A Rocket Stove is probably so named because the vertical column of flame in it resembles that of a rocket’s. The flame however does not descend as in a rocket, but rise. The updraft thus created, draws ample air to completely burn firewood. The net result is that the stove is smoke free, economic in firewood use and fast to cook with. …read on

I settled on cob as a material of construction after eliminating other options one by one. When i considered cost, embodied energy, ease of use, comfort for occupants, aesthetic potential and sense of fulfillment I found cob was hard to beat. And now having grown familiar with it, I will stay with it for long, long time, I think. …read on

A windmill pumps water when the wind blows and that is not always when you need the water. At some point or the other you will have to make a decision about creating extra storage for the pumped water. Here are some notes from my experience that might offer you a lower cost option. …read on

There is now solar powered electricity at pointReturn and I thought it would be useful to set out how I think about power and energy and what was the process by which I finally selected what I did. …read on

It is now 20 years since Richard ‘Dick’ Grimshaw and John Greenfield sighted vetiver grass gripping slopes of farmers’ hillside fields in Gundlupet, Karnataka. They had the vision to see it as a many faceted aid for farmers all over the world. It is a measure of their zeal that today vetiver has a growing worldwide cult following. There have been 3 conferences elsewhere in the world to discuss and celebrate its virtues. The fourth meet came finally to its original home: south India. …read on

Having spent over an year in developing water security, fences against grazing cattle, road access to the site, a room to stowaway tools and a basic shelter for overnight stops, the time has come at last to begin planting. Ahead of answering ‘what’ to plant, I cooked up a strategy in answer to ‘how’ to plant. Some basic rules emerged. …

A pond once dug, is forever- provided it’s given reasonable care. It will live eternally, filling and emptying, and enriching the neighbourhood. If you are looking for a purpose in life, dig a rainwater catchment hole -small or large - and watch water staying in when it next rains. No surprise then, that a popular form of individual munificence in old India, was to endow a well or a pond or a lake. A good sized pond however, requires some planning before you begin to dig. …read on

We struck water at 20′ and went on to drill down to 200′. There’s a 6.5″ bore well at pointReturn now. So, the hiatus has been broken and there’s some action at last. One line of decisions can be taken: the windmill is now on order. …read on

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

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