Come help build an Earthship, food forest, gardens and learning centre in Qualicum Bay, Canada

  • Enregistré comme favori 482 fois
  • Activité récente: 14 mars 2024

Disponibilité

  2024 

 Séjour min. souhaité : Au moins un mois

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Infos

  • Description

    Description

    Tony (my husband) and I (Susan) are passionate about sustainability. Together we have four children, and Bentley our standard poodle, Mabel the amazing mouser, and our lovely hens. With our children grown and no longer living at home we are living our dream of building an Earthship and living off grid.

    The purpose of the Learning Centre is to provide inclusive, multi-generational environmental education.
    a. ‘about the environment’ (e.g. Biology)
    b. ‘for the environment’ (e.g. Activism)
    c. ‘through the environment’ (e.g. Empowerment; team work, team building, confidence building and leadership)

    Our goal is to grow and support a community for natural building through hands-on learning and the development of a natural building network.

  • Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

    Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

    Aide avec des éco-projets
    Jardinage
    Bricolage et construction
    Cuisine/repas pour la famille
  • Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

    Objectifs de développement durable de l’ONU que cet hôte essaie d'atteindre

    Objectifs de l’ONU
    Pas de pauvreté
    Faim «zéro»
    Bonne santé et bien-être
    Éducation de qualité
    Égalité entre les sexes
    Eau propre et assainissement
    Énergie propre et d'un coût abordable
    Travail décent et croissance économique
    Industrie, innovation et infrastructure
    Inégalités réduites
    Villes et communautés durables
    Consommation et production responsables
    Mesures relatives à la lutte contre les changements climatiques
    Vie aquatique
    Vie terrestre
    Paix, justice et institutions efficaces
    Partenariats pour la réalisation des objectifs
  • Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

    Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

    Travellers will benefit immensely from our cultural exchange in numerous enriching ways.

    Work Structure and Learning: Your commitment is working 5 hours daily, 5 days a week, typically from Monday to Friday. However, there are exceptions, such as when we host our monthly working bees. If you contribute to the bee day(s), you will have alternate days off. Through this work structure, travelers gain hands-on experience with Earthship building and gardening tasks fostering an understanding of our low impact way of life and the importance of sustainability in our community.

    Education through Environment: We strongly believe in education through the environment. It's the team building, confidence-boosting, leadership development, and teamwork that elevates the journey from mere traveling to a transformative life experience.

    Exploration Opportunities: We encourage and support our guests to get out and play, to explore all that the island has to offer. Whether you're keen on mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, or swimming, everything is within arm's reach. We provide bikes for your convenience.

    A ten-minute stroll will get you to our local entertainment scene – be it live music, karaoke, jam sessions at the Crown & Anchor Pub, or a peaceful walk on the beach. The Lighthouse Country Regional Trail, lies right at our doorstep. Take a morning walk or an afternoon, and witness the beauty of our Coastal Douglas fir rain-forest.

    Community Connection and Cultural Exchange: The heart of this experience is in the connections you'll forge. Engage deeply with fellow guests, our family, friends, and the broader community. There is never a shortage of people, visiting, asking questions, sharing thoughts and ideas. uch interactions offer a unique lens to view and understand our traditions, stories, and local perspectives. We invite you to come with your own experiences and stories!

    We are confident that every traveler will depart with not just memories, but skills, stories, and a deeper understanding of Earthships and the environment.

  • Projets impliquant des enfants

    Projets impliquant des enfants

    Ce projet peut impliquer des enfants. Pour en savoir plus, consultez nos directives et conseils ici.

  • Aide

    Aide

    We have a need for Earthship builders and garden helpers. No experience is necessary; however natural building and construction skills are preferred. A passion for natural building and/or gardening is desirable.

    Earthship
    All 1,225 tires have been placed, filled, pounded and leveled. We have installed the water cisterns, the roof, interior walls and floors. We have passed our plumbing inspection and preparing for our electrical inspection. We have lots of interior space work, including tire wall pack out, can and glass bottle walls, and getting ready for doors and windows.

    Building construction is hard physical work; you will be learning how to build based on Earthship constructions methodologies. As important as getting the various systems in place, is learning how, why and having fun while doing the tasks. Bring your sense of humour, your muscles and your desire to learn and share!

