Goat Protection

NEWS
MAY 2015:
NEW RARE FRUIT TREES AVAILABLE

A unique opportunity for serious rare fruit & nut, as well as bamboo collectors to support Govardhan Gardens by acquiring very rare species or trading collection species:Rare Fruit Tree Listing .

NEWS 2015

BAMBOO CONSTRUCTION WORKSHOP
MARCH 7, 2015



 

You are cordially invited to attend this year’s Bamboo Construction Workshop at Govardhan Gardens / Mayagüez (www.organicfarm.net).

Govardhan Gardens bamboo construction team (Imre Kausz (structural engineer), Dr. Deoraj Bharath (builder, lashing and knots), and myself) has designed the structure.  To make the most of your experience, we will assemble the entire structure during the time of the workshop.


(Sadhu Govardhan / Instructor)


(Imre Kausz / Structural Engineer, Builder)


(Deoraj Bharath / Instructor, Builder) 


To accommodate all participants and keep costs down, it will be an intensive, full day workshop: Saturday, March 8th, 10:00am – 1:15pm, 2:30pm-5:30pm

The following topics will be covered:
 

  • Bamboo species best suited for construction (Sadhu Govardhan)
  • How to harvest bamboo sustainably (Sadhu Govardhan)
  • How to treat bamboo in ecologically safe ways (Sadhu Govardhan)
  • Construction techniques (Imre Kausz, Sadhu Govardhan)
  • Hands-on practice with the Bamboo Team (Imre Kausz, Dr. Bharath, Sadhu Govardhan)


In order to promote bamboo culture, we decided to keep the fee for the workshop as low as possible: $125. This includes a vegetarian lunch and refreshments.

To reserve a spot (limited to 12 participants!), registration must be complete, with registration fees due no later than February 28.

Please spread the word to others who may be interested in learning how to construct with bamboo.

To register and for further questions, please contact me at sadhu@coqui.net

I look forward to seeing you.
Sadhu

 

 

BAMBOO CONSTRUCTION WORKSHOP 2014
MARCH 8, 2014

The workshop was quickly booked out and the participants
were a very interesting group of enthusiastic and happy bamboo aficionados.

Naturally, the day was all about bamboo....

.....learning lashing techniques and knots....

....to learning about proper harvesting techniques and suitable bamboo species...

.....lots of good questions and a high level of attention span...

....while our builder, Imre, was starting to set up the
foundation of a new bamboo carport.....


.....that I finished with the help of a timely visitor from
St. Thomas, Adam, the day after the workshop......

....a simple but sturdy and spacious carport.

All in all, a very conscious and lively group that contributed to yet another happy and productive
day at Govardhan Gardens. Our hope is that bamboo culture will continue to grow
significantly in Puerto Rico and one day become a viable option of ecological construction.


VOLUNTEERS AT WORK (April 18, 24,25 - 2011)

Every year, I am working on several new projects at my farm. Although I rarely take in long-term volunteers anymore, a lot of work can get done in a short time. One of this year’s projects was the clearing of a weeded area in order to establish several specimen of Guadua angustifolia, a structural bamboo widely grown in South and Central America.

My support this time consisted of John Grady who spends much of his time doing volunteer work with various meaningful projects around the island, Daniel who had the best vegetarian restaurant on the west coast and Guillo, a gifted singer and painter from Jayuya, who grew up with a farming background. The first phase of our work went smooth and everyone was happy at the end.

But there were still a few days of hard work ahead, and just a few days later, Mike Poland offered to come over from San Juan and help out some more. He and Gretchen had already been helping months ago with building a milking station for my goats. Anyone who knows Mike, knows him as the ideal company: he only wants to help, never be a burden, and even brings his own food and tools whenever he volunteers for projects. And just when I thought it could hardly get any better, two more volunteers offered their help: Jorge Bencosme, a knowledgeable palm enthusiast who has a deep appreciation for nature and is one of the more ecologically conscious young people I know here, and finally Christian, an Austrian student, who visited for the first time. Although he came all the way up from Mayaguez on his bike, he didn’t lose any time and worked hard all afternoon. Everyone’s spirit was contageously positive and I even had to remind everyone several times that we had already done our quota and that it was time to stop, but everyone wanted to continue to work. It’s really hard to find a better group of volunteers.

By the time day #2 was over, all the rough work was done, and Mike and me were able to finish the remaining finetuning the next day. I was so inspired when I saw the results that I staked out the areas for the future Guadua plants right away. The Guaduas, which I will plant within a few weeks will make a wall that will serve as a windbreak, give some shade and provide culms for some construction projects around the farm. Just when we were almost completely finished, a gentle rain came down, as if reconfirming that the land is ready now to plant the bamboo.

 

Volunteer Pictures

Daniel and John pulling vines Guillio  John and Daniel 
Daniel (left) and John (Right) pulling vines Guillo, patiently cutting vines close to the ground Daniel (left) and John (right) at the end of a hard day's work
Sadhu in Mango Tree  Mike and Jorge  Mike, Christian, Jorge 
Me - climbing the old mango tree that we just liberated from vines  Mike (left) and Jorge (right) still relaxed and joking despite having worked hard for hours Mike (left), Christian (center) and Jorge (right) at the end of the day
     

 

   
     
 
 
 

 

My New Book: Oro Verde - Securing the Furture of Our Food

Gold or money has become the standard benchmark of success in our society. Ironically, the pursuit of this type of temporary wealth has primarily led to the exploitation of humans, animals, plants and natural resources in general.

view ordering info 

Sadhu Govardhan is an independent thinker, eco-organic farmer, tropical rare fruit connoisseur and researcher. Extensive journeys for over twenty years have allowed him to study indigenous cultures and different life styles throughout the world.

His first publications on philosophical and spiritual topics were published in Europe and translated into several languages. He now lives in Puerto Rico and has dedicated himself to researching and growing tropical food crops and promoting alternative farming methods. He is currently involved with consultant work and inspiring and developing educational organic role model projects in the Caribbean.

read about the project 

I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has helped out this project over the years. Even if I can't acknowledge all of you individually since so many people have supported Govardhan Gardens in so many ways, I certainly remember every one of you.

If you would like to find out more about the tree sponsoring program and other opportunities to help the project, click here

view sponsors and friends 

This list will grow over time as a natural/simple living resource. I only include companies and sites here that are in line with Govardhan Gardens' vision.

Please let me know if you know of any additional good resources, would like to trade links with us, or if any of these links are broken. Thanks.

View the resources 

Creative Commons License

Tropical Fruits Nursery Photos by Sadhu Govardhan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://organicfarm.net/contact.htm.

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