Blog

There was a book on the shelf today in the newest dry toilet of the Northern Lights project which read 'Je fai tout moi-meme' - I do everything myself. I like it and it really summarises my life goals, not that I want to do it all, but I would like to have capacity to do the things I need for myself, my family and the community. Today I fixed a hole in my top, cut someone's hair and hand washed clothes in a bucket whilst having wonderfully diverse conversations, when I think of the building that's ahead I'm reminded of all I have created @forestlings and I feel proud. Capable and comfortable with the skills I have gained, also motivated to continue gathering and harvesting new skills to make life truly self sustainable. This morning we covered the theory of building and met one of our facilitators for the course. We saw examples of different size structure built with wood and straw bales, discussing the benefits of natural building techniques and building on the ground and mounting sections of the house, the hinges walls particularly stuck in my mind. We began preparations for building a straw bale house, reviewing the plans, the decisions for materials, the importance of community when building with cob, green roofing, greenhouse connecting to the building, using bottles in the design.&nbsp; There is an availability that cob brings to the building process as families can build together creating homes that last and can easily be maintained by any age member of the family. These qualities are being lost in the current grey method of building but our ancestors had a deep knowledge of these techniques and we can return! Retaining the knowledge for ourselves and our communities after us &nbsp; The afternoon we got our hands into practice and all over the farm machines have been moving trunks and digging trenches. Teams of men and women taking off old roofing, moving materials, scraping wood, cutting tyres and mapping out the building plot. Kids have been building their own mini houses of cob and the farm is fully alive at the height of summer &nbsp;&nbsp; Going grey to green &nbsp; Let's grow together &nbsp;&nbsp;

A Book On A Shelf

Now we are heading back home with kids in toe on the long drive in a Campervan... The route has been similar to that of the busy week's before, a meandering between chãos and calm at the Northern Lights. With time to reflect and absorb all of the learning experiences and how I may bring them into my reality in the future. Not only the practical hands on stuff, but the subtle communication, relationships, being true and speaking truth, being open to differences and new ideas, understanding that we are all teachers and we are all students, all children and parents, all masculine and feminine, finding our way to balance and harmony, through the chaos and the calm.&nbsp; The saying it takes a village to raise a child just becomes clear here. They never stop, moving, exploring, running, climbing, searching, talking, asking people to help them, show them, teach them new things, driving tractors, hunting frogs, following the boss for the day, making cob, fishing, sculpting, macrame, gymnastics, teamwork, communication, harvesting, swimming, cycling... The List is endless, they have a place every moment of the day. No stopping because parents are tired. I was so worried about arriving and not having time to join the course effectively, how far from the reality that idea was! So thank you to all the participants who have opened their hearts and offered their time to teach, share and co exist with these little people. Moments like these will be the ones they remember, the ones that shape who they will become &nbsp; A much used statement that I encourage the Forestlings children to learn "teamwork makes the Dream Work" couldn't be more clear than during the grey to green course, in a 2 week period over 60 people gathered and built a straw bale house, a Nebraska fridge, renovated a tiny house and a room in the main farm house, roofed and cobbed the bar and restored the shop roof, built a pier into the lake and connected on many different levels, artistic, musical, linguistically, through dance and romance, with mud, macrame, straw and theatre, silence, sharing, listening, seminars, jokes and storytelling, through illness, injury, tears and laughter. Hands on learning really makes impact on those who participate and a learning that will last a lifetime. With every learning journey our mistakes lead us to the solutions and having space to question the way, design the path, share experience and gain new ones. This type of learning style captures me more and more. I know not everyone learns in the same way, the experts from degree.47, critical concrete and Jean Philippe helped out on a more theoretical level to give the substance for all of the teams throughout the course. Thank you guys &nbsp; The Northern Lights ! Love love love ! It amazed me yet again to see the way the space evokes creativity, lightens peoples souls and allows for all to be possible. There are so many resources available, I've not heard no once in this space, yes we have it, yes you can do it, yes let me help you, it's really inspiring how freedom opens doors and hearts. Keep going guys the space and the project are truly inspiring! I'm already looking forward to our next adventure! &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

