de libro o el Internet. Las ideas vienen de Vanessa y Juan…quienes no tenemos ningún tipo de experiencia en construcción y otras ideas vienen de Ruben Reyes, nuestro maestro de obra y maestro DIY (alias Mac Giver) – quien si ha tenido mucha experiencia en construcción y aldeas auto sostenibles. Estamos construyendo la casa tratando de junglar con diferentes factores los cuales van determinando el proceso, materiales etc….Estos son; como lidear con el calor de manera pasiva; el uso de materiales ecológicos; el uso de materiales de la región o del terreno mismo; economía; la necesidad que la casa se pueda cerrar; protección contra la lluvia y los vientos Alisios; uso de energía solar; escasees de agua; las necesidades especificas de un estudio de grabación; la intención de no interrumpir el paisaje; flujo de los habitantes e invitados; disfrute de los espacios; los terremotos y otras cositas mas…..Un verdadero rompecabezas que estamos en el proceso de solucionar, los invitamos a compartir el proceso por medio de este blog….”

Denle un vistazo al blog de la casa ecológica

http://intermundos.org/casa_ecologica/
written with love by zulma
posted under espanol, inspiracion | No Comments »

Living our home!!!

November15

First step of creating our home – a place that is there, but not found. A place that will be home… our playground…our home… our work place… our learning center… our school… our place for living.

I look forward to bring all the brilliant bright ideas I have in my head out like bricks  – and start building our home – our dream of how t live.

written with love by rowan
posted under chachara - ramblings, english | 1 Comment »

La historia

November15

Hoy fuimos a dar una larga caminata por la rivera del rio con Rowan y Naira.

El tema de nuestra conversación fue nuestra futura vida en Colombia… muchas preguntas, muchas ideas, muchos sueños… no muchas cosas concretas.

De ahí surgió esta idea, la idea de empezar a recolectar información, inspiración, imaginación con respecto a un proyecto de vida. Podemos invitar a las personas que queremos a que nos acompañen en esta exploración? que puede surgir de compartir nuestros sueños, ideas locas, preguntas y respuestas con las personas que son importantes para nosotros? no lo sabemos. Tal vez nada, tal vez mucho…

La única forma de averiguarlo es haciendolo!

written with love by zulma
posted under chachara - ramblings, espanol | No Comments »
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