    Community Gardens
    Our food forest is planted; our young fruit & nut trees and berry bushes all need tender loving care to help them along. We have several 12 garden boxes built from waste wood salvaged from our sawmill, and are building a giant sunflower shaped garden. There is lots of building, planting, tending and harvesting to be done. We use mostly hand-tools, although there is a small tractor if needed. Bring your creativity, plant knowledge (or willingness to learn) and your patience. We are all learning!

  • Langues parlées

    Anglais: Courant

  • Hébergement

    Hébergement

    Welcome here! Located a mere 6 kilometers from Bowser town center on Vancouver Island, in Lighthouse Country, this small rural paradise offers a taste of the simple life. In Bowser, you can explore amenities such as a grocery store, bank, real estate office, massage center, public library, the Salish Sea gift shop, a delightful coffee shop, and an array of other retailers.

    Accommodation and Amenities: Our place is a sanctuary for those who love the outdoors. Off the grid and embracing rustic charm, guests can pitch a tent, park their camper van, or RV on the forest's edge (please note there are no hookups). While we offer a cute outdoor solar shower, those craving a hot water shower experience can take a quick bike ride to the local campground. A modest fee will get you all warmed up! And rest assured, our outhouse is well-maintained and stocked with actual toilet paper for your comfort.

    Culinary Delights: Our outdoor kitchen- the Cafe - is the heart of the communal experience. Equipped with a fridge, cook top, stove, double sinks, and all necessary cooking utensils, it's a hub of culinary creativity. While the kitchen is stocked for a self-serve breakfast, lunchtime sees us coming together to craft soups, sandwiches, salads, complemented by coffee or tea. Dinners vary, featuring dishes like pasta, Buddha bowls, and fresh in season vegetables from our garden. A popular activity is our "build your own pizza" night, where toppings range from an assortment of veggies to specialty items based on guest preferences. Our menus are typically vegetarian, but can be tailored to include seafood, meat, or dairy. Notably, we respect dietary restrictions – if we have a vegan guest, the meal will be vegan.

    Responsibility for the kitchen's cleanliness is shared among all, fostering a sense of community. And, as a reminder, fresh drinking water is always available.

    Engaging in the preparation and serving of dinner is encouraged, as it's an enriching experience. Our past guests have loved this interactive part of their stay, where flavors and food traditions from around the world get shared. Remember to bring along your special spice or ingredient to make the meal uniquely yours!

    Weekend Notes: On Saturdays and Sundays, guests typically plan their own adventures. Feel free to indulge in the fridge's leftovers or pack a lunch and explore with fellow guests. Occasionally, we host special Sunday dinners – we'll ensure you're kept in the loop. And a heads-up for August – our family and friends summer party is an event not to be missed!

    We warmly invite you to experience theDoighouse cultural exchange and immerse yourself in a community that cherishes nature, food, and camaraderie.

  • Autres infos...

    Autres infos...

    Transportation:
    Coming from Vancouver – check out translink trip planner at
    Coming from Victoria – check out BC transit trip planner at

    Bus options from Nanaimo – check out . The stop you will get off is at the foot of Lions Way, Qualicum Bay. You will be right in front of the Sandbar Cafe & Art Gallery. If you’re tired... have a lovely cup of tea, and then continue from there. Cross the street and walk one block up Lions Way, take the first right onto Lioness Blvd and keep on walking. The driveway is about ½ km long. You will know you’ve arrived once you cross the Railway, the RDN trail and arrive at the green gates. Keep right, you’ve almost arrived at the Cafe. You will likely be greeted by Bentley, our standard poodle. He will love you... although he may bark to let us know you’ve arrived.

    All work and no play is no way to spend your life. There are so many things to do on Vancouver Island, the local islands and in our area. Except for our summer working bees, we take Saturday and Sunday off. So do our guests, so we can rest, recharge and have time to explore.

    Tony and I live a very simple life, on the property in our 5th wheel trailer with Bentley and Mabel. We are happiest working on our project, welcoming people from all over the world into our lives. In August we host an annual 'friends and family' summer party. I hope you will join us, good food, music, great people, fun conversations.