August - Grey to Green

Give yourself fully&nbsp;The northern lights seems to bring the most giving aspects of people to the surface, creating a space of co creation and freedom, the intertwining of such offerings makes for a truly heart warming experience. Not to mention opening those who would otherwise be closed&nbsp; Kahlil Gibran 1883 – 1931 Then said a rich man, Speak to us of Giving. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And he answered: &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;You give but little when you give of your possessions. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow? &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city? &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And what is fear of need but need itself? &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, the thirst that is unquenchable? &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;There are those who give little of the much which they have—and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And there are those who have little and give it all. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes. He smiles upon the earth. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And to the open-handed the search for one who shall receive is joy greater than giving. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And is there aught you would withhold? &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;All you have shall some day be given; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors’. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;You often say, “I would give, but only to the deserving.” &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Surely he who is worthy to receive his days and his nights, is worthy of all else from you. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to fill his cup from your little stream. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And what desert greater shall there be, than that which lies in the courage and the confidence, nay the charity, or receiving? &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And who are you that men should rend their bosom and unveil their pride, that you may see their worth naked and their pride unabashed? &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of giving. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;For in truth it is life that gives unto life—while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And you receivers—and you are all receivers—assume no weight of gratitude, lest you lay a yoke upon yourself and upon him who gives. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;For to be overmindful of your debt, is to doubt his generosity who has the freehearted earth for mother, and God for father.

On Giving

A big thank you to The Northern Lights Organisation for providing a space and organising a very deep and meaningful seminar. The Ambassors of Change / Erasmus + is over and we are on our way home. What happens to you when you think you are going somewhere to learn about one thing and you realise that what's available to learn is soo much more than the topic? Non formal education through Erasmus + really opens space for personal growth through collaboration. What you learn comes not only from the teacher but also from your peers. Living closely and sharing responsibilities together push us to discover dynamics of community living and human systems, conflict resolution and self direction. When we work together we are more, we can do more and even feel like we are more! As I have been journeying through community life over the past 10 years I've worked, volunteered, initiated, opened space, renovated homes, planted gardens and trees and more importantly learned a lot about how we can exist together, work together and choose collaboration over competition. When we can hear others without personalising a criticism or if we can share our opinions and feelings to open ears and hearts, what really happens in those moments is people begin to heal and to truly connect to their own nature, the nature within. This is even clearer to me today after a 10 day seminar. What's true in the way we want to turn our farming systems, also seems true in how we should turn our social structures. - Diversify - Take care - Give nutrients - Protect the roots - Give space - Observe and modify - Nurture and grow Thank you to all of these diverse individuals, co-creating a positive change, taking a piece of this experience out into the world and we have been shaken, let the ripples spread far and wide!! Let's grow together!&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Ambassors of Change Learnings

