CATALOGUE OF SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS

IN AUROVILLE AND THE BIOREGION

1

CATALOGUE OF SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS IN AUROVILLE AND THE BIOREGION

Ann apu r na Fa rm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Ara nya Fo r es t a nd Sa nc tua ry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

AUREKA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Au r gan i c s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Au roG r ee n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Au roO rc ha rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Au rov i l l e B am boo C en t r e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 Au rov i l l e B o ta n i c a l G a r de ns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Au rov i l l e B o ta n i c a l Se r v i c es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Au rov i l l e C on su l t i n g . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Au rov i l l e D en t a l C e n t re . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Au rov i l l e D en t a l C e n t re f o r E d u ca t io n , R es ea rc h a nd Ru ra l A c t io n ( ADCE RRA ) . 14

Au rov i l l e E a r t h I n s t i t u t e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Au rov i l l e E ne r gy P r odu c t s (AE P ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Au rov i l l e F o r e s t G r ou p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Au rov i l l e He rba r i um . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Au rov i l l e Pa pe r s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Au rov i l l e V i l l a ge Ac t i on G r oup ( AVAG ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Au rov i l l e Wi nd Sy s tem s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1 Buddh a G a r de n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Canyon E ro s i on Co n t r o l . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Ca tam i - D r eame r ’ s C a f e ́ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Cof f ee I d ea s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Marc ’ s C a f e ́ – Roa s t a nd Ta s te . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Cen t r e f o r B u i l d i ng B io l o gy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Cen t r e f o r Sc i en t i f i c R es ea rc h (C SR ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Con ve r g enc e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

D i s c ip l i ne F a rm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

ea r t h& us . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

E co Femme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 E co P r o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

EV Fu t u r e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Food L i n k . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

L i f e E duc a t io n Ce n t re ( L E C ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Mason & Co – C ra f t smen o f C h oco l a t e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

MGEcod u t ie s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Mohanam C ommun i ty Cen t re . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

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Na tu r e l l ement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Pe bb l e G a r de n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

P i t c han d ik u l am Fo re s t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 1 Sad hana F o r es t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Sh r i A r oh an . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Si ddh a r t a F a rm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

So l i t ud e Fa rm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Sun l i t F u t u re . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Sus ta in ab l e L i ve l i h oo d I n s t i t u t e ( SL I ) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

The C o l o u r s o f Na tu r e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Upasa na . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Kapas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Pa ru th i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Sma l l S t ep s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Tsu nam ika . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1 Va ran as i Wea ve r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1 Upcyc l i n g S t ud i o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

WASTE L E SS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3

Ga rb o l og y 10 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3

P i ck I t U p . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

L i t t e r f r e e Au r ov i l l e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

WELL P ape r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 5

Wind a r ra F a rm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

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CATALOGUE OF SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS IN

AUROVILLE AND THE BIOREGION Au rov i l l e , a l s o k nown a s C i t y o f Dawn , i s a n ex pe r imenta l t ownship located in Tami l Nadu , near Pondiche rry, South I nd ia . I t was founded by Mi r ra Al fassa , The Mothe r, who in he r f i r st publ ic message about the township , stated: ”Aurovi l l e i s meant to be a un iversal town whe re men and women of al l count r ies a re ab le to l i ve i n peace and p rogressi ve harmony, above a l l c reeds , a l l po l i t i cs and a l l nat ional it ies . The purpose of Aurov i l le is to rea l i ze human un ity .” Dur i ng t he i naugurat ion ce remony that took place on 28 February 1968, The Mothe r gave Aurov i l le i ts 4-point Charte r, sett ing fo rt h he r v is ion of I ntegral l i vi ng :

1 . Aurov i l le be longs to nobody in part icu la r . Aurov i l le be longs to humani ty as a who le . But to l i ve i n Aurov i l le , one must be t he wi l l i ng serv itor o f the Div ine Consc iousness .

2 . Aurov i l le wi l l be t he place of an unending educat ion , o f constant prog ress , and a youth t hat never ages .

3 . Aurov i l le wants to be t he b r idge between the past and t he future . Tak ing advantage of d iscove r ies f rom without and from with in , Aurov i l le wi l l bo ld ly sp r i ng towards fut ure real isat ions .

4. Aurov i l le wi l l be a s ite of mate r ia l and spi r i t ua l r esearches fo r a l i v ing embodiment of an actual Human Unity .

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Due to it s un ique env i ronment and st ructure , Aurovi l l e i s a p lace that fosters and we lcomes lea rning and research t hrough its mult iple and d ive rse organizat ions , whi ch i n t u rn, st r i ve to suppo rt susta inable deve lopment i n t he smal l communit ies and t he sur rounding v i l l ages . Compi led by Aurov i l le Out reachMedia with t he he lp o f Chrysta l Vavou ldi s , a student f rom the American Univers it y o f Par is , t hi s cata logue features a l ist o f p roject s , commerc ial un i ts and serv ices* in Aurov i l le and the Bioreg ion** that e it he r suppor t o r have as t he i r main mi ss ion susta inable deve lopment , gene ral l y def ined as : deve lopment t hat meets t he needs of t he pre sent without compromising t he abi l i ty o f future gene rat i ons to meet the i r needs i n return . * A l l P r o j e c t s , U n i t s a nd S e r v i c e s a r e r e g i s t e r ed unde r t h e Au r ov i l l e F ounda t i on . **Ma i n s o u r c e s : Au r ov i l l e w ebs i t e ( h t t p ://w ww.au r ov i l l e . o r g/ca t e go r i e s /23 ) Au r ov i l l e G r ee n P r a c t i c e s P o r t a l ( h t t p ://ww w. g r e en . a u r o v i l l e p o r t a l . o r g/ ) SAV I , A u r o v i l l e Vo l u n t ee r/ In t e r n S e r v i c e ( h t t p ://a u r o v i l l e - l ea r n i ng . n e t/ )

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ANNAPURNA FARM

Annapurna Farm is located about 10 ki lomet res outs ide Aurov i l le on t he road to Mai l am. I t compri ses 135 ac res of l and and is Aurov i l le ’s b iggest fa rm. Annapurna works with organic methods on ly. R i ce is t he main c rop grown in t he fa rm; it i s grown with ra inwate r catchment ponds . Apart f rom paddy, Annapurna a lso grows mi l le ts such as varagu (Kodo mi l le t ) and kuduraval l i (Barnyard mi l l et ) , o i l seeds , sesame and mustard and rose l l a fo r j u ice .

A l l g rains are p rocessed on the farm. Annapurna mainta ins a smal l da i ry and p roduces cheese . The farm has a combinat ion of so la r and d iese l-powered pumps , for e lect r ic it y and wate r. I t is t he only Aurov i l l e farm where f ie l d c rops can be grown on a l a rge scale . Besides g rowing food for Aurov i l le , Annapurna is an act i ve researc h cent re fo r eco logica l farming and mainta ins a co l lect ion of non-hybr idized local seed stock.