    Over the past few years our guests have enjoyed trips to Tofino and Ucluelet, exploring Cathedral Grove (sadly closed at the moment), Coombs “goats on the roof”, Free Spirit Spheres, and O.U.R Ecovillage tour. That's just to name a few; we are in the heart of one of the best recreational area in BC!

    This is just an ‘at a glance’ of all you can see and do in the area. We look forward to welcoming you

    Free Spirit Spheres cool, quirky and truly unique spherical tree-houses offer an exquisite combination of back-to-nature experience with the trendy phenomenon of ‘glamping’.

    Horne Lake Caves Park is a caving, adventure tourism, company for many ages and abilities located on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

    Lighthouse Country Regional Trail: Take a step away from the beach and walk, run or ride the north and south loops of the Lighthouse Country Regional Trail (LCRT) located in Bowser and Qualicum Bay. The level grade and connection to more trails in the surrounding Crown forest and Wilson Family Woodlot make it easy for everyone to get out and get active while enjoying the beauty of our rare Coastal Douglas-fir forest. NOTE: you’ll cross this trail when you are on the driveway. You can wander or run the path everyday.

    Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park is a short drive away. Impressive waterfalls cascade down a rocky gorge in a beautiful forested setting bordered by steep mountain peaks at this park, one of the most beautiful parks on central Vancouver Island.

    Milner Gardens and Woodlands is about a 25 minute drive away. Or bike along the ocean side; it's a lovely bikeride. Experience the magic of 28 hectares (70 acres) of unspoiled natural beauty perched on the edge of an ocean-side bluff overlooking the Strait of Georgia. Stroll the winding pathways and magical surroundings of an ancient coastal Douglas fir forest.

    About 90 minutes drive from here you'll find O.U.R Ecovillage a permaculture based intentional community and sustainable education demonstration site. Along the way there stop at Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park in Parksville and enjoy the majestic old growth trees, beautiful ocean sunsets and an inviting, wide sandy beach with campsites nestled amongst mature Douglas fir trees.

    Good eats in the bay:
    Here’s a few places to check out for food, live music and of course beer!
    For a home cooked meal, wonderful service try the Sandbar Cafe & Art Gallery a just a five minute stroll down our driveway. Free WiFi available for diners.
    Crown & Anchor Roadhouse Pub: A five minute walk from here; live music, meat draws, karaoke, and jam sessions. Free WiFi available for diners.

    Our community centre is also about a 5 minute walk away, there you will find a monthly Second Sunday pancake breakfast and yard sale. During the week you'll find drop in yoga class (usually Monday, Tuesday and Thursday) and many other fun activities. Google Lighthouse Community Centre Qualicum Bay for the most current info.

  • Informations complémentaires

    Informations complémentaires

    • Accès Internet

    • Accès Internet limité

      Accès Internet limité

    • Nous avons des animaux

    • Nous sommes fumeurs

    • Familles bienvenues

  • Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

    Possibilité d’accueillir les digital nomads

    We are off grid, with solar generated electricity. Our internet services are provided by Star-link. We work on-line and stream videos. Zoom does not always perform well. Eg I can typically participate in a zoom call with up to about 100 people with few or no issues, but do not depend on the service to host a zoom call with more than a few people. When hosting 'critical' meetings on zoom, I work offsite. We're happy for you to use it, but could not guarantee the quality of the service. It works well enough for us, but we have the luxury of being able to toggle to our cell phones if there is an issue with Star-link. As a backup... the cafe at the bottom of the road has free internet. You can find out more about star link here:

  • Espace pour garer des vans

    Espace pour garer des vans

    Many of our guests travel in their campervans and motorhomes; we have plenty of space. One thing to keep in mind... is that we do not have 'sani-dump' services. Those services are available locally.

  • Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

    Possibilité d'accueillir les animaux

    Pets are welcome, as long as they are under your control at all times and you clean up after them. Our cat is a little afraid of big dogs, but our poodle Bentley loves all beings!

  • Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

    Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

    Plus de 2

  • ...

    Nombre d'heures attendues

    Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week

N° de référence hôte : 572438619914

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