We know, we read, we hear that we are heading towards resource depletion, possible collapse, forest destruction. There is the climate change that is not taken into consideration enough and the need to deal with long-term population migration.

We quickly need to increase our energy and food autonomy.

We need to work on resilience, to move from individualism to collective.

We need each other, we need the inspiration of nature and we need to pool our talents...

Permaculture is a source of inspiration for making this necessary transition.

The relief, the water, the trees, the surrounding nature, the residents, etc. are integrated and put in resonance.

We want to Naturia:

  • Ensure the concept of permaculture: " Taking care of myself, others and the world

Ensure that the ethics of permacultureThis means finding a balance in motion between:

    • Taking care of naturewhich is a source of life and nourishment. We want to contribute to improve biodiversity, reuse a maximum of waste because the earth is not a dustbin. The principle is to integrate rather than separate. We started modestly by cleaning the site of almost all the waste that was there and by cutting down the diseased trees (and recycling them into wood chips). We are also trying to reconcile tourism and nature by thinking about waste management (setting up compost, sorting waste, reducing waste related to maintenance), collaborating in promoting the use of electric bikes (we have 2 to rent for the moment). A permaculture sun is in preparation with the collaboration of La Clairière  to plant different vegetables and fruits as soon as possible. We are waiting for the report of Natagora and new interested cooperators to set up bio-intensive gardening, forest gardens, harvesting and seed conservation, a biodynamic model. The site also has two bodies of water. This undeniable wealth is as precious as it is fragile. We think about the best choices to make to preserve the aquatic environment and all that it nourishes.
    • Taking care of land and governance: We are constituted in the form of an approved cooperative society and social enterprise, the cooperators thus take care collectively of this site to, in the long run, put it away from any speculation, under a legal form still to be found. We support the idea that the land does not belong to us and that we are only "loca-terres" of it. We must ensure its transmission to future generations. We are also thinking of forming an ASBL to allow people to invest in the form of donations (in time or money) in the project. Our model of governance is inspired by collective intelligence and adapted to our reality. We are looking for cooperators who want to invest and take an active part in the governance model and cooperators who are ready to legally consider the question of the 'bottom' to be given to our deployment.
    • Taking care of the habitat: The former camping 'Mon Rêve' was only made up of residential caravans, for the majority not or very badly insulated. So we quickly wrote a constructive charter to inspire the renovation of these caravans and the construction of new habitats (self-construction in natural recyclable and/or recycled materials, dry toilets,...) Some of these habitats are rented to inspire people passing through, others have a more social (reception) or/and cultural vocation (setting up of artists' residences). Here too we are looking for future cooperators interested in self-construction, the organization of participative workcamps, the provision of unusual housing, etc...
    • Taking care of education and culture: We start from the premise that we learn from each other by sharing common experiences. In addition to the walks that invite to see the world differently, we propose walks to encourage the involvement of everyone in a process of creation and experimentation. We will also soon propose an artist residency, to open the site to culture and culture to the site. We are still looking for cooperators interested in setting up conferences, workshops, debate evenings and others in setting up "reflective" problem-solving processes (which take into account the observer as an integral part of the system being studied). We are also looking for artist cooperators who want to co-create with the spect-actors.

    • Take care of tools and technologies: We call upon local tradesmen as much as possible for the numerous works and repairs to be carried out. We try to centralize the use of machines to collectivize their use. The installation of collective solar panels is under study and should be realized soon. Cooperators who are interested in the energetic valorization of organic waste, in fuels that can produce both electrical and thermal energy, in micro-turbines will certainly find a field of reflection at Naturia. In addition, cooperators who wish to valorize manual work with traditional tools could also present a project.
    • Taking care of health and well-beingYour health, your well-being on the site is obviously essential to us. We try to make sure that you feel as good as possible when you are at Naturia. We also take care of the health of the people working on site by introducing... the siesta.
      And then there is the place that heals by its beauty (opinion completely subjective)
      We believe that not only should the human being not differentiate between body and mind, but also that he should take care of the health of his environment, which in turn takes care of the human being.
      The more cooperators we have, the more we can take care of the health of each one by sharing the tasks to be done, by organizing moments of relaxation (Yoga, meditation).

    • Taking care of Finance and the EconomyTo meet our financing needs, we prefer the financial contribution of cooperators or cooperatives rather than 'classic' banks. We are registered in the Sower network (local, citizen and complementary currency), do not hesitate to exchange your Euros.
      We offer some services at a free and conscious price.
      We are also launching an OPIP in the near future (to support some of the future achievements outlined in our vision.
      We use local producers to provide our food and beverage offerings and we carefully select our beverage suppliers.
      Here again cooperators who are tempted to think about carpooling solutions or other means of locomotion, by the organization of local farmers markets, by the creation of a cooking concept from local products, by the organization and supervision of wwoofing weeks or similar work networks, by the implementation of the viability model to think about sustainability,... are welcome.