To mas +91 94 896 93801

tomas@aurov i l le .o rg. in

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ARANYA FOREST AND SANCTUARY

A ranya i s a re forestat ion s ite and educat ional cent r e l ocated about 12 kms northwest of Pondi cher ry i n t he p roximity of Ouste r i Lake . I t encompasses 45 hectares of p lateau and an a rea of ravines and gul l ie s . Since 1994 work has been in prog ress to res tore t he coasta l Trop ical Dry Eve rgreen Forest (TDEF) on t he s ite . Today Aranya has a reputat ion as a l i ving l abo rato ry of evo lut ion att ract ing students of nature sc iences and act ing as a s ite for i nformal di scuss ion for nature c l ubs, eco-c l ubs with ch i l d ren , e tc .

D. S aravanan +91 04 13 200 3590

aranya@au rov i l l e .o rg. in

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AUREKA

AUREKA i s a meta l workshop un it . Pa rt icula r emphasis is pl aced on the manufacture of equipment suppor t i ve of sust ainabi l i ty - such as wind pumps; shredde rs and compressed stabi l i zed earth block p resses ( fo r bu i l ding) etc . , a l t hough a wide var iety of other work is a lso unde rtaken.

+91 04 13 262 2278 info@au reka .com www.au reka .com

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AURGANICS

AURGANICS is an Aurovi l l e based business with a pass ion fo r qual i t y susta inable and fa i r t rade organi c agr ic ult u re . Twelve years ago we began to work with tea p lantat ions i n Darjee l i ng and Assam to he lp deve lop t hei r organic fa rming p ract i ces . F rom thi s t ime spent on t he plantat ions g rew an endur ing love fo r tea . What s ta rted as pe rsonal pass ion soon tu r ned into a smal l business wi th t he aim of provid ing our commun ity with good qual it y great tast ing organic teas . Over t ime our wish to suppo rt local organic farming and our conce rn fo r t he env i ronment i n and a round Aurovi l l e l ed us to expand our business to i nc l ude cashew processing . Th is enabled us to suppor t loca l farmers by guarantee ing t hem a market and a p remium pr i ce fo r organi cal ly g rown cashews whi le provid ing our community with hea lt hy, loca l l y grown produce . Aurganic s has grown global l y, to i nc l ude t he who lesa le and expo rt of o rganic produce sourced inte rnat ional l y. We cont inue to source , b lend, produce , and offe r consumers a hea lt hy great tast ing organi c , a l te rnat i ve .

Alok +91 04 13 262-3 333

contact@au rgan ics .com www.au rgan ic s . com

9

AUROGREEN

Aurog reen i s one of t he o ldest Aurov i l le fa rms. I t l ies i n t he Green Be lt , on t he northeast s ide of t he c it y . The farm covers about 30 ac res of which 1 .5 ac res a re be ing cu lt i vated with i r r i gat ion. Aurog reen g rows c it rus fru its , papaya, cow fodder and vegetables on t he i r r i gated land , i t a lso has l a rge orchards of non-i r r igated cashew, j ackfru it , c h ikkoo , mango and tamarind unde r d ry land condit ions, p l us some fo rest land , with t imbe r t rees i nter-p lanted around the fa rm

and in a number o f separate plots . The fa rm uses g r id e lect r i c it y for t he main wel l pump and two sola r pane l booster pump sets for dr ip and mic ro spr i nk le r system on the i r r i gated p lot s . Addit ional l y, t he re is a smal l dai ry of 5 an imals t hat is growing. The da i ry p roduct s , mi lk and var ie t ies of cheese a re suppl ied to Food l i nk and Pour Tous to be se rved to Aurov i l le community . Some of the mi lk is so ld to g reen be lt res idents i n i ts immediate sur roundings .

Shanmug am +91 04 13 262 2927

shaa s0302 @gma i l . com

10

AUROORCHARD

AuroOrchard is t he second la rgest farm of Aurov i l l e , and the o ldest one . On these 45 ac res of l and a re g rown fru its -avocado , l emon, coconut , cashew, mango, watermelon- and vegetables -cucumber, di f fe rent k ind of beans, b r i nja l , l ady ' s f i nger, bott le gourd , tomato, bas i l , spinach , sp r i ng on ion and caps icum. There i s a lso a p lot o f regene rat i ve forest and pou lt ry produc ing about 200,000 eggs a year.

AuroOrchard is conve rt ing to organic s ince 2012, and i s seeking cert i f i cat ion t h rough the PGS (Part ic ipato ry Guarantee System) of Aurov i l le . Vegetab les and fru it s are grown without any chemical i nput , fo l lowing organic methods l ike mul ch ing and BRF, compost , rotat ions and assoc iat ions , green manures , etc . Eggs are p roduced accord ing to t he "AV egg" standard f ree range )

contact@au roorchard .org www.au roo rchard .o rg

FB: Auro Orcha rd

11

AUROVILLE BAMBOO CENTRE

Aurov i l le Bamboo Cent re uses bamboo as a sustainab le medium fo r deve lop ing a wide range of p roduc ts; t hey manufacture toys , fu rnit u re , c lothes , soaps and many othe r goods . Bamboo is also used for const ruct ion and is qu ickly gain ing a reputat ion of be ing something of a mi rac le g rass . The cent re o ffe rs educat iona l workshops on t he use of bamboo and wel comes a l arge numbe rs o f v is ito rs who come to lea rn about t he p roduc ts .

Balu o r Ni l s +91 04 13 262 3806 +91 80 988 37997

aurov i l leba mboocen tre@a urov i l le .o rg. in www.au rov i l leb amboocentre .org

FB: Aurov i l le -Bamboo -Research-Cen tre

12

AUROVILLE BOTANICAL GARDENS

Aurov i l le Botanica l Gardens i s a fac i l i t y devoted to conserv ing and expanding p lanetary biodivers it y — part icula r l y t he i nd igenous vegetat ion of t he Tropi cal D ry Everg reen Fo rest (TDEF) — through env i ronmenta l educat ion p rograms, nurse ry and l andscaping wit h i ndigenous spec ies , and seed sav ing .

AUROVILLE BOTANICAL SERVICES Botanica l Serv ices is t he commerc ial unit o f t he Aurov i l l e Botanica l Gardens dedi cated to b r i ng ing ecolog ical l y susta inable so lut ions to the commerc ial , p r i vate and government sectors . The Aurov i l le Botanica l Garden was in it iated i n August 2000 on an empty piece of l and , devo id of vegetat ion. I n t he years s ince it s establ ishment , th is 50-ac re s ite has been t ransformed into a l uxur iant ga rden t hat serves as an area fo r research i n envi ronmental l y su stainable approaches to l and management as wel l as a locat ion for env i ronmenta l educat ion. I t is a deve lopment t hat has synthes ized much of Aurov i l le ’s past exper ience into a l i ving example of how to c reate beauty in an ecolog ical ly and env i ronmenta l l y susta inable manne r.

