How cool is this!!!

Just the most fabulous shower idea I´ve ever seen!

I forgot about the moon!

Today I received a great email from an old friend (well, she´s not old, but it´s been a good few years that we´ve known each other) who has been missioning around SA working on organic farms and learning all about permaculture and living in harmony with the earth.

Our emails are always looong and full of exciting news about getting out of the rat-race and getting back to doing what humans were always meant to do - live consciously and harmoniously with the plants, insects and animals to which, if we´re perfectly honest, we owe our lives.

Amidst loads of helpful tips and advice about organic farming, she reminded me of an important factor that keeps appearing in the back of my mind, but seems to slip away whenever I get down to doing some research - planting with the phases of the moon!

Now, many people may be a bit sceptical about the importance of the moon and the associated astrological implications, but there is actually a science to it.

Basically, plants (being full of water) react to the gravitational pull of the moon, just as the sea´s tides do, and grow differently during each moon phase because of the amount of water that is being pulled up through the earth. This effects not only when we should plant but also when we should harvest. Goodness, so much to know about plants!

Ok, so here are a few things I´ve just read:

• The new moon ushers in the best time for good leaf and root growth, especially for those plants that produce their seeds above the ground (cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, celery, etc) - so, plant these during the first and second quarters of the moon.


• The second quarter of the moon is also a good time for growing plants whose seeds grow inside the plant (peppers, tomatoes, beans, peas, squash) - and if you want your lawn to grow well, this is apparently a good time to mow it (who knew!)


• When it´s full moon, the ground contains the greatest amount of water - when seeds absorb the most water.


• After the full moon, along with the high water content in the soil, comes a period during which roots start to grow a lot more, so it´s a good time to grow root veges like peanuts, potatoes, carrots, onions, etc.


• It´s apparently also a good idea to grow perrenials (the long-lasting plants, as opposed to the annuals that bare fruit and then die *sniff* every year) and for transplanting plants.


• During the third quarter the water content in plants is a lot less, so it is a good time to prune plants and harvest your veges


• If you´d like your lawn to stay mowed for longer, mow it during the moon´s fourth quarter.

Ok, that´s all I´ve got time for today on that subject. I´ll list a few relevant sites soon, which will give a lot more details on the above bits of info - even the zodiac is meant to play a part in plants´ growth!

This weekend´s mission was meant to be to visit an organic/eco house (the vid´s in Portuguese but you get the picture) that was built in a small city about 2h from Sao Paulo, and was modeled on an eco house that was built in Brighton, UK (the vid´s also in Portuguese, but there are loads of links to others detailing the same concepts in various parts of the world).

The idea is that the house is made of used tyres which are filled with earth to make them weigh about 100kg each, then piled on top of each other to form walls. The gaps between the tyres are then filled with old cans and a combination of mud, cement and straw, and the floor is sealed with a shredded-tyred and concrete combo. Even the wood that´s used as moulds to make the pillars and beams is then used as furniture, so everything is either made from recycled goods or is then recycled to be reused in the house. FAB idea!!!

Unfortunately, no one was around this weekend to give us a tour and offer some tips on building houses in that way (yes we called first, no we didn't drive all that way to discover this fact), so we'll have to wait until next weekend to quench our curiosity.

In the meantime, we're a bit like caged dogs in our eagerness (and frustration, to be honest, given that we know what awaits but are stuck here in the city for another month!) to get onto the property and get started preparing the ground, building greenhouses, and planning the future layout of the land.

Guess we just have to be patient.

The following needs to be done in the very near future:

1. Buy a 2nd-hand pick-up so that we don’t spend a fortune paying companies to bring various bits of furniture and gardening/building material that we´ll soon need.
2. Use said pick-up (which will be sold within a year to make way for a diesel version whose engine will be converted to run off of old cooking oil, after which we will be able to collect the nearby town´s used oil instead of having them throw it away, which is usually damaging to the environment) to collect building rubble from the millions of building sites that litter SP, to be used to ´pave´ the current road to the property, which is a little impassable at times due to the amount of water that the surrounding trees hold in the ground.
3. Fix up the two small houses currently situated on the property (at present they are uninhabitable) with the help of a local who knows how to fit a toilet etc, and our own sweat as we scrub down the walls, fend off the wasps and give everything various coats of fab coloured paint - it´s not just the girls who are excited to decorate, we´re all feeling the imminent joy of finally having a place of our very own that we can spruce up any way we want.
4. Map out the growth cycles of the various fruits and vegetables we´d like to plant, and then begin growing their seedlings, in time for them to be transplanted when spring arrives. Amongst other things, we’ll plant seeds in the middle of toilet rolls and transplant everything at the right time so that the cardboard acts as compost for each seedling. The property already boasts 2 lemon trees, a number of banana plants, and something vine-y.
5. Mow the massive amount of over-grown grass that is currently trying to protect the area that was cleared who-knows-how-many years ago.
6. Begin a compost heap so that we can soon begin to ´treat´ the soil in the area where we would like to plant our vege garden.
7. Plant 'sansao do campo' (a super fast growing hedge that's so full of thorns it's impossible to penetrate without a machete) along the front of the property so that, within a year, we will be obscured from the view of potential burglars (the property being rather isolated - actually, it´s just us for miles and miles! Imagine the stars at night!)
8. Buy two semi-puppies as a first means of protection - and because we all just loooove dogs (and every animal we can think of, but slowly but surely is the best idea for now).

