Prose and a Poem

Here’s a small taste of our set-up process, lovingly described by one of this year’s new volunteers, Rosie. She was also kind enough to write us a beautiful poem, which I feel truly captures what it’s like waking up on site each morning.

Arriving at G&A the day before setup I found a small kitchen tent, two caravans and an otherwise empty field; it seemed lost in the Worcestershire countryside. Now just over a week into set up and the village green is ringed with tents, marquees, domes and of course the yurt (not that I had ever put up a yurt before). But more than that, the people who have arrived since then have transformed the site. From the amazing interns and ever-working trustees already in residence, to the influx of volunteers all with their own inspirations and stories to tell, G&A has become a vibrant and exciting community. I have learnt so much, tried new foods and even participated in my first hen night (best wishes to you both for all the years to come). I have also made friends that it feels like I have known for much longer – it’s hard to believe that a group can become so tight-knit in just a few days. There is so much variation in where we have come from – which is so much more than birthplace or nationality – and what we have done before, however, none of that matters at here as long as you’re willing to give it a go. Don’t misunderstand, it is hard work and serious too. Just like any service provider Green and Away has a deadline to meet. We have to be ready to host conferences and provide all the facilities expected of us.

 

There is a routine and a rhythm that the site breathes by, that captures a sense of belonging and acceptance that is often lacking in the world at large. Working with the environment to get the best out of both people and nature, okay, so it may sound a little hippie-ish but I assure you it’s not, its common sense, sustainable and more importantly it works year on year.

Morning

In and out,

breathing.

The rhythm of the site,

other people, the plants,

living all around.

The rising sun mourning the loss

of the diamonds in the grass.

Which it sees but

for the briefest glimpse.

Then gone in the growing light.

Rejoicing, after, in the songs

soaring from the birds.

Echos of their wings

flitting between tent and tree

awash in new beginnings.

Stirrings, soon to emerge,

the steam off boiling water,

the feel of bread dough

beneath the hands,

the calls of morning greetings.

Coping with severe weather Summer 2012

What a wet one!

We have coped with rain and mud before but never on this scale.  During the summer it was not just the volume of rain but the fact that it rained nearly every day that caused so many problems.  The previous wet year was 2007 where torrential downpours caused flooding all down the Severn Valley from Worcester to Gloucester, but there were several days of sunshine between the rain showers and this allowed everything to drain and dry out.  This time there really wasn’t much of a let up – it was relentless.

We have the good fortune to have the most beautiful of fields with a large variety of unusual trees and shrubs, but we also have the misfortune to have a heavy clay surface that doesn’t drain well.  Despite careful management of wheeled traffic it wasn’t long before the major walkways were getting churned up.  We knew we were in for a wet summer and that the problem would not go away of its own accord so it was a question of how best do we manage the situation.  We pride ourselves on our flexibility and being able to adapt to whatever nature throws at us so this was just a challenge to rise to.

Our first solution during set up was to make a ring road round the village green area with coconut matting. We called it the ‘M25’ and made everyone use it and walking on grass nearby was forbidden.  This worked really well and the site stayed relatively green and mud free. The most heavily trodden area was treated to a walkway of pallets, and the obvious name for this was ‘cross-rail’.  We extended the coconut matting to the other major paths and this worked until the first conference when the shear numbers of people walking on the matting drove it into the mud underneath.  More pallets were ordered from the ever benificent plant nursery next door and more walkways were made until all the major paths were covered by over 200 pallets and coconut matting.  The site still retained charm but of a different sort than before.  We carried on hosting conferences despite the weather.

Some of our delegates found the situation more difficult than they expected but picked up on the ‘Dunkirk spirit’ of our volunteers and had a positive experience. There were moments when we thought perhaps we should cancel the events but that seemed like giving up and a bit of a cop out.  It would also have ruined our 100% record of delivering our service of outdoor events.  It is something we are proud of.