Day 1 Ambassadors of Change "If nothing changes then nothing will change." Reflecting on what changes we can make to the way we eat, how much waste we produce, how changing agriculture can impact a more ecological future, how we can change ourselves to improve our society and how changing our relationship with nature could improve our health.&nbsp; This activity kept me coming back to the same points;&nbsp; ‌ Be aware of yourself, the products you consume, where your food is coming from, the impact you have on others. ‌ Educate yourself to understand food systems, what you consume and what happens to the waste.&nbsp; ‌Buy local, develop new skills and share your knowledge with others. ‌Be an example of the change you want to see in the world. Let's grow together! &nbsp; Day 2 Ver da terre production - Living soil&nbsp; Entering the earth today understanding the layers and components of soil to create the best environment for productive market gardening. Compost, mulching, mixing or not, does it hold water, is it too compact? How can we manage all of that? As I came here with a mission to collect relevant information to take home, I'm relieved to see that there are many things we are already practicing. Some of the new information that I'll definitely put into practice when I return; - Start with the home = build the structure of the soil, no till, leave the roots in the soil, cover 6 months during spring season, remove and plant into the mulch. - Feed the soil = Making compost with a variety of leaves, wood chips, animal manure etc and adding it to the garden when it has started to decompose, not waiting until it has finished. This adds more to the composition of the soils, whereas fully composted only adds food directly for the plants.&nbsp; - The goal is the quality of soil, over feeding only the plants.&nbsp; - Mulching potatoes and leeks. Clearing a space, laying the potatoes, covering with straw up to 50 cm depth, once ready harvest the potatoes, then plant in their place leeks, once leeks are ready, the tiny leftover potatoes may also have grown again giving a second harvest &nbsp; definitely worth a go! - Same with onions &nbsp; This is such a small part of the information available today, but the highlights for me!&nbsp; Thanks to Celine Colombier from Ver da Terre production - YouTube channel about agroecology (french) and again to The Northern Lights project for hosting this course &nbsp; Day 3 Forest gardening for production What a great day &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; We spent today looking at how we can design our own forest garden. Going through the components to examine, before putting the plan on paper. How to plan and then an afternoon in action, creating our own plans for The Northern Lights project learning space. This type of design is really trying to minimise resources coming from outside by creating a closed circle of resources. Over time as the space develops interventions such as pest control, pollination and mulching will all happen onsite.&nbsp; There has been so much helpful information today from the seminar and I also feel the group getting more comfortable with each other and the community life happening fluidly. We took a spontaneous foraging walk after lunch and spent some time learning recipes in the kitchen today.&nbsp; I think the thing I love most about these learning experiences through Erasmus + is how the interactions and knowledge sharing deepens as we move through the seminar and get to know individuals objectives and journey as well as the project needs.&nbsp; A diverse system on all levels here! &nbsp;&nbsp; Day 4 Animal management&nbsp; Well I could have never imagined so much math involved in managing pastures, for now it's not in my plan to make animals for meat production, but there were a few important points from today that will make all the difference for the way I take care of Burrito (our donkey) and who knows if we have more animals in future. So top topics are included;&nbsp; - Observe your land before putting the animals there, making sure your grasses are a minimum of 3 leaves! - Move them before their second round of grazing. - Regular movement helps to feed the soil and allow the plants to regrow and produce better quality of pasture for your animals. - The soil should never be visible! - X x 4 to B by the ß over 1 = lost in all the maths today &nbsp; - The space division was very complex and I couldn't really grasp how to decide the spaces, but I also understood that it's very specific to which animal, the soil quality, climate and purpose of keeping animals.&nbsp; What I loved about the day was the changing classrooms, the temperature dropped today and we have been mostly in unheated spaces. A team of people helped stage a new learning space in the green house which warmed us all and gave us a new classroom experience! The wonders of informal learning, always inspired! Day 5 - Community farm day The day started with a tear and a breakfast reflection. Reflecting on the old and how it can transform into something new (dreamcatcher). The past may not have been what we want now or for the future, but there is so much wisdom and choices and good intentions. The responsibility is with us to move into a future that makes sense for us and days like these are really idealistic.&nbsp; After days of studying the soil and the connections between the plants, microorganisms, animal grazing and mulching material we understand there is a vital connection between them all, when one connection breaks or is removed the systems quality and productivity is lowered.&nbsp; This also seems true in a community system, when we each take our role and do it... be it a task or an activity, a communication or an organisation, each role is as important as the other a connection in the link of a functioning system and we can see when a task isn't done or if a message wasn't communicated, the smooth running is affected and so we can observe and reflect and alter the component or maybe is just time for a dance, a hug, a sharing moment around the fire to regain the balance in the system.&nbsp;Another day of study today @The northern lights project. Topic - Green manure!&nbsp; We explored different ways to use crops as ground cover, fertilizar and much. As with most if this weeks topics we return to the same very important points of land regeneration. Diversifying the land and most importantly improving the quality of the soil. Another great way to do that is by planting crops with different root systems to give better soil structure and adding nitrogen enhancing crops to the ground cover as well. The soil should never be bare. So the crops are planted on the land to prepare it for the coming season, you can chop it down and plant straight into it. This means all the nutrients return to the soil and the structure isn't disturbed by pulling out the roots. There are so many techniques coming into regenerative farming, it's very exciting to be a part of it.&nbsp; We also got a great team together to improve the fencing system here on the farm! Now the sheep will have more space and hopefully they won't get into the veggies &nbsp; &nbsp; Ending the day around the fire is so warming in these cold days and today was no different. As our connections with each other strengthen, we realise how close we are to the end of this intense training.&nbsp;

Ambassadors of Change Erasmus+

The Northern Lights

Is a non-profit association located in France, dedicated to education and land management based on regenerative agriculture , represented and led by a collective on a traditional farm in Bresse (Ain, France).

We bring together people from here and elsewhere around the goal of resilient and
abundant production of our livelihoods through a place that tests the knowledge and practices of agroecology .

In light of the environmental, social and economic prism of agroecological production, we are experimenting with techniques and technologies that are sober and restorative of natural environments, capable of improving the economic condition of individuals and social ties.

A wealth of knowledge and know-how makes this resilient abundance plausible. Constantly refined by scientific observations. We seek to promote their appropriation by everyone during training seminars, participatory construction sites and housing, school workshops and by constituting an encyclopedic network.

At each stage of this experiment, we involve companies, associations, public institutions and individuals who also wish to appropriate this knowledge or know-how and contribute to its dissemination.

 Our goals
Our goals
1- Demonstrate that we have the possibility of meeting our food, water and energy needs without jeopardizing those of present and future generations
2 - Contribute to regional, national and European food security
3- Share our learning and learn from what is done around the world
4 - Welcome and develop cultural activities

Dedicate an agricultural site to experimentation
- experimenting with collective and individual tools and practices to work towards food and energy security, the local economy, soil and biodiversity restoration, and the restoration of water, carbon and nutrient cycles.
Dedicating a farm to making experiments
- experimenting with collective and individual tools and practices that favor food and energetic security, local economy, that restore soils and biodiversity as well as water and carbon cycles.
Training the artisans of change
- through workshops, national and European seminars, volunteering and on-site meetings, we create a hub to connect and support different groups and individuals invested in their own communities, for an ecologically regenerative, economically viable and socially fairer future.