Karuna

Project Type

Project Summary

A unique pioneering project in Shropshire Hills, U.K. The site demonstrates holistic creative,Low impact lifestyle,through 'living permaculture practice' ,whilst demonstrating numerous examples of applications that people can learn from.There's an emphasis on 'Insight design',Forest gardening,supporting Biodiversity and recycling the land.

Project Description

Karuna  

*Please see our website. www.karuna.org.uk

There are many simple solutions to the global mess.

Some solutions are not so simple, but we can achieve planetary cleanse if we really want to.

Some people just don’t care, others are unaware.

The world population should be made aware that we need to Change. We need to respond to our changing environment.

We must all care and become aware or we shall perish.

Of course the majority of human beings do not welcome change.

Like it or not right now we are all facing change, it’s happening. Right now!

The strong indicators, climate change, the extremes are now upon us and getting worse, and  peak oil, leading to increase in food prices.

In 2005 Merav (My partner), Caio and Soma (our children) and I (Janta) started “Karuna” a low impact permaculture project.

Our present culture needs to be more responsive.

If people can’t observe then they can’t see what needs responding to.

So karuna was set up to help people act in a positive way that can bring change that will help them to be healthier, happier people.

Permaculture is best applied as a holistic practice. In the U.K Holistic Permaculture lifestyle in practice is scarce. In fact it’s kind of outlawed.

Forest gardening in particular is one of the primary focuses of the project. The inspiration for that came from my years of travel abroad, especially in Kerala and additionally from Robert de Hart who pioneered forest gardening on Wenlock edge, just a few miles from Karuna.

My explorations and lifetime experiences of many peoples and places brought about a realisation within me to start living in accord with all that I had learned and to apply what I know to be supportive to a healthy sustainable life for myself, my immediate and wider family/ community. Insight design (I.D.) is my vocation, Karuna being a manifestation of that, it’s my personal cosmic dance probably better left unexplained here, it is unlikely that I would not be satisfied with any verbal explanation..let Karuna be the explanation! Let it be the experience, the fruit.  

karuna demonstrates that there is an alternative way in which we can live.

It is an 18 acre recycling project, Before we bought the land at auction it was just an overgrazed open field with outgrown hedge rows containing a few mature trees, in an area that is known for being scarcely wooded. That’s why I say recycling project.

We have changed all that, after just five years it is now an extremely multi functional project, with over 8,000 trees planted.

The design is aimed to create micro climates to help produce a wider variety of food (edible landscape) at an altitude of 900ft,create wider biodiversity, create an inspirational arboretum and place of wellbeing, (enhance the impoverished landscape), produce timber for fuel- woodcrafts and materials, support production of natural medicine, accommodate, support and protect workers out in rural locations,(very harsh in winter months), as an example of how to create an educational resource that is of benefit the community,

Sadly Permaculture practice is not officially recognised here in the U.K., training Courses are common, the wonderful Permaculture Association Britain is growing fast and healthy. Implementing some techniques has recently become more acceptable, even fashionable, but actually applying Permaculture as a way of life ‘Holistically’ is still very much opposed to by the present regime.

Shropshire county council, that’s our local council, has shamefully been reactionary towards Karuna.

To date they have been quite successful in trying to close the project down and obstructing business and building development through abusing the present planning system.

Many project supporters have attended appeals to speak in support of the Karuna project and hundreds of support letters and petitioners have come forward.

The projects future is uncertain, we are trying with some urgency to resolve any issues with the local authority, as from October 2011 we shall be in breach of an enforcement order, if my family and I have not moved from the site (Which we legally own and farm). We beg support from our Permie brothers and sisters to contact the authorities to help them understand and change their negative intentions to dissolve the project. A small number of permaculture projects in other counties have the full support of their local councils, it is only due to political reasons that we have been targeted. This should be reversed so that the project can continue to flourish and support all life.

Thank you for your support.

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