Marina Gorobevskaya

Unfortunately mud bricks are not good for earthquake-prone areas, which was proven by the devastating 1966 Tashkent quake. I'd go for cob, not bricks in that region.

Hi Erica,

I'm originally from Kazakhstan, it's great to hear that there is a permaculture startup, it would be great to visit them when I'm back. I live in China now, and there is a fair number of people moving into permaculture here too.

Traditional Kazakh and Kyrgyz housing is of course the yurt, made of felt over wooden framing. While think felt provides good (though possibly a bit smelly) insulation, I have never seen it used to the full, like with fire, smoke and everything, so not sure how that would be. The Kazakhs have settled down during the Soviet period of their history, so if you want to experience the traditional lifestyle you should go to China or Mongolia.

In Uzbekistan and Tajikistan people have settled down long time ago, they used to build their houses from mud bricks or stones, and more prominent structures from red or yellow brick. I saw one ancient brick caravanserai in Uzbekistan desert built completely underground, an excellent shelter from extreme temperatures. Not sure is anyone alive now still has the skills though.

Let me know if you'd like to visit!
Marina

The project you are invited to help with is a kids camping site in a valley one hour away by bus from downtown Hangzhou (Hangzhou is not far from Shanghai). We are creating at outdoor space for children to experience the wilderness, gardening and just have fun.

We are a group of permies who are here for three months to help build a permaculture system and from June 1 to August 31, looking for 5 foreign volunteers who love permaculture, sharing, fun, who want to experience life in China and make new friends - work in exchange for food and accommodation.

The project includes:
Water harvesting system
Composting, including toilets and hot water for the shower
Food forest
Garden beds
Keeping animals
DIY playground

Expected length of stay: at least 2 weeks

Work schedule:
5 days a week
7:00-10:30 AM
3:00 - 6:00 PM
(might change with the weather)

sometimes we have different projects in the morning and the afternoon, but there will be also routine work

Meals:
Breakfast 7AM
Lunch 11AM
Dinner 6PM
(the time might change depending on the weather)

We offer Chinese food. Volunteers take turns helping the cook. Bring your favourite snacks, the closest supermarket is 20 minutes away by bus. The vegetables are from the market.

Accommodation:
Tents in a sheltered area under a roof, two people in one tent. If you bring your own tent you won’t have to share one. Please bring your own sleeping bag and a sleeping pad(You can also buy a tent, a pad and a sleeping bag in town).

Since it’s tent accommodation we don’t recommend bringing valuable possessions, there will also be visitors on the site and we don't have lockers at the moment.

Internet:
Limited wifi, only to check your mail or look up something online, not for watching videos.

There will be Chinese volunteers on site, so if you are learning Chinese there will be good language immersion opportunities.

Due to the physical nature of labour at the site there are potential injury hazards, volunteers should be able to take responsibility for their own health.

We will not be able to help you get a visa to China.

The toilet is Chinese style squatting composting toilet.

Welcome to China!