Paul Blanchflower +91 04 13 262 3498

botanica l@aurov i l le .org. in www.au rov i l l e -bo tan ica l -garden s.o rg

FB: Aurov i l le -Botan ica l -Garden s

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AUROVILLE CONSULTING

Aurov i l le Consu lt i ng prov ides mul t i-d isc ip l i na ry expe rt i se to p roject deve lopers , manufacture rs and po l i cy make rs undertak ing ecologica l l y responsib le deve lopment projec ts i n a reas of , landscaping , green bui ld ings , renewable ene rgy, was te management , wate r ha rvest ing , organi c food and awareness campaigns .

+91 04 13 262 2571 info@au rov i l l econ sul t ing.com www.au rov i l l econ sul t ing.com

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AUROVILLE DENTAL CENTRE

The Aurov i l le Dental Cent re has been conduc t ing a so c ial work p rogram suppo rted by donat ions and vo luntee rs s ince 1994. The main object ive of t he prog ram i s to teach ru ral popu lat ions denta l hea lt h t h rough a new concept of educat ion: se l f-he lp . 70% of Ind ia’s populat ion l i ves i n ru ral a reas and have no ac cess to dent is ts; t he Aurovi l le Denta l Cent re he lps to re l i eve and dimin ish the need fo r expens ive denta l ca re t h rough mobi le denta l fac i l i t ies and se rvices , which a re un ique i n rura l a reas .

AUROVILLE DENTAL CENTRE FOR EDUCATION,

RESEARCH AND RURAL ACTION (ADCERRA) The Aurov i l le Dental Cent re fo r Educat ion , Research and Rural Act ion is a un ique p rog ram in I nd ia meet ing t he o ral hea lt h needs of di sadvantaged rura l areas . I t works with p revent ion and ear l y i nte rvent ion fo r l ong-te rm result s . I t o f fe rs check-ups , manua l scal i ng , sealants , obturat ions and “a-t raumatic restorat ion t reatment” (ART) . I t a l so i nc reases awareness about denta l healt h v ia campaigns , t arget ing young gene rat ions .

Jacques Ver ré + 91 0413 262 226 5 / 262 2007

auroden talcentre@aurovi l le .org www.au rov i l l e . com

www.r ura ldeanta lca re . in

15

AUROVILLE EARTH INSTITUTE

The Aurov i l le Ea rt h I nst it ute (AVEI ) , previous ly known as the Aurovi l l e Bu i l ding Cent re / Earth Unit , was founded by HUDCO, Government of I ndia , i n 1989 . The fo rmer bu i l ding cent re progress ive ly evo lved and took the name of t he Aurov i l le Ea rt h I nst i t ute i n 2004. AVEI is a non-profit organizat ion reg istered unde r the Foundat ion of Aurovi l l e . In t he i nte rvening years , t he Aurov i l le Ea rt h I nst i t ute has

become one of t he wor ld’s top cent res for exce l lence i n earthen architecture , work ing in 35 count r ies to p romote and t ransfer knowledge in earth a rch itec ture . The work of t he Ea rt h I nst it ute has attempted to rev ive t radit iona l sk i l l s and to l i nk ancest ral and ve rnacu lar t radit ions of raw earth const ruct ion with t he modern techno logy of stab i l i zed earth.

Auro S atp rem Main i +91 04 13 262 3064 / 262 3 330

info@ear th-au rov i l le .com www.ear th-au rov i l le .com

FB: Aurov i l le -Ear th-In st i tute

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AUROVILLE ENERGY PRODUCTS (AEP)

Aurov i l le Energy Product s (AEP) was founded in 1996 in t he Internat iona l Township of Aurov i l le , South I nd ia. AEP p roduces high qual it y and e ffic ient e lect ron ic cont ro l components for renewable energy systems - such as so la r charge cont ro l le rs , i nverter s , hybr id (wind / hydro / diese l ) cont ro l le rs and many more . The aim of AEP is t o p rov ide a complete so lut ion i n co l l abo rat ion wi th it s l ocal and foreign partne rs for renewable ene rgy systems bas ed on natural resources such as so la r, wind and wate r. The main focus of AEP is consu ltancy on renewable techno logies , espec ial ly Sola r PV system; capac i ty bui l ding t h rough t rain ings and inte rnsh ips , and component supply o f h igh qual i t y wi th cyc le serv ice .

+91 04 13 2622 581 aep@au rov i l l e .o rg. in

www.a ep -aurov i l le .co m

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AUROVILLE FOREST GROUP

Aurov i l le ’s af forestat ion p roject is one of t he succes s stor ie s of the township. I t is est imated that ove r 3 mi l l ion t rees have been planted s ince 1968. The Fo rest Group has gathe red a pool o f knowledge regarding l and rec lamation and re juvenat ion, af fo restat ion and l and management . I t s pr imary goa l s i nc l ude plant ing and maintain ing Aurov i l l e ’s forested areas , resto r ing and uphold ing biodivers it y, conserv ing so i l and wate r, and tak ing a l ead i n env i ronmenta l educat ion and i nnovat ion.

fore stg roup@au rov i l le .o rg. in

18

AUROVILLE HERBARIUM

The Aurov i l le He rbar ium i s deve lop ing a herbar ium with a main focus on p lant spec ies t hat represent t he Tropica l D ry Everg reen Forest (TDEF) . I t a lso i nco rpo rates co l l ect ions from a wider f ie l d , i nc l ud ing t he Andaman & N icobar I s l ands , Assam and othe r part s o f Ind ia. Today there i s a main he rbar ium contain ing some 15 ,000 accessions , t he bulk of t hese f rom the TDEF, fo r study by leading botanists and taxonomists and for consu ltat ion by i nterested Aurov i l i ans .

Tin a o r Wa lte r

+91 04 13 262 2024 +91 90 473 75480

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AUROVILLE PAPERS

The Aurov i l le Press team, which compr ises Aurov i l le Pr ess , Aurov i l le Press Publ ishe rs and Aurov i l le Pape rs , is an undertak ing of t he i nte rnat iona l c it y o f Aurov i l le i n South I ndia dedicated to human un ity. Our asp i rat ion is to mani fest beauty and b r i ng it i nt o many aspects o f our dai l y l i fe . Our i nternat iona l t eam works i n tandem with loca l v i l l agers and p roduces hand-made pape r i tems , as we l l as books and audio-visua ls . We t ry to cont r ibute to t he f lowering of c reat ive capac it ies and to mainta in an atmosphe re of constant l earn ing and s t r i v ing for pe rfect ion. Our handmade paper i s made on ly from vegeta l f i b res . I t i s f ree from toxic substances, i t s manufacture does not requi r e t he fe l l i ng of t rees , and no endangered vegetal spec ies a re used for i t s p roduct ion . Our pape r o ffe rs a g reat var iety i n tex ture and co lour, depending on t he f ib res o r combinat ions of f ib res we use . Nature he rse l f is t he a rt ist . The pape r i tse l f p rovides it s own des ign .