Permaculture is also think outside the boxIt's a change of perspective. We are inspired by the Book "7 ways of thinking differently" of Loobna Mcnamara

  1. Thinking abundantlyWe are told about scarcity all the time, yet nature is in total abundance. All plants produce seeds. We want to promote quality, encourage recognition, gratitude and sharing.
  2. Thinking solutionsEvery problem is an opportunity to grow and develop! Be proactive rather than reactive and remember that our decisions will impact the future.
  3. Systems thinkingTo think in whole rather than in parts because everything interacts. At the center is "life" and not the human.
  4. Thinking like natureObserve and copy natural ecosystems, review the cycles, do not fight but collaborate with nature, especially in the vegetable garden: nasturtiums and thistles attract aphids, nettles distract slugs and snails, dandelions for caterpillars (protect salads). Everything evolves and grows at its own pace.
  5. Thinking about cooperationNot to put the "power OVER" but the "power WITH".
  6. Thinking for the futureThe sustainability/perpetuity dimension is essential. Our actions have an impact on the next 7 generations (170 years). We want to develop a generative culture: to move towards a positive impact. We invite the cooperators to ask themselves the question: "What purpose does the project serve in the ecosystem? What energy will my project inject into the ecosystem? ".
    Taking care of the ecosystem means, for example, creating corners for fauna, "insect hotels", making piles of branches, putting up nesting boxes... Small gestures can already have a big impact.

Waste treatment

Waste sorting

 

We decided to collaborate with Retrivalwhich is a company concerned with transition and which has an assumed social purpose. This reinforces the coherence of our project. We can no longer accept that all the waste (plastic, cardboard, leftovers, etc.) is found in a single container.

In practice, Retrival proposes :

  • Multi-stream collections with container take-back or exchange;
  • flexible frequency passages that adapt to our activity;
  • Differentiated weighing by product, which guarantees a fair price;
  • a detailed statement of our waste/resources with invoices;
  • the search for the best solutions.

The waste they evacuate is mainly cardboard, frigolite, PMC, plastic packaging films, bulky items, wood, metals, waste electrical and electronic equipment, frames, etc.

On our side we will organize a place where the sorting will be easy to understand and to do for our residents and the campers passing by. Explanatory and educational posters will be created for this purpose.

Composting

For composting, we encourage both individual and collective composting.

The individual using the BOKASHI technique to compost food scraps without worms, flies, gardens or bad smells. The acquisition of such a composter is at the expense of the resident. 

A collective compost is planned next to the vegetable garden. 2-3 compost bins made from pallets will be used to collect garden and household waste.

The initiative must necessarily be supported by the community (tenants, transients).

One or more people will monitor the waste process.

Our objectives for this collective composting are :

  • to reduce the amount of household waste of local residents,
  • manage waste in the continuity of selective sorting,
  • create a social link.

An inspiration booklet has been created to explain the whole process, the objectives, the benefits, how to do it, etc. This booklet is intended for current tenants and all cooperators. It is also available to our visitors. Our goal is to motivate everyone to contribute to a world where we all take care of nature together.

Dry toilets

20 to 30% of household water consumption goes down our toilets! And for most of us, it is drinking water that we use for this purpose. This is also the case in our home in 2021. This is absurd, when you think that in 2005, more than one billion people in the world did not have access to drinking water.

It is therefore urgent to propose and implement alternatives. Dry toilets, which do not use water (or very little), are one of them and, thanks to the practice of composting, allow us to give back to the earth what is produced.

We will build 2-3 dry toilets in Naturia to familiarize our visitors with this alternative that is much more in tune with nature.

We have developed an inspiration booklet on this theme, intended for current tenants and all cooperators. This booklet is also available to our visitors. Our goal is to motivate those who still have traditional toilets to switch to dry toilets in their homes in Naturia.

The advantages are numerous.

Everyone will be invited to empty their buckets into a dedicated compost bin, as dry toilets are not emptied into compost bins with garden and household waste!
It is only used after two years of composting and three or four turnings. The temperature increase after the composting process and the maturation period guarantee the absence of pathogenic germs.
We will rotate with 3 compost piles to make it more manageable and to respect the two year waiting period. One heap/bin of decomposition compost for the current year; a second heap/bin of maturation for the year before and a third of maturation for the year before so that it makes 2 full years.

[1] For example: Millefeuillean organization for the preservation of the environment in Cul des Sarts, Le Happy Earth Center in Zétrud-Lumay, ea

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