Our long-term goals are as such

1. Learn as much as possible about permaculture and, as far as is possible given our climate and terrain etc, create a permaculture system, both for our plants and our homes (toilet waste being used to generate heat / energy / compost, and other such practices)
2. Build a greenhouse for future seedlings and winter greens so that we will eventually become completely independent with regards to our vegetable etc. in-take.
3. Establish various thriving fruit trees for future generations.
4. Provide a safe home for animals who will be allowed to live humanely and the way that they were designed to do - for example, be allowed to roam and have families.
5. Convert all energy dependence into sustainable energy - for example, water catchment for irrigation and washing etc., so that we have almost zero impact on the property´s river system; solar / wind / kinetic energy (like bicycles) for electricity; innovations using bottles to heat shower water and provide light during the day; cooking oil for motor vehicles of all types; compost and fertilizer from our own property.
6. Build various ecological houses over time, experimenting with the many ecological concepts that exist at the moment: houses made from tyres and beer cans; eco-friendly bricks; bricks that are actually bags of rubbish; straw houses; and loads more
7. Sell the above homes to like-minded people looking to live in a sustainable community.

Most importantly, we want to live the most sustainably and harmoniously as possible.

We just had to have it! Not least because the forest is home to a family (if not more) of small black monkeys with little white faces! Who knows what else has been given the chance to live a free and happy existence in such a pristine spot, but we’re super excited to give them the chance to continue doing so forever, invite their friends and know that all we want to do it provide them with a sanctuary against the habitat encroachment that is the norm in most of the rest of the country and the world.

If all goes well (the owner has accepted our offer, but we need to check for any legal issues, etc.), this is going to be a dream come true for us. We’re so eager to get started on living sustainably and creating a community where people can not only live, but also just visit and learn how to do the same wherever they might be in the world – spread the love that is an appreciation for the planet and the millions of plants, insects and other living creatures that all live in harmony with each other, asking no more and no less than they need, and giving back in their gratitude.

This blog is a means of sharing our experience of starting our own eco community. We hope that by describing it here we might be able to inspire others to do the same, or at least integrate some of the things that we discover relating to sustainability and healthier, more harmonious living, into their daily lives. In the face of a world in crisis in every single way, the time is now to start making a massive change to the way we see and interact with the earth around us. And to finally be truly happy.

The place in the pics is near a city called Mogi das Cruzes (see maps above) which is closer to São Paulo and therefore makes getting to work every day a bit easier (don´t let´s even start thinking about the traffic nightmare that awaits! No pain, no gain!).

With 23 000m² of land, we were immediately taken aback upon our arrival by the amount of space we would have to play with. Two little houses inhabited 7 000m² of cleared land (on which we plan to create a permaculture system, green house, communal kitchen and eventual eco-houses – the current grassy bit will soon be mowed to reveal masses of lawn, part of which will be transformed into farmed land while the grass clippings will be used for mulch or compost) and far in the distance lay what seemed like thousands of trees. Unbeknown to us, the best was yet to come.

Having said our goodbyes to the estate agent in town, we headed back to the site for another look around, braved the potentially snake-filled long grass, and entered the forest at the back. And that’s when our minds almost exploded. Trees and trees and trees and trees, flanked by hills/mountains on both sides, as far as the eye could see, even after 10 minutes of walking along the over-grown path that followed the small stream that is also part of the property! On either side of the property were 2 forest reserves, and in front another sort of reserve that exists to preserve the water source that feeds one of the biggest rivers that provides drinking water to SP.

In the Beginning

After years of feeling rather useless and helpless with regards to doing something meaningful against the tidal wave of s**t that’s starting to hit the fan in our seemingly-constant drive to destroy our environment, and thus ourselves, we’re finally on our way to realizing our dream!

The plan was and is still this: find a plot of land that’s big enough for the four of us to build ourselves ecological homes, and have enough space to build more of them in order to create something of an eco-village, along with space to farm sustainably and rear a bunch of rescued dogs, cats, pigs, goats (hmmm, fresh goat´s cheese!), chickens, rabbits, and anything else that wonders into our lives.

Importantly though, we were determined to find a plot which was predominantly inhabited by trees. Francesco asked around a bit after we´d had a squizz at the monstrously big map of Brazil and couldn´t make any real decision in that way, and it was suggested that we look in a place called Biritiba Mirim, which is about 1h45 from Sao Paulo.

A week ago, after a month of Sundays driving around this part of the country-side and making enquiries in ramshackle bars frequented by the oddest combination of local farmers, we were taken to what, we hope, is soon to become the start of our very own eco-village.

Why so long (ok, it wasn´t that long, but it feels like it when you´re chomping at the bit to get the sustainable ball rolling) to find a place? We had quite specific criteria.

We needed land that:

1. Was predominantly forest - the point being that we´d be able to save some forest for ever as Kimberly Clark does everything it can to chop it all down and replace it with rows and rows of Eucolyptus, under which absolutely nothing grows
2. Had its own water - in preparation for the looming and imminent water wars that are going to take place in an attempt to jack the last big source of water in the world - u guessed it, Brazil! [watch the documentary “Water Wars” for lots more information about our current fresh water crisis]
3. Had not already been farmed - the plan being to farm organically, which would not be possible on soil that had already been destroyed by synthetic fertilizers, etc.
4. Already contained 1 or 2 simple houses - so that we could move in immediately and get to work on transforming our new land.

And that’s just what we found!