+91 04 13 262 2122

www.au rov i l l ep aper s . com FB: Aurov i l lePaper

20

AUROVILLE VILLAGE ACTION GROUP (AVAG)

The c o r e m i s s i on o f AV AG i s t o p a r t ne r i n a p r o c e s s o f i n t eg r a l d eve l opm en t w i t h a l l t h e l o c a l v i l l a ge c ommun i t i e s s u r r o und i ng Au r ov i l l e w i t h p a r t i c u l a r emphas i s o n f a c i l i t a t i n g c ommun i t y s o l i d a r i t y , f o s t e r i n g c a pa c i t y f o r s e l f - empowe rmen t i n a dd i t i on t o p r om ot i n g g en de r a nd c a s t e s en s i t i z a t i o n . Au r ov i l l e V i l l a ge Ac t i on G r o u p (AV AG ) i s a n NGO c ommi t t ed t o g r a s s r o o t s a nd i n t e g r a t ed c ommun i t y b u i l d i n g w i t h t h e v i l l a ges s u r r ou nd i n g Au r o v i l l e . T h r o ug h a n e xpand i ng ne tw o r k o f women a nd men Se l f He l p G r o up s (SHG ) a nd F ed e r a t i o n s o f f em a le a nd ma le l e ade r s , AV AG o f f e r s a w i de r a n ge o f s u c c e s s f u l p r og r ams a nd i n i t i a t i ve s t o meet t he c omp l ex n eed s o f v i l l a g e r s .

AV AG ’s p r o g r ams s pan t he f o u r c r i t i c a l a r ea s o f c ommun i t y d eve l opm en t , e c on om i c d eve l opm en t , c a pa c i t y b u i l d i ng , a nd p s y c hos oc i a l s e r v i c e s . T h e c ompon en t p r o g r ams o f f e r ed b y AV AG i n c l u de : m i c r o f i n a n c i n g a nd m i c r o p r o je c t s ; c a pa c i t y b u i l d i n g t r a i n i n gs a nd s em in a r s f o r v i l l a g e r s ; p s y c h o l o g i c a l a nd p hy s i c a l h e a l t h i n i t i a t i v e s ; g l oba l wa rm i n g a nd env i r onmen t a l d e g r a d a t i on awa r en es s ; l i v e l i h ood t r a i n i n gs a nd s o c i a l e n t e r p r i s e d eve l opm en t ; e xpans i on o f l e ga l a c c e s s f o r women a nd c h i l d r e n c on f r on t ed w i t h h uman r i gh t s a bu ses ; a nd c a s t e i n t e g r a t i o n ex c ha ng e p r o g r ams .

Ambu +91 04 13 267 8871

v i l lageact ion g roup @gma i l . com www.v i l la gea ct ion. in

FB: v i l lageact ion

21

AUROVILLE WIND SYSTEMS

Aurov i l le Wind Systems p rov ides exper t i se i n t he f ie ld o f power gene rat ion f rom renewable ene rgy sources , pa rt i cula r ly i n t he deve lopment of stand-a lone wind/hybr id power projects . These systems find app l icat ion i n remote communit ies whe re t he ut i l i t y gr id does not extend.

+91 04 13 262 3384 / 262 3 385 aws@au rov i l l e .org. in

www.au rov i l l ewindsy stems.com

22

BUDDHA GARDEN

Buddha Garden was started i n t he year 2000. I t is a smal l fa rm of 12 ac res t hat grows vegetables , cashews and f ru it . Buddha Garden intends to be economica l l y, env i ronmenta l l y and soc ial l y susta inable . The guid ing object ives of t he fa rm are hea lt h and wel l-be ing , t he physica l env i ronment and bas ic i ncome and pro fit . The farm has a var iet y of educat ion and vo lunteer p rog rams and se l ls a number o f pub l i cat ions on organi c farming . I t is a place whe re everyone i s i nv ited to come and expe r ience what it means to farm o rganical l y and to l i ve l ight l y on t he ear th.

Pr iya

+91 04 13 262 2653 in fo@budd haga rden .org www.budd haga rden .org

23

CANYON EROSION CONTROL

Canyon E ros ion Cont ro l has done extens ive work in dam bu i l d ing and rainwate r catchment . I n o rder to avo id rainwater r un-off and t he washing away of fert i l e topsoi l an extens ive system has been deve loped in t he canyons a round Aurovi l le . Rainwate r is cached and sto red behind dams from whe re it can pe rco late i nto the g round to recharge t he local aqui fe rs .

Kireet +91 04 13 262 2720

k ireet@aurov i l le .org. in

24

CATAMI - DREAMER ’S CAFE ́

D reamer’s Cafe ́ i s a p rojec t born from us ing an up-cyc led ship containe r, f rom the Chennai po rt t hat was abandoned and d isca rded . The container was given “new l i fe” as Dreamer’ s Cafe ́ l ocated at the V is ito rs Cent re i n Aurovi l le . The Cafe ́ promotes Aurov i l le ’s best food p roduc ts and support s l ocal ente rp r i ses , fa rms , and art isans : coffees are roasted by Marc ’s Coffee and the de l i c ious cakes a re baked by Tamar ind Bake ry and Ka lya’s De l ight s . F resh mi lk comes from Aurov i l le fa rms and local potte rs handc raft t he ceramic co l lect ion .

Marc Tor mo +91 94 433 26499

cata mi@aurovi l le .org. in FB: Dreamers -Ca fe

25

COFFEE IDEAS MARC’S CAFE ́ – ROAST AND TASTE

The a im of Marc ’s Coffee, F ine I ndian Coffees , is to p romote cert i f ied high qua l i t y coffees f rom I nd ia to t he I nd ian market . A l l the coffees are se lec ted d i re ct l y f rom ce r t i f i ed c o f f e e p l a n ta t i on s , en s u r i n g b es t s u s ta i nab l e p r a c t i c e s (o r ga n i c , f a i r t r a de , U TZ an d b i o -dynam ic ) . Marc ’s cafe, Roast & Taste , l ocated in t he Aurovi l le Main Road, i s the fac i l i t y where green coffees are stored, roasted , blended, packaged and di spatched . Customers can see the process whi le tast ing our s ignature rec ipes . I t a l so offe rs consultancy se rvi ces to the hospita l i t y secto r to c reate t he i r own coffee image or improve the i r standards . Our commitment towards c reat ing a sustainab le economy, based on Aurov i l le i deal s is our dr i v ing fo rce and source of i ns pi rat ion .