There are also other considerations.  The extremes of weather we are now experiencing

The River Teme burst its banks – again

are being caused by climate change – probably man-made or at least with human factors exacerbating the problem.  According to even the most optimistic expert, the situation is likely to get more extreme. The River Teme has burst its banks 3 times during the last 5 summers, something it only previously did occasionally during winter. If we had decided to give up and give in now – how are we going to manage to cope with greater extremes in the future? We are all going to have to find new ways of living, operating and adjusting to the unfolding situation. Flexibility, cooperation and strength of character coupled with a can-do approach is going to become ever more important over the next few years.

You would think that being outdoors in all that rain day after day would have caused severe depression amongst our volunteer workforce.  While there were times when some of us were fed up, the majority seemed to thrive on it.  There was a strong community spirit that bound us altogether and carried us through.  Our volunteers were amazing, often getting covered in mud and doing horrible messy, wet jobs to keep things going, but still smiling.  They even wrote and performed a song about it called ‘It rained’  If you click on this link you can see what life was like for the volunteers during set up and the wonderful smiling faces.  Thanks to Tom of Norfolk for the filming and to Tom of Wood for the song.

Despite having coped well this summer we really do hope that next year we will have a dry summer!

 

The only feasible fashion for summer 2012

Green and Away – Far Away!

Green and Away has been getting increasingly international over the last 5 years or so.  It is not unusual for us to have volunteers from over 10 countries in a season and this has largely been due to using a wonderful organisation called HelpX.  This gives us plenty of great volunteers and lots of new friends too.

Treking in the high mountains of Sinai to build a dam

However we are about to spread our tendrils a bit further next week when three members of the team go to Sinai, Egypt to work on a water conservation project with the Bedouin.  Rosa, Diana and Helen will fly out to Sharm El Sheik (yes we know this isn’t very green or sustainable but please read on), join up with 5 members of the Beshara School and then travel up to the mountains near St Katherine’s where they will be hosted by and work alongside the Bedouin to build a small dam.

The Jebilya people have been maintaining gardens in the high mountains ever since the monastery of St Katherine’s was built around 600AD, the produce fed their families and the monks.  They grow almonds, peaches, pomegranates, grapes, apples, pears, apricots, beans, herbs and much more.  The Jebeliya have a justified reputation as master gardeners. Over the last 10 years the meagre rainfall in this desert area has all but stopped, the wells have been running dry and many of the gardens, which have been the bedouins’ cultural home, have been abandoned.  The situation has been exacerbated by the massive growth in tourism and the large water-guzzling hotels along the coast from Sharm El Sheik.  To service these hotels, ground water is pumped out and piped to hotels where it is used not just for essential things like drinking and cooking, but also to enable green lawns to grow, fountains to flow and huge swimming pools to sit evaporating in the hot dry air.  Most tourists visiting Sharm have no idea that they are visiting a desert area or what that means and are quite happy to continue they Northern European relationship with water, which is to take it for granted.  The contrast of this lifestyle with that of the Bedouin who make every last drop count is very disturbing.

It is thought that the use of all this ground water around Sharm is lowering the water table over all of South Sinai and the Bedouin are struggling as their wells run dry, their gardens die, and one of their means of survival disappears.

Ziri Dam completed by Concordia College USA

The Makhad Trust has been working with the Bedouin for the last 10 years to help restore their gardens and bring some water back by deepening wells and building small stone dams to hold back the brief intermittent rains allowing the water to permeate the water table locally.  The dams are making a huge difference with more Bedouin reclaiming their ancestral gardens and giving a much-needed income from the garden produce.

There are now 12 dams in the high mountains and Rosa, Diana and Helen will be helping to build Gwoona Dam.  As a result of this dam about 30 gardens below will benefit and the owners will be able to plant lots of fruit and nut trees.   The gardens are inaccessible by road and all supplies have to go by camel so the knock-on effects of this programme are  that it allows the Bedouin to go back to a more sustainable lifestyle.

We will be hosted by the Bedouin during the whole trip and the money we spend goes straight into the local economy.  This is not just sustainable tourism, but we will be leaving behind a legacy that could help 30 Bedouin families or 200 people, and our carbon footprint will be partially offset by trees that grow as a result.

However we are not just being altruistic, the Bedouin have a lot to teach us about living in

Bedouin camp

harmony with the world and the landscapes are stunningly beautiful.  This is truly the journey of a lifetime and to be recommended to everyone.

We will post a report on our return.