Disaster relief, sustainable farm & earthship community center in Aguada, Puerto Rico

Details

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  Description

  🌱 Welcome to Earthship Puerto Rico
  
  This is not your typical farm stay.
  
  We are a working Earthship community center and sustainability project focused on disaster resilience, off-grid living, and ecological construction in Puerto Rico.
  
  If you’re looking for a meaningful, hands-on experience where you’ll learn by doing, push yourself physically, and be part of something bigger — you’ll feel at home here.
  
  🛠 What We Do
  
  Our project combines multiple systems into one integrated ecosystem:
  
  🌍 Earthship construction & maintenance
  🐝 Ethical bee rescue & rehoming
  🐐 Goat systems (including milking)
  🐓 Chickens & egg production
  🌿 Food production (pineapples, bananas, breadfruit, root crops, and more)
  🌱 Sustainable disaster relief initiatives
  🐍 Invasive species management (including snakes, iguanas, feral goats, and wild hogs)
  
  We actively respond to invasive species issues on the island. Depending on the situation, animals are safely removed, relocated, or humanely euthanized.
  
  ⚠️ Important:
  Volunteers are not required to participate in invasive species work. However, you may observe or assist in a limited capacity depending on your comfort level, experience, and the situation.
  
  This is a real working environment, not a demonstration project.
  
  🔥 The Work
  
  We are currently focused on building, maintenance, and land management, including:
  
  Construction & repairs (Earthship + casita projects)
  Heavy lifting (up to 50 lbs regularly)
  Gardening, planting, and clearing overgrowth
  Animal care (feeding, cleaning, occasional milking support)
  General property upkeep
  
  Conditions:
  
  Hot, humid, tropical environment
  Physical, hands-on work
  Fast-paced and constantly changing priorities
  
  If you’re not comfortable sweating daily, this won’t be a good fit.
  
  ⏰ Schedule & Expectations
  Work starts at 9:00 AM
  5 hours per day, 5 days per week
  We are early risers (farm starts around 6:30 AM)
  
  We value:
  
  Reliability
  Awareness
  Initiative (not waiting to be told everything)
  🧠 Who This Is For
  
  This experience is best for people who:
  
  Are genuinely interested in off-grid living / sustainability
  Have construction, farming, or hands-on skills (preferred)
  Are mentally and physically prepared for challenging work
  Can operate with independence and respect for shared space
  Are comfortable being around real-world situations involving animals, including rescue and invasive species control
  ⚠️ Important Considerations
  🐝 Bee environment – not suitable for those with bee allergies
  🍽 Food:
  You are responsible for your own meals
  Some farm ingredients may be shared occasionally
  🚗 Transportation:
  Not guaranteed at all times
  Grocery store is ~5 minutes away
  🚿 Eco-living:
  Only biodegradable products allowed
  🌿 What You Gain
  Real-world experience in Earthship systems
  Exposure to off-grid infrastructure
  Hands-on work with animals, food systems, and land
  Insight into sustainable disaster response in the Caribbean
  Opportunity to be part of a mission-driven project in Puerto Rico
  💬 Before You Apply
  
  Send us:
  
  Your relevant experience
  Why this project interests you specifically
  Any skills you can bring immediately
  🤝 Final Note
  
  We’re building something that matters here.
  
  If you’re just looking for a place to stay, this probably isn’t it.
  If you’re looking to learn, contribute, and grow through the experience, we’d love to meet you.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Elderly Companionship

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Animal Care

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Technology

  

  Pets

  

  Sustainability

  

  Farming

  

  Charity work

  

  Culture

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Plant care

  

  Animals

  

  Gardening

  

  Carpentry

  

  Architecture

  

  Nature

  

  Outdoor activities

  

  Hiking

  

  Mountain

  

  Beach
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  UN sustainability goals this host is trying to achieve

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  What's this?
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  Volunteers on our farm will learn about solar energy, stormwater management, erosion prevention, water catchment/filtration, raising animals by grazing and other natural techniques, Earthship design principles, apiary development, eco-construction, composting and vermiculture, and so much more!
  
  Our farm is 100% Boricua and we are proud of that. You will be fully immersed in Puertorican culture through food, language, music, and dance while you stay with us. We invite you here to work, but you will have a glimpse into our daily lives (and fun) as well. We love that our family get to be surrounded by beautiful people from all over the world who have a common goal; to make the world green and sustainable.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  Our farm functions as a community center, our nonprofit is a disaster relief organization, meaning in the case of a natural disaster we are out working side by side with first responders, it also means we always need to be prepared on the farm to help our neighbors. Because of our community presence, it is essential to keep planting and growing foods !
  
  A few essential projects that are on the list this summer to get hurricane ready are ;
  
  -Gardening and Controlling overgrowth.
  
  - Working on finishing up building and working on the casita behind the farm, and new outdoor kitchen and new renovations
  
  - Working on building stairs and walkways throughout our property as a safety measure for visitors. We use pallets, pounded tires, and other industrially-foraged or up-cycled materials to build stairs and paths.
  
  - We are also working on erosion-prevention, as our farm is susceptible to erosion due to heavy rainfall in this area of Puerto Rico. We are located on a hill. We need people to help stabilize the land by planting strong plants that will anchor into the ground and stabilize the structure.
  
  -Planting of food producing plants and trees.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  You will either be staying in the casita with other volunteers or be camping with space available.
  
  There is also a kitchen, cooler, shower and toilet for our volunteers. We provide standard basic food supplies (eggs, spices, pasta, etc).
  
  Please also be aware that we cannot provide transportation for you to go to the store, beach, or anywhere else. Sometimes we may be able to give you a ride. We may be able to arrange airport drop-offs and pick-ups if you can schedule it ahead, and we may not be the ones giving you a ride. *PLEASE FLY INTO AGUADILLA airport!* Linea Sultana is a shuttle service that takes you to Aguada, as well as Manny Taxi service. We are happy to try to accommodate your needs .
  Thank you in advance!
  
  List of Farm Must Have's:
  -Head lamp or flashlight
  -Sturdy close toed shoes (Keens are a good work shoe brand)
  -Water shoes for off day waterfalls and hikes! (recommended)
  -Biodegradable shampoos and soaps
  -Wide brimmed hats
  -Shower slippers
  -Towels (at least 2 recommended!)
  -Insulated water bottle (always good to have)
  -natural bug spray & sunblock
  -portable rechargeable battery
  -head lamp

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  What else ...

  There is a lot to do in our corner of Puerto Rico, but most notable of these is the beach. In Aguada we are near the coastlines in Aguadilla, Rincón, and Mayagüez. If you are renting or own a vehicle, please feel free to explore the island in your free time. Surrounding us are beautiful surf opportunities, snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, hiking, and local cuisines. There is so much to be seen!

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  Rabbits

  Goats

  Chickens, Turkeys, Ducks and more!

  Different Exotic Reptiles

  Claudi

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