Marc Tor mo, Dava se lvam +91 04 13 262 3119

cof fee ideas@aurovi l le .org. in FB: Marc ’s -Café -Roast-Ta ste

26

CENTRE FOR BUILDING BIOLOGY

The Cent re fo r Bu i l d ing Bio logy takes care of heal t hy l i v ing and work env i ronments , and of renovat ions towards a bet ter i ndoor c l imate . Specia l i sed in t he des ign of e le ct r ical i nstal lat ions , which free of e lect romagnet ic po l l ut ion , i t a l so offe rs home inspect ions , EMF assessments and adv ises i n t he choice of appropr i ate bui l ding mate r ia ls and const ruct ion methods in re l at ion to our l ocal c l imate and ava i l ab i l i t y. The Cent re fo r Bui l ding B io logy wants to become a growing po rtal fo r shar ing knowledge and expe r ience for c reat ing hea lt hy bui l d ings .

+91 04 13 262 2738 info@bu ild ingb io logy. in www.bu i ld ingb io logy. in

27

CENTRE FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH (CSR)

CSR was founded on January 6th , 1984. Aurovi l l e Cent re for Sc ient i f i c Research (CSR) i s an i nte rnat ional vo lunta ry organizat ion that works towards a sustainab le future i n t he f ie l d o f renewable energy systems (wind , so la r, biomass) , appropr iate a rch itecture & bui l d ing technolog ies, wastewate r recyc l i ng and sani tat ion , and t he t ransfe r o f t hese technologies t h rough t ra ining p rog rams.

Ten cy +91 04 13 262 2168 / 262 2 277 / 262 274 8

csr@aurovi l le .org. in www.g reen.au rov i l l epo r ta l .o rg

28

CONVERGENCE

Conve rgence i s an i nnovat i ve env i ronmenta l educat ion cent re t hat offe rs exper ient ial env i ronmenta l p rograms and explo res wor ldviews th rough workshops , f ie l d work and community out reach . I t engages people from di f fe rent soc ial and cu lt u ral backgrounds i n a work ing dia logue, to enable deep observat ion and awareness of t he se lf , soc iety and t he sur rounding natural wor l d t hat we a r e al l a part o f .

+910413 262 3255 / 262 2 983 creat ingchange@thepo intofconvergence.o rg

www.thepo intofconvergen ce.o rg

29

DISCIPLINE FARM

D isc ipl i ne Farm is on t he norther n edge of Aurovi l l e 's Greenbelt . There are fourteen ac res of l and on which fru it - coconut , banana, sour sop , papaya, pass ion fru it , mangos, chikkos and c it rus , and vegetables - sp inaches , sweet potatoes , j icama, pumpkins , lettuce , bas i l , r uco la a re g rown using mic ro-spr ink le rs for i r r igat ion . There is a smal l dai ry. The fa rm is organic and EM (Ef fect i ve Mic roo rganisms) techno logy is used . I t is poss ible to do voluntee r work on t he fa rm.

Jeff

+91 04 13 262 2730 + 91 9486 4 75 367

je f f@aurov i l le .org. in

30

EARTH&US

ea rt h&us i s a sustainab le i nit iat i ve t hat works i n t he f ie l ds o f LCA (Li fe Cyc le Ana lysi s) , e co-effi c iency, p roduct rat ing and behaviour change . ea rt h&us was born out o f a pass ion for promoting susta inable deve lopment t h rough inte rdi sc ip l i na ry research and act ion . For eart h&us , t he journey towards sustainable deve lopment necessar i l y entai ls sustainable p roduct ion and consumption , unde rstanding t hat sustainabi l i ty i s not a vague , fee l-good te rm but rather a concept t hat can be measured and rated .

Bindu b indu@ear than dus .org

www.ear thandus .org FB: ea r thus

31

ECO FEMME

Eco Femme is a soc ial enterp r i se t hat p romotes hea lt hy, d ign i f ied , af fordable and eco-fr iendly menst rual p ract i ces . Eco femme des igns and p roduces c loth washab le menst rua l pads t hat st i tched by loca l women as part of a l i ve l i hood project . They have deve loped a “Pad fo r Pad” p rogramme to p rov ide menst rua l hygiene educat ion . They gi ft c loth-washable pads to gi r l s f rom economical l y

di sadvantaged fami l ies as wel l as subsid ize pads from inte rnat ional sales so t hat the product s can be made affo rdable fo r women in Ind ia . Eco Femme conducts educat ional p rog rammes on menst rua l hygiene management and i ssues of san ita ry waste . For which they have c reated a number o f resources to take on advocacy work .

Kathy

+91 94 431 35005 kathy@ecofemme.o rg

www.eco femme.org FB: ecofemmeind ia

32

ECOPRO

EcoP ro promotes t he use of Ef fec t i ve Mic roo rganism (EM) . Ef fect i ve mic roo rganism is a combinat ion of l act i c ac id bac i l l i , photosynthet ic bacter ia, yeast and othe r organisms , i t has been found to be very usefu l i n t reat ing wastewate r, so l i d waste , enhanc ing organi c fe rt i l i ze r and as a b io -pest ic ide . EcoP ro’s expe rt i se is i n t he f ie lds of publ ic hygiene , so l id waste management and water management .

+91 04 13 262 2469 / 290 6 482 ecopro @aurov i l le .org. in

www.ecop ro. in FB: ecoproau rov i l l e

33

EVFUTURE

EVFuture was estab l i shed i n 2007, i t s pr imary focus is des ign ing e lect r i c , eco- f r iendly two wheeler so lut ions fo r t he Ind ian market and its ex ist ing road condi t ions . EVFuture has deve loped a p rototype that i s un ique to al l o the r e lect r ic two-wheele rs ava i l able i n t he I ndian market .

+91 04 13 262 2380

evfuture@au rov i l l e .o rg. in www.ev futu re .com

34

FOOD LINK

Food L ink i s t he food coope rat ive of Aurov i l le ’s fa rmers . I t packages and d ist r ibutes part o f Aurovi l le ’s farm product s such as gra ins , vegetables , f ru it s , eggs and dai ry p roducts . Food L ink togethe r with t he AV G.R . E . E .N Cent re sta rted t he Community Suppor ted Agr icu lt u re (CSA) scheme and a lso o rganises t he Saturday Market (November to Apr i l ) to promote o rganic p roduc ts .

+91 94 861 44072 foodl ink@au rovi l l e .org. in

FB: food l ink.aurovi l le

35

LIFE EDUCATION CENTRE (LEC)

L i fe Educat ion Cent re ( LEC) is an on-go ing p rogramme to t rain young , underp r i v i l eged gi r l s between the ages of 14-21 , f rom v i l l ages i n t he region around Aurov i l le . The Cent re was c reated with a focus to he lp chi l dren igno red by convent ional educat ion systems and al t hough , i nit ia l l y, t he Cent re a l lowed both gi r l s and boys to at tend , be fore l ong LEC changed to an al l- female envi ronment . The vocat iona l t rain ing g iven to t he g i r ls he lps t hem deve lop t he sk i l l s necessary

to be suc cessful both i n t hei r future homes as we l l as i n f i nd ing a suitab le job. Howeve r, LEC i s essent ia l l y a the rapeut ic lea rning community, where emphas is is p l aced on se lf -deve lopment too ls . Educat ion at LEC i s i ndiv idual -based , t he needs of every student a re evaluated and addressed; one of t he most important i nte ract ions at t he school is between the students and counse l lor-coord inato r, which natural ly t akes p lace on a one-to-one basi s .

