NEWS
MAY 2015:
NEW RARE
FRUIT TREES AVAILABLEA unique opportunity for
serious rare fruit & nut, as well as bamboo collectors
to support Govardhan Gardens by acquiring very rare species or
trading collection species:Rare Fruit Tree
Listing .
NEWS
2015
BAMBOO CONSTRUCTION
WORKSHOP
MARCH 7, 2015
You are cordially invited to attend this
year’s Bamboo Construction Workshop at Govardhan Gardens / Mayagüez
(www.organicfarm.net).
Govardhan Gardens
bamboo construction team (Imre Kausz (structural engineer), Dr.
Deoraj Bharath (builder, lashing and knots), and myself) has
designed the structure. To make the most of your experience,
we will assemble the entire structure during the time of the
workshop.
(Sadhu
Govardhan / Instructor)
(Imre Kausz / Structural Engineer, Builder)
(Deoraj Bharath / Instructor,
Builder)
To accommodate all
participants and keep costs down, it will be an intensive, full day
workshop: Saturday, March 8th,
10:00am – 1:15pm, 2:30pm-5:30pm
The following topics will be covered:
-
Bamboo species best suited for
construction (Sadhu Govardhan)
-
How to harvest bamboo sustainably (Sadhu
Govardhan)
-
How to treat bamboo in ecologically safe
ways (Sadhu Govardhan)
- Construction techniques (Imre Kausz,
Sadhu Govardhan)
-
Hands-on practice with the Bamboo Team
(Imre Kausz, Dr. Bharath, Sadhu Govardhan)
In order to promote
bamboo culture, we decided to keep the fee for the workshop as low
as possible: $125. This includes a vegetarian lunch and
refreshments.
To
reserve a spot (limited to 12 participants!), registration must be
complete, with registration fees due no later than February 28.
Please spread the word
to others who may be interested in learning how to construct with
bamboo.
To register and for
further questions, please contact me at
sadhu@coqui.net
I look forward to
seeing you.
Sadhu
BAMBOO
CONSTRUCTION WORKSHOP 2014
MARCH 8, 2014
The workshop was quickly booked out and the participants
were a very interesting group of enthusiastic and happy bamboo
aficionados.
Naturally, the day was all about bamboo....
.....learning lashing techniques and knots....
....to learning about proper harvesting techniques and
suitable bamboo species...
.....lots of good questions and a high level of attention
span...
....while our builder, Imre, was starting to set up the
foundation of a new bamboo carport.....
.....that
I finished with the help of a timely visitor from
St.
Thomas, Adam, the day after the workshop......
....a simple but sturdy and spacious carport.
All in all, a very conscious and lively group that
contributed to yet another happy and productive
day at Govardhan
Gardens. Our hope is that bamboo culture will continue to grow
significantly in Puerto Rico and one day become a viable option
of ecological construction.
VOLUNTEERS AT WORK (April 18, 24,25 - 2011)
Every year, I am working on several new
projects at my farm. Although I rarely take in long-term volunteers
anymore, a lot of work can get done in a short time. One of this
year’s projects was the clearing of a weeded area in
order to establish several specimen of
Guadua angustifolia,
a structural bamboo widely grown in South and Central America.
My
support this time consisted of John Grady who spends much of his
time doing volunteer work with various meaningful projects around
the island, Daniel who had the best vegetarian restaurant on the
west coast and Guillo, a gifted singer and painter from Jayuya, who
grew up with a farming background. The first phase of our work went
smooth and everyone was happy at the end.
But
there were still a few days of hard work ahead, and just a few days
later, Mike Poland offered to come over from San Juan and help out
some more. He and Gretchen had already been helping months ago with
building a milking station for my goats. Anyone who knows Mike,
knows him as the ideal company: he only wants to help, never be a
burden, and even brings his own food and tools whenever he
volunteers for projects. And just when I thought it could hardly get
any better, two more volunteers offered their help: Jorge Bencosme,
a knowledgeable palm enthusiast who has a deep appreciation for
nature and is one of the more ecologically conscious young people I
know here, and finally Christian, an Austrian student, who visited
for the first time. Although he came all the way up from Mayaguez on
his bike, he didn’t lose any time and worked hard all afternoon.
Everyone’s spirit was contageously positive and I even had to remind
everyone several times that we had already done our quota and that
it was time to stop, but everyone wanted to continue to work. It’s
really hard to find a better group of volunteers.
By the time day #2
was over, all the rough work was done, and Mike and me were able to
finish the remaining finetuning the next day. I was so inspired when I
saw the results that I staked out the areas for the future
Guadua
plants right away. The
Guaduas, which I
will plant within a few weeks will make a wall that will serve as a
windbreak, give some shade and provide culms for some construction
projects around the farm. Just when we were almost completely
finished, a gentle rain came down, as if reconfirming that the land
is ready now to plant the bamboo.
Volunteer Pictures
|
Sadhu
Govardhan is an independent thinker, eco-organic farmer, tropical
rare fruit connoisseur and researcher. Extensive journeys for over
twenty years have allowed him to study indigenous cultures and
different life styles throughout the world.
I would like
to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has helped out this
project over the years. Even if I can't acknowledge all of you
individually since so many people have supported Govardhan Gardens
in so many ways, I certainly remember every one of you. 
