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Building a small natural pond between food forest and garden

5.0
(22 reviews)22

The experience

We want water security, biodiversity, the garden needs extra water in summer... all great reasons to build a small and beautiful natural pond above the garden, in the food forest area. It includes water cleaning plants.
As a permaculture demonstration site we need to keep more water on our terrain. This small pond project will be a pilot for a much bigger pond in the forest. That will be our natural, grey water cleaning swim pond.

What you offer

25 hours of help per week

Building & Repairing: Help with a wide range of repairs or building.

Farming: Plant crops, sow seeds and help in outside tasks.

Gardening: Help grow plants and cultivate gardens

Additional fee required

Amount: € 100 One time

Fee pays for: Benefits for travelers

Description: This fee is for a week long course in permaculture and sustainable living. We start your 4 weeks volunteering period here with a course that will be fun and hands-on. We have developed a program with learning about sustainable and self sufficient living, how to DO that, and how social and land based permaculture is a basis for us.

What you get

2 days off per week

Private Room: You will have a bed in a private room. In other words, a room just for you.

Shared Dorm: You will have a bed in a shared room, which means you will share the same room with other travelers.

Breakfast: You are entitled to a free breakfast, every day of your stay.

Lunch: You are entitled to a free lunch, every day of your stay.

Dinner: You are entitled to a free dinner, every day of your stay.

Free Laundry: You can use our laundry room freely.

Get free drinks or beverages.: Drink up! Get free and tasty drinks for yourself.

Free Events: Get free entrance for the best events in town.

Pick Up: We will pick you up when you arrive, and take you to our property.

Holistic Therapies: You can take part in any of our therapeutic activities for free.

Permaculture Course: Take part in our Permaculture course for free.

Basic Internet Access: Basic speed internet for you to work remotely

Requirements

Intermediate English or Fluent German

Over 18 years old

Welcomes solo volunteers, couples, and partners of volunteers

What's not included

Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa

Program Details

Your stay here starts with a week long course as an introduction to permaculture, sustainable living and self-sufficiency. These courses start every month.
Unless you already have your PDC: then your date of arrival is more flexible.

For this small pond project (+/- 2000 litre pond) we have started a permaculture design. We will finish the design together with you so you'll learn the benefits of permaculture thinking and designing.

The project is all about setting up a natural system to create clean water, catching more rainwater, creating biodiversity, and a backup source of water for the garden in summer.

As a permaculture demonstration site we need to keep more water on our terrain. This small pond project will also be a pilot project for a much bigger pond in the forest: the natural, grey water cleaning swim pond. It will be fed by shower water from camping guests, and rainwater from half of the roof of the house.

Activities & Shift

You will work in a team with other volunteers.

The activities for this project are:
- analyzing the area, defining the shape of the pond
- cleaning the area
- re-shaping the current (leaking) pond
- creating a system for adding (rain)water to the pond
- defining types and amounts of water plants
- deciding about fish (to keep mosquito larvae out)
- making it all look nice
- documenting steps for the design

Rules

We expect fun and flexibility, openness and drive. You can expect this all from us as well.
We expect you to be a responsible person with an adult attitude.

We provide you with 3 meals per day. Breakfast you have at your own time, lunch and dinner we do together.
Every morning we have a check-in to start the day.
Every Friday we close the week with an evaluation and celebration.

Although we are meat eaters, we enjoy vegetarian food as well. But veganism we do not appreciate because in our climate region that is not sustainable. So if you eat vegan please don't apply.
We don't appreciate dogma's and fixed thinking in general.

After the first introduction week, you can stay here another 3-99 weeks. Of course we discuss this, your goals and wishes, and we look at how we "match". Volunteering has to be fun for the both of us!