Har in i +91 04 13 262 2082

lec@aurov i l le .org. in www. l i f e -educat ion-centre .org

36

MASON & CO – CRAFTSMEN OF CHOCOLATE

Mason & Co was s tarted by a husband and wife team who love t he a rt and sc ience of making and eat ing chocolate . Thei r love fo r bean-to-bar, organic choco late saw the business expand f rom thi s home laborato ry i nto a smal l a rt i san factory . The team now makes choco late f rom beans sourced from I nd ia and abroad which is suppl ied to i ndiv idual s and sto res al l around I nd ia. They work di rect l y with fa rmers to improve post harvest ing p ract i ces and boost t he Ind ian cacao indust ry and

p rovide consu lt i ng se rvi ces to i ndiv idual s o r businesses want ing to exp lo re chocolate making. ORGANIC : we have obtained an organic ce rt i f icate from the farmers and suppl ie r s . Al l our beans sourced with in I nd ia a re organi c ce rt if ied and/or biodynamic . NATURAL : we do not have o rganic ce rt i f icat ion but we be l ieve t he beans o r addi t ional i ngred ient s to have been grown without or with min imal t he use of pest i c ides and i n a manner t hat honours the env i ronment and cu lt ure of t he region.

Jane and Fab ien +91 89 405 59024

info@mason cho co late . co m www.mason cho co late . com

FB: MasonC hoco late

37

MGECODUTIES

A l l Natural Probiot ics P roduct s : Wel l Be ing, Househo ld , Compost ing, Bio remediat ion by using Prob iot ic s Technology. MGEcodut ies , has the Vis ion of o ffer ing a new concept of envi ronmenta l f r i endly p roduct s t hat are made wi th complete ly natura l i ng red ient s and the re fore are Non Tox ic , Non Hazardous , Non Co rros ive, Ze ro Waste and fu l l y B iodegradable The miss ion of MGEcodut ies i s to manufacture , market d ist r i bute , and expo rt f rom I nd ia to t he Wor ld , env i ronmenta l f r iendly natura l p roduct s for body- l i ne c l eaning , house-bui l d ing c l eaning , deg reas ing, washing , compost ing , and bioremediat ion of hazardous po l l utants on I ndust r ies . Thei r p roduc ts a re complete ly eco-f r iendly made us ing natural i ng red ient s , sustainab le i n long term for t he use rs .

+91 04 13 262 3239 mgeco dut ie s@aurov i l le .o rg. in

FB: MGEcodu ties

38

MOHANAM COMMUNITY CENTRE

Mohanam Cent re fo r Cu lt u re and Her it age , l ocated i n Sanjeevinagar, is an educat iona l communi ty cent re fo r chi l dren t hat o ffer s an afte r school act i v it ies program for k inde rgarten and o lde r ch i l d ren . A lt hough the p r imary focus is prov iding deve lopmenta l ch i l dca re for p re-school ch i l d ren , t he cent re a lso conduct s a rts and c rafts p rograms that a re meant to rev ital ize t he cu lt ure of the v i l l age : Bharatnatyam and c l ass ica l I ndian dance , Ko lattam ( st ick dance) , Kummi voice and dance , and Si lambam (a mart ia l a rt ) .

Balu +91 99 436 44757

mohana m@au rov i l l e .o rg. in www.mohanam.org

FB: Mohana mOrgan izat io n

39

NATURELLEMENT

Nature l l ement is a soc ial enterp r i se spec ial i zing i n natural and organic food product s such as j ams, marmalades, pickles , peanut butter and breakfast ce rea ls . They employ only women f rom the loca l Tami l vi l l ages, prov ide an env i ronment enr iched with oppo rtunit ies , and fo l low fai r t rade standards . They l ike to keep Nature l l ement a happy work place by t reat ing eve ryone equal l y ac ross t he board . A few years ago Nature l lement star ted a restaurant next to t he i r ga rden.

Mar t ina

+91 04 13 262 2034 nature l lement@aurov i l le .org. in

www.n atu re l l emen t. in

40

PEBBLE GARDEN

Pebble Garden was sta rted i n 1994 on 6 ac res of severe ly e roded land . Today i t i s a v ib rant forest o f i ndigenous Tropical D ry Everg reen Fo rest (TDEF) t rees , e leven water bodies , a f ruit t ree a rea and a garden of 1000 square mete rs . Pebble Garden i s cu lt i vat ing about a 90 hardy vegetable var iet ies ideal fo r home gardening . I t has been c reated without any b io -inputs from outs ide , just with b iomass grown in s it u , no an imal manure , no purchased soi l or compost , no h i red l abour and on ly with smal l vo luntary donat ions f rom ind ividua ls .

+91 04 13 267 7792 pebbleg arden fore st@gma i l . com

www.pebblegard en.org

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PITCHANDIKULAM FOREST

The Pit chandikulam Bio resource Cent re wi th i ts l i b ra ry, database , a rte fact s and photo di splays , p rov ides a focus for t he t each ing of resto rat ion ecology, env i ronmental sc ience, and t he ident i f icat ion and use o f i ndigenous medic ina l p l ants . A major focus of Pitchandikulam is communi ty out reach and i s cu r rent l y work ing i n 25 v i l l ages t hroughout t he Ka luve l i bioreg ion .

+91 04 13 262 2365 www.p itchandikula mfores t .o rg

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SADHANA FOREST

Sadhana Fo rest sta rted it s ecologica l rev ival and susta inable l i ving work on December 19th 2003. The v is ion of i ts founde rs , Yo r it and Avi ram Rozin , is to t ransform 70 ac res of severe ly e roded, ar id l and on the outski rts o f Aurov i l le . In a spi r i t o f human unity, t hei r aim i s to i nt roduce a g rowing number of people to susta inable l i ving , food

secur it y t hrough ecolog ica l t ransformation , waste land rec lamat ion , and veganism. Thei r energy and resources a re focused on t he c reat ion of a v ib rant , i ndigenous Tropical Dry Eve rgreen Forest (TDEF) . Sadhana Fo rest won th i rd place i n t he Humanita r ian Wate r and Food Award (WAF) 2010.

