1 post tagged “retreat”

My vox is under construction, the general aim is to develop a network of like-minded people who want to live an eco-friendly life in Usovo Bulgaria. I aim to build a hostel for walkers, twitchers, cyclists, keen gardeners, compost toilet experts, solar power enthusiasts, nature lovers and anyone who just wants to get away from it all, whatever 'it' may be. I aim to build with locally found and sustainable materials, cob, managed forests, any sturdy leftovers from the communist era, straw bale or even something that I haven't yet discovered.

I will be in Voditsa, Varna, Albena, Dobrich and Uzovo from 15:04:07 to 30:04:07 and will be happy to meet up with anyone who is interested in what we're doing. Please contact me through Vox initially.

I also have a tradtionally built main house for holiday makers who want to experience rural village life.

Usovo is a small community of approximately 12 houses in the north east of Bulgaria in the General Toshevo Municipality, Usovo is approx 30km from both The Black Sea Coast to the east and the border with Romania to the north. For more information click here or copy and paste into your browser

 Village of Uzovo

www.mybulgaria.info/privilege-card/

http://www.petitiononline.com/bulgaria/petition.html

My Bulgarian Project:

Mission Statement:

To build good, strong, practical and comfortable houses using materials with excellent thermogenic properties from recycled, renewable or sustainable sources and have a high ethical* value.

I aim to build in keeping with the styles of local houses and to embrace the history of Bulgaria by incorporating features of older styles of buildings, maybe even going back several centuries. I also want to introduce new methods to local people, suggest small adaptations, wider eaves for example, to improve the water resisitance of roofing. To introduce some new ideas like conserving water. I also want to educate people about the ethics of the materials they use and discourage the use of polymers, UPVC and other plastics, unless they are recycled plastics that would otherwise be dumped into a landfill site. (Please see the interesting sites at the end of this document.) Materials that use vast amounts of energy to produce are also low on my ethical list so I would encourage debate and discussion on these and other matters about the long term effects on the planet by using these materials and ask people to consider the sustainability of “quick-fix”, bland and factory fashioned materials, I would ask them to consider the impact that sourcing those raw materials has on local communities, the way that workers in such places are treated, health issues, pay and conditions and the mass marketing and capitalisation on limited and valuable resources. I would ask people to consider the true costs in terms of how much carbon is released in the extraction, processing and transportation of these materials. I would ask people to really consider the true costs and true impact of using such materials and ask “Is it really worth it?” “Do we need to do it this way?” “What better ways can we achieve this?” “How do we do this ethically?” etc.

I want to help people understand that they too can really make a difference, make positive choices and yet still enjoy an excellent quality of living accommodation and an improved quality of life. I want to help develop strong community ties, a cooperative approach to sharing skills, information and equipment, I want people to connect, unite and share so that the whole community benefits and not just one or two individuals. I want to find ways of sllowing down or stopping the process of de-population in villages by promoting positive reasons to stay, generating work, offering education and opportunities to learn and develop new skills. Helping those villages to find ways to move forward, maybe embracing Eco-Tourism, regenerating arts and crafts or establishing a WWOOFERS or similar type of skills sharing, reciprocal scheme. Bringing internet access to remote places would connect locals, young and old with a whole world of ideas, innovations and possibilities. Encouraging farmers to diversify, helping new businesses to grow, to expand upon the already beautiful natural resources in harmony with them and with respect for them and a commitment to protecting them for generations to come, to involve local people to take care of their land, their heritage, their health (see below) and their futures.

Alongside this I would like to develop organic** farming methods to allow people to rid their food of harmful chemicals that are present in non-organic fertilisers and pesticides, this would involve a mobile health education program that would travel to villages and towns where speakers (doctors, nurses, environmentalists, gardeners, young academics etc) would give talks and presentations to local people and invite discussion and to ask what locals feel is a priority for them, what would they like to see happen. This may lead to other people forming groups and getting involved and maybe planning projects of their own. European funding can be applied for and relevant methods of application will be explained to locals and help from consultants to apply for this will be given at the primary stages.

*So, what does ethical actually mean?

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