PARTNERSHIP - MAKE IT HAPPEN

Earlier this year, the Maremma family and Ecovillage Project Kenya decided to collaborate on creating the dream we have held for year.

Located in Ilkusument near Tinga town in Kajiado District, 50 acres of possibilities awaits its potential owners where homes, kitchen gardens, herb gardens, forest and green spaces can be created for generations to come.

The grand plan is organic. It has changed from our original cookie-cut approach to allow for owners the flexibility of creating this project themselves.

We want to first get owners to buy 10 unit shares, an equivalent of 5 acres at Ksh 1M. These being the directors, they will adhere to a required instalment plan to complete the project within a time frame decided by the WHOLE. This time frame can be from 5 years to 10 years.

So imagine this: Each share affords an owner a) 2 acres of land for their home; and their share of land to b) Communal forestry, c) Communal farming and d) Communal common spaces.

SAMPLE PLAN

After buying in, the first phase will have the owners choose to work on the basic needs. What gets done is determined by a collaborated agreement. Each phase will have a paying period that must be stuck to. Here are the possibilities:-

• planning the site design
• inviting vendors for costs
• build a fencing; plant a live fence
• planting trees, bamboo
• build a dam

The following phases will be on building common areas and finally the homes. The possibilities are many. Want to build your retirement home? Want to escape from the city-living and move into a better greener-living? It is possible. There are others like you. Join us! 

A HOUSE IS A HOME

What makes a house a sustainable home? A house that uses the materials at hand, a house that shrinks away from materials that have a negative impact on the environment and instead reach for designs that conserve energy and reduces waste and choose materials that are locally available.

A sustainable home looks different for every one. There are so many choices these days. 

Here are just a few.

COB BUILDING:

In Europe, cob building dates hundreds of years ago. In our continent, African have been and still build with mud and straw. These structures are described as monolithic, that is, the material, straw and mud, is worked layers after layers to create a massive form. It is not like laying bricks! But the art is in shaping the material to wall that are as thick as three feet or less.

ADOBE - EARTH BRICKS:

Did you know that about a third of the world's population live in a adobe houses. Similar to cob building, adobe structures are energy efficient and the bricks are extremely durable. Adobe is mostly made from a mix of clay and sand.

RAMMED (COMPACT)  EARTH:

is a method of building where a mix of earth is compacted in layers between forms. Each layer tends to be approximately fifteen centimeters thick. With a small amount of cement in the mix, a wide range of soil types can be used in this method.

BAMBOO HOUSES:

As an alternative to timber, bamboo is an eco-friendly alternative. Sturdy, the hollow tube in the bamboo has been proven to make the bamboo a strong material that is also not favoured by termites - a bonus! Bamboo builders, who seem to be artisans as well, look at their bamboo homes as a natural flow from form and function.

With a little imagination one could design the perfect space for a small or large family. We at Ecovillage Project Kenya plan on creating a home for its residents. We want to feel at home while care for the environment we plan to leave for our children!