+91 04 13 267 7682 / 267 7 683 sadhanafores t@gmai l .com

www.sad hanafo res t .org FB: sa dhana forest

Twitte r : S adhanaFo rest

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SHRI AROHAN

“Revival o f t he cottage indust ry, and not cottage indust r ies , wi l l remove the growing poverty . When once we have rev ived t he one indust ry, a l l t he other i ndust r ies wi l l fo l low…I would make the spinn ing-wheel t he foundat ion on which to bu i l d a sound v i l l age . I wou ld make the wheel t he cent re round which al l othe r act i vit ies wi l l revol ve” (Mahatma Gandhi , YI , 2 1-5- 1925, pp . 176- 177)

Shr i Arohan is a se l f-susta ining organizat ion t hat be l ieves i n using c lean energy by using so lar power to c reate exce l lent qual i t y text i les and cont inue t he t radit ion of loom weaving to empower women in ru ral a reas by giv ing t hem the oppo rtunity to earn i ncome and improve the l i fe o f t hei r fami l ies .

Sanjay Kusa le +91 94 424 85046

sanjay kusa le@aurovi l le .o rg. in sanjay.ku sale@gmai l .com

44

SIDDHARTA FARM

Siddhartha Fa rm i s located i n the t rad it iona l r ice-growing region sur rounding t he I r umbai water t ank. I t star ted i n t he mid-90s and i s l ocated roughly 1 .5 km from Matr imandi r . One of t he aims is to convert t he open f ie l ds i nto an i nteg rated farm project , connected to bio dynamic fa rming. At p resent , the farm mainly p roduces r ice , sugar cane and black gram, c rops which are rotated with green gram, peanut , sesame, mi l l et , dhal and

cashew. The re are cows (mi lk, Yoghur t ) as we l l as geese , ch icken, dogs and cat s l i ving on t he fa rm. Sola r pane ls and dr ip i r r i gat ion a re used on some of t he c rops and on some fie lds we use f lood i r r igat ion from the nearby l ake as wel l as sp r inkler i r r igat ion . F lood i r r i gat ion is ext reme ly he lpful espec ia l l y for r ice p roduct ion whe re about 90% of t he water i s coming di re ct l y f rom the l ake .

Herber t +91 90 037 38560

s idd ha far m@yahoo.co . in

45

SOLITUDE FARM

Sol it ude Farm, started by Kr i shna McKenzie i n 1996, is deeply i nvo l ved in permacu lt u re , natural fa rming and var ious soc ia l agr icul t ure projects . Sol it ude works with schoo ls and t he community, t rying to get people to redi scover where the i r food comes f rom and l earn how to grow and use loca l foods, reconnect ing with nature and essent ial l y with ourse l ves . The re i s an a rts and kids space dedicated to a rts and c rafts ; potte ry, sculpture , pa int ing , ca rving et c . The fa rm al so boast s it s very own beaut i ful So l i t ude Organic Farm Cafe provid ing de l ic ious o rganic food th roughout t he day.

Kr ishna McKenz ie +91 04 13 262 2068

kr i shn amckenz ie@aurovi l le .org. in www.au rov i l l ep er ma cul tu re .com

FB: so l itud efa r m

46

SUNLIT FUTURE

Sun l i t Future i s an i nteg rated se rv ice p rov ide r b r i nging h igh qual i t y renewable ene rgy so lut ions to both ru ral and u rban I nd ia. Sun l i t Future a ims at fusing so la r energy techno logies i nto the da i l y l i festyle o f u rban and ru ra l I ndia to e ffectuate an e nv i ronmental and soc ial impact . With bu i l t-up capac it ies for des ign , p rocurement , i nteg rat ion , management , i nsta l l at ion and maintenance of so lar ene rgy appl icat ions and serv ices , Sun l i t Future fac i l i t ates i nformed dec i s ion-making and p rov ides customized so lut ions t hrough: expe rt adv ice , customized plann ing and implementat ion of so la r systems , rapid de l i ve ry and i nsta l l at ions and knowledge of state of t he ar t components i n a rap idly changing techno log ical envi ronment .

+91 04 13 262 2992 / 291 9 352 info@sunl i t fu ture . in www.sunl i t fu ture . in

FB: Futu reSun l i t

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SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD INSTITUTE (SLI)

Sustainab le Li ve l i hood I ns t it ute (SLI ) is a joint venture between the Tami l Nadu State Rural L i ve l i hood Miss ion and t he Aurovi l le Foundat ion. Thi s cooperat ion, done on a l a rge-scale , he lps promote rura l deve lopment based on t he p r i nc iples o f susta inab le deve lopment . Th is i s a domain i n which Aurovi l le has a l ot to cont r ibute s ince many researches and expe r imentat ions are taking place here .

Rama subramanian o r Ra ja Gan esh +91 04 13 262 2333

d irector@tnavs l i . in , prog ramme@tnavs l i . in www.tnavs l i . in

FB: tn s l i

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THE COLOURS OF NATURE

Text i l es generate t he second biggest source of pol l ut ion today, along with making the dyes, process ing t hem and then afte r with each wash. These processes contaminate our water and aqui fers . The core so lut ion i s to use zero chemical dyes . The Colours o f Nature was founded by Jesus C i r i za who was in search of t rul y eco-fr iend ly dyes fo r c loth ing i n 1993. Over 20 years , The Co lours o f Nature has taken a ho l i st i c and susta inable approach to

only use renewable mate r ial f rom nature l ike leafs , f l owers , f ruit s , p l ant s , r i nd , and a l um fo r f i xat ion , and dur ing t h is t ime , has deve loped more t han 20 hues of al l co lours t he highest of standards . Thei r co lour l i bra ry has been used and p roduced for Handloom Denim, Levi ’s St raus, I ndust ry o f Al l Nat ions , Pepe Jeans , and many othe r i n it iato rs i n organic co lour dyes .

Ruby +91 04 13 262 2587

pdcoord inator_ coln atu re@aurovi l le .org. in www.theco lour sofn atu re .com

49

UPASANA

Upasana i s a p lace where c reat ivit y, fashion , design , Ind ian cu lt ure , bus iness , soc ial responsib i l i t y and sp i r i t ua l progress get woven togethe r seamless ly. I t i s a place whe re peop le a re t he cent ra l focus and al l t he p rojects , p roducts and resources a re meant to he lp people g row and deve lop i nto the i r ful l c apac ity. Founded in 1997 by Uma Haimavat i , Upasana showcases I nd ia t h rough it s

text i les by design ing c lothes using t radit iona l t ext i les . Upasana ventured i nto t he f ie ld o f soc ial deve lopment i n 2005 with a s t rong focus on appl icat ion of design for soc ial we lfa re . The project was cal led Tsunamika, and s ince t hen , Upasana has i nit iated var ious projects explor i ng t he potent ial o f Soc ia l l y Responsib le Des ign. I t is a place t hat works towards ecolog ical , soc io logi cal , and psycholog ica l harmony.

