greenPILLAR and KRMEF, Nepal
April 2011
In the spring of 2011, Justine Light, creator and executive director of greenPILLAR partnered with Krishna Gurung of Kevin Rohan Memorial Eco Foundation,Nepal (KRMEF) and natural building architect Bill Hutchins to develop the biodynamic eco-village pioneering venture in Nepal. Through this partnership, greenPILLAR contributed natural building, yoga, meditation, skill building, networking, manufacturing, facilitating the community in sustaining itself. It takes a dedicated team of souls to enter a culture so fundamentally different from their own and be able to respond successfully to health, environmental and economic needs. To meet these challenges, Justine Light, artist and social-entrepreneur brought with her the new team of greenPILLAR members; a master musician business entrepreneur, psychologist yoga teacher non-profiteer, a multilingual mountain climbing documentarian and an alternative medical practitioner who is also a trained environmentalist turned businessman. Together as a team they served the village of Kharare to serve the in partnership with KRMEF helping to build a sustainable community.
CORE PROJECTS:
NATURAL BUILDING/ Bottle Community Center built in 3 weeks
greenPILLAR in cooperation with the KRMEF community and architect Bill Hutchins, built a Bottle Community Center ) in 3 weeks. This traditional building style meets the needs of environmental protection, and community for our modern world. The bottle house design has become something of a fad to those who have seen it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owMs1g5_KEQ&feature=related), and its low/no cost construction is highly desirable for those in the market of new construction. Bottles were set on their sides limiting the need for earthen plaster; as such bottles are strong to hold the structure with little else. The plaster, clay and sand were aided through a mixture of chopped up straw and shredded trashed paper. This adds tensile strength and with the sand acts as filler. This building technique is also sustainable as when disaster strikes in earthquake prone areas such as Nepal, the majority of houses left standing are the traditional earthen ones, which can withstand high magnitude impacts. Building this structure simultaneously built strong relationships within the community. Working together for a common goal broke all barriers of age, gender, culture, and language. This center now houses structure, and organization of ideas for the community to help meet their daily needs, and ongoing goals. This community center not only stands as a physical example of collaboration and conscious green building, it has also encouraged green, sustainable building which is spreading throughout the village, and soon, the region and eventually the country (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-pUT6BvWKY&feature=related)!
YOGA - Daily Yoga with local village
greenPILLAR leader Justine Light, and Yoga Instructor, gP member Mark Lerro established a daily yoga practice for all community members of KRMEF and gP team members. No program like this had ever existed in the community. The gP and KRMEF approach to yoga recognizes and supports mind and body through holistic sustainability with acknowledgement of new practioners from all walks of life as well as the physically handicapped. Regardless of age, body time and ability, all members benefited with some form of breathing/meditation and Yogic practice to enhance the physical, mental and spiritual evolution of each community member, as well as strong bonds of foundation for the community as a whole.
YOGA THERAPY AT LEPROSARIUM
Breathing and meditation can offer victims of leprosy time and space to regenerate their health, and transform their own negative internalization of the disease. This has the potential to create positive internal knowledge, strengthen communication and aide in the development of increased self-esteem and self worth. This mission was established through greenPILLAR (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oc1279fuQs&feature=related) members in contributing to the abilities and mental, physical, spiritual health of those suffering from leprosy. Feelings and actions of empowerment were established, and communication was enhanced as well as communal and individual clarity and awareness. The breathing/meditation and Yoga practice quickly anchored in as essential to daily community life at Khahare. Mark along with his wife and advocate Erica Rumple and Justine Light taught each member a form of therapy that is now continued through the tutorship and daily practice of village members in the village of Khahare, the Khokana leprosarium and other regions of Nepal.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT:
Currently, crafting education and production are underway at the KRMEF headquarters, Khahare, the leoprsarium and surrounding villages. Silversmithing, jewelry design (earrings, prayer malas, necklaces, key chains), travel pillow manufacturing, sewing, weaving, organic honey harvesting, bamboo product development and natural laundry detergent make up the crafting at KRMEF. Justine Light made use of her formulated talents to encourage local women who have leprosy and gave them the opportunity to empower themselves through teaching them to create sustainable products that serve the community. She aided in building relationships by inducing structure, organization and gentle hierarchy. Justine was able to determine who amongst the community members is a teacher, and how to best teach others. From this talent, community members develop pride in their work, ownership of skills, responsibility to the whole, and production that services all.
Booth at Local Organic Farmers Market, Nepal
The soap nuts were sold at the local Summit Organic Market, Patan, Nepal as a natural cleaning agent or sold as a piece of commissioned jewelry. Thus jobs were created; some gathered soap nuts, others designed jewelry, some created soap nut jewelry and others sold all the produced items. The shell is the soap and the bead is the jewelry. Networking was facilitated as designers worked with other designers such as silversmiths, and seamstresses.greenPILLAR’s contribution to KREMF not only helped one community meet its own needs, but built sustainable relationships with other local communities, through the creating, making, marketing and selling of these organic, natural items and pieces at the Summit market. There is a mixture of community shops there, including tourists and people who have an awareness of looking for such opportunities to help establish sustainable communities. The Summit market not only advertised the KREMF village and served as a platform to discuss the innovative practices conducted within the village, it also generated a weekly amount of money that was never expected and highly lucrative (2 month salaries a week). Now Kharare villagers and KREMF community members are networking and establishing foundational relationships as well as generating exposure of their services, abilities, and needs.
