ECO-SOLUTIONS:
Here are many natural efforts we are doing to help our ecology and environmental health:
Taliesin – The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture Partnership
Wright’s philosophy is called “organic” and his architecture uses locally available building materials, increases safety through good design applications, and pays close attention to the human uses of buildings so that a synergy flows into the final building and landscape creation. His philosophy is very important to our agrarian lifestyle, and will help us to learn helpful natural steps we can take to eradicate our poverty, improve our water and food resources during climate changes, and appreciate the fact that people all over the world will want to come see the campus as a model of ecological success. We welcome the Taliesin model which includes solar power, natural water catchment processes and enhanced environmental stewardship we want to regain as we try to complete the Five Year Plan for our 30-acre campus.
Taliesin has a vision of the Nawantale Mountain Conference Center and Habitat which will be the highlight of our campus. The Conference Center will be a training location for global businesses, healthcare conferences, future Taliesin students, and ecologically-minded visitors upon completion. We will welcome you to come see the Taliesin vision here in Nawantale, Uganda, and your attendance here will help us sustain our campus and eradicate poverty through ouremployment and management of the Conference Center, guest Habitat complex, and culinary School and Restaurant. We would like your help in this vision.
Fig. 1-Taliesin’s Hudson conducts workshop Village Leaders, June 2008
Fig. 2-The new Taliesin Lead is Dakotah Apostolou, whose brick design for the new library will be built by the villagers.
Living Fences
We are happy to learn that our practice of laying dried branches atop growing Lantana bushes creates a natural barrier called “living fences” which keeps our livestock and other animals from damaging our fields.
Fig 3-Creating a New Living Fence with Dried Branches |
Fig. 4-Full-Sized Living Fence, Nawantale Village |
Energy Saving Cook Stoves
The government of Uganda has trained a team of Nawantale masons, both men and women, to install energy saving stoves so that we will not deplete our forests for wood and charcoal so rapidly. Nawantale village has already installed numerous stoves in family cooking kitchens and we are learning the steps we need to take to reduce our dependence on wood.
Fig 5-Two Burner Stove Uses Little Wood for High Heat |
Fig. 6-Single Burner Stoves Use Reduced Fuels |
Edible Landscaping, Mixed Use Farming, and Re-forestation
The Community School Country Office now has an edible garden which reduces dust, and uses grey water as the water supply to grow dodo [a spinach-like plant] and passion fruit on site. In addition, we are growing maize in smaller patches among trees and other crops to avoid clearing land and risking erosion from floods or loss of roots to hold the soil. And, we plant trees on the campus land, some edible, some for shade. We have a new well thanks to donors on our campus land.
Fig.7-Edible Landscaping, Compound, 2008 |
Fig. 8-Edible Landscaping, Compound 2010 |
Fig 9-Young Trees on Project Land
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Fig. 10-New Campus Well for Drinking Water, 2010 |
Won’t you help us with the construction of the eco-campus?
Please join our vision and donate. You will become part of the only campus in Africa designed by the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. Thank you!