Greta +91 04 13 262 2939 / 9443 3 62384

outrea ch@upasana. in www.upa sana . in

FB: upasana.au rov i l l e

50

KAPAS

Upasana c reated Kapas i n 2008 as a sustainab le busi ness co l l abo rat ive t hat st r i ves to protect and p romote the f ragi le cotton communit ies o f Tami l Nadu . Fai led c rops , i nc reased compet it ion , and unfa i r bus iness p ract i ces have d r i ven t housands o f cot ton farmers and weave rs to despai r . F rom seed to sale , Kapas i s a soc ial ly and env i ronmenta l ly sustainab le p ro ject us ing on ly t he most e thica l p ract i ces fo r the earth and t he cotton communit ies o f rura l I nd ia

PARUTHI

With Paruth i , Upasana dec ided to go o rganic i n 201 1 . Upasana has been work ing with t he organic cotton farming communit y fo r many years and dec ided to l aunch t he b rand i n t he i r suppor t . Pa ruth i , i n Tami l , means cotton. I t has taken a fash ion route to susta inabi l i ty and successfu l l y l aunched a c lo thing l i ne unde r “ respons ible fash ion .”

SMALL STEPS

Smal l S teps i s a green campaign t hat was l aunched as a so lut ion to the env i ronmenta l problem of plast i c ca r ry bags . The a im i s to encourage people ca r ry t he i r own shopping bags and avoid t he usage of plas t ic bags . Smal l Steps , howeve r, is more t han just a bag. Women from more t han 14 v i l l ages work to make the Smal l S teps bags .

51

TSUNAMIKA

The Tsunamika do l l is handmade by women af fected by t he 2004 Tsunami i n I nd ia. The p roject s ta rted as a t rauma counse l l i ng e ffor t fo r f ishe rwomen in February 2005. The raw mate r ia l came f rom indust r ia l waste and more than 600 women were taught to make these t iny dol ls cal led “Tsunamika”. The dol l i s neve r so ld , but given. The p roject runs on community suppo rt whe re people take do l l s and cont r ibute as pe r thei r capac ity. They ar e g ift s o f l ove and f r iendship. Today, more t han f i ve mi l l i on do l l s a re made and sent to ove r 80 count r ies .

VARANASI WEAVER

Upasana began to work with Varanasi Weavers Community i n 2006 and l ate r went on to i nt roduce a b rand ca l led Varanasi Weave rs . Th is project encouraged the peop le f rom thi s community to cont inue doing what t hey were good at : weaving . Th is i nit iat i ve has been g ranted spec ia l recognit ion by UNESCO. Upasana has i nt roduced Varanasi both nat iona l l y and g lobal l y and has al so b rought many b rands to work in suppo rt o f t he weave rs’ community.

52

UPCYCLING STUDIO

An open space fo r research , expe r iment ing and educat iona l pract ice on upcyc l i ng; t he goa l of t he stud io i s to sp read the knowledge on upcyc l i ng d if ferent mate r ial s , a l l t he designs are open source . We be l ieve i n reduce- reuse-recyc le , and work on t he goa l " zero waste" i n Aurov i l le . Eve ryone i s welcome to join our workshops and exhib it ions .

Ok o r Ma rc +91 93 440 02972

okjeonglee@gma il .com FB: upcyc l in gstu dioau rov i l le

53

WASTELESS

WasteLess is a non-profit soc ial ente rpr ise l ocated i n Aurov i l le , dedicated to br i ng ing about change to t he way we make, dispose of , and t hink about waste . WasteLess be l ieves t hat each one of us can make a pos it i ve and tangib le d i fference for a better and c leane r future . We ' re a young dynamic team of professi onal s f rom dive rse backg rounds committed to chang ing t he wor ld one p iece of garbage at a t ime.

GARBOLOGY 101

We have deve loped an i nnovat ive , ac t i v it y-based cur r ic ul um cal led Garbology 101 . I t is an educat iona l too l kit t hat i nc l udes a 101 act i vi t ies a imed to ra ise awareness on waste , consume ri sm and the env i ronment . I t is meant for chi l dren from 6 to 12 year s o f age .

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PICK IT UP

Segregat ion at source remains one of t he majo r chal lenges for waste management today, ‘P ick it Up’ , i s a card game that a ims to sp read thi s important awareness i n a fun and i nte rac t i ve way, hoping to i nsp i re and mot ivate more people to seg regate waste and earn money by se l l i ng re cyc lable waste to sc rap dea le rs .

LITTER FREE AUROVILLE

I n 2010 we in it iated a fun awareness campaign ca l led L it te r F ree Aurov i l le . Thi s conv inced us to c reate WasteLess and it cont inues to i nspi re us today.

Rib hu +91 04 13 262 3445 or 948 84 83871

waste les s@au rov i l l e .o rg. in www.waste le ss india .o rg

FB: Wa steLess Twitte r : WasteLessIndia

55

WELL PAPER

WELL started as a t rain ing and empowerment cent re fo r women from the i n l and v i l l ages under Aurov i l l e ’s Coasta l Deve lopment Cent re (ACDC) , and t he project soon sp read. The goal o f WELL i s to empower women by p rov iding an extended t rain ing prog ram to aid them set up t hei r own p rof it-shar ing product ion un it s . For a pe r iod of s ix months , a g roup of e ight to ten women learn to c reate p roduct s using recyc led mater ia ls , mainly newspape r, as raw mate r ia l . They a re taught , amongst othe r t h ings , to ro l l newspaper i nto reeds , which t hey then weave into baskets . F rom he re on , the re are no l imit s : t hey have c reated coaste rs , t ab l e-mats , accesso r ies , bags , pl ates , and boxes , al l o f vary ing co lou rs , shapes and s izes . Women l augh, s i ng , share and c reate not o nly new product s but al so a new l i fe a round them.

Dany or Or ly 0413 262 2 21 9 o r 9442035 583

wel lpap er@aurovi l le .org. in www.we l lp aper.o rg

56

WINDARRA FARM

Windarra Fa rm i s a fa rming community t hat sta rted 1998 on 22 ac res of l and. Managed by Fr iede r ike it is a 100% organic . A broad var ie ty of vegetable l ike l ettuce , r uco la , he rbs , spinaches , beans, ladyf ingers and othe r loca l summer vegetab les are grown at Windarra Fa rm. Guavas, mangos, c i t rus va r ie t ies and sour sop and ch ikko are growing in t he orchard. Spr inkle r and dr ip i r r i gat ion al lows e ffic ient wate r use and mulch ing keeps t he soi l moist and improves t he qua l it y o f t he soi l . Windarra i s a learn ing communi ty, with a ho l i st ic app roach t hat embraces farming , a rts , educat ion and hea l i ng . Eve rybody i s i nvo l ved i n fa rm re lated work, and at t he same t ime al l have t he chance to deve lop indiv idual t alents t hrough workshops and p rojects .

Joan o r San di ra ter rasou l@aurovi l le .org. in

www.te r ra soul .o rg