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Archive for the 'Diary' Category

Consulting a traditional builder

I have chosen that buildings at the pointReturn site should adopt best practices from tradition and bring in modern aids only where they make environmental sense. Village homes used to be built of dug out soil and roofed by curved tiles made by the local potter. Country wood from fast growing trees were used for windows and doors. Steel and cement played little or no part. …read on

Vetiver - how to plant it

Once you are seduced by vetiver’s ability to restore sloping lands, there is little relief until you get hold of a stock and plant it. But there are several important aspects to consider along the way: where to find it, how to transport it, how to care for it and when and how to plant it. The experience narrated here could be of use to you. …read on

Divining for water

Discovery of a groundwater aquifer makes the process of developing wastelands faster than with stored rain water. And since the cost of a dug well is high, a small fortune rides on getting the aquifer location right. In rural India, the task of identifying an adequate source of ground water to feed a well has traditionally been left to water diviners. …read on

Status report: Oct. 2006

It is two months since the pointReturn land was bought and it is time to take stock of what is happening and what is not; what are the immediate plans and what are they dependent on. …read on