Bruce & Kye

Travel information

We are currently

Description

Hello! We are a British couple who quit our jobs summer 2019 to live as sustainably as we can - while seeing new places, learning new skills and meeting new people. We both worked as university professors: Bruce taught environmental science and ecology, Kye taught sociology and previously worked in social support projects. We are both in our mid 50s, with 2 sons grown up and left home, so it’s time for us to do something different and help look after our planet.

We have enjoyed volunteering at music festivals in England for many summers, doing stewarding, recycling, composting, and running children’s activities. We are enthusiastic, hard workers and don’t mind getting hot, cold, tired, wet, muddy…. We like to be happy and laugh and smile - and we love sitting around a table or a fire, sharing food and stories.

We are keen to keep learning about organic and permaculture gardening/farming, and sustainable lifestyles, low impact buildings, renewable energy, composting toilets, habitat restoration and conservation. Maybe in the future we will be able to start our own project …

We have thoroughly enjoyed many Workaway experiences over the last 3 years: organic gardening in Spain, volunteering on organic fincas in Ecuador, Bolivia, Costa Rica and Panama, working in permaculture communities in Colombia and Chile, farming, gardening and villa maintenance in Argentina, Germany, Italy, Spain, France and Greece. We have also been working on organic farms in the UK through the Wwoof scheme (Worldwide working on organic farms). Our special ability seems to be improving hosts' compost systems - but we have also learned lots about soil care, water management, and all sorts of fruit and vegetable growing tips and tricks, as well as other maintenance and building work.

Interests

Languages spoken

English: Fluent
German: Beginner
Spanish: Beginner
French: Beginner

Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn

Some knowledge of:  

Gardening

DIY and building projects

General Maintenance

Life at a Farmstay

Eco Projects

More details about your skills

We have spent much of the last 20 years as university lecturers, teaching and researching ecology and environmental science (Bruce) and sociology (Kye), and have a lot of experience working with young people, doing biodiversity surveys (Bruce) and environmental education (both).

Before being lecturers, we did a variety of other jobs, including community composting (Kye), and bar and café work. Bruce spent several years as Treasurer of a local Friends of the Earth group. Kye has volunteered with projects that use food saved from landfill to offer healthy meals for disadvantaged communities.

Age

55 & 55

Some more information

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  Smoker

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  Driver's licence

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  Allergies

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  Special dietary requirements
  We both try to be as vegan as we can - for environmental reasons. Where dairy is a central part of any permaculture/organic project, then it is sustainably and ethically practiced and we are happy to eat such eggs and cheese. We don't eat meat or fish tho