A permanent exhibition is under development, managed by exhibition designer Liselotte Öhman from Kivik. The exhibition named ”NaturResurser på Ecotopia” (= Nature resources of Ecotopia) will open at Easter. So now we are building stands and compiling resources from the farm. Everything from dried plants like tea and spices, root vegetables from the earth cellar, pickled berries and vegetables, as well as must and juice to dried mushrooms. We divide these in two categories, wild and cultured. Fresh harvest will be added. Also, examples of birds, insects and invertebrates working at the farm and contributing to the balance of the eco system. The pets – goats, sheep, chickens, cats and wild animals. But also building materials, water and sustainable energy. It feels so meaningful to finally list all the resources from a holistic perspective, and constantly new ones show up. It really feels like nothing is missing. An enormous abundance in only seven hectares. A lot more than we will ever use, even partly. With this exhibition we want to thank nature’s richness and mother Earth!
The last strawbale cabin is getting really colourful. We have plastered with kaolin clay mixed with pigments. Every window that the earthbuilding course participants created last year has got its own look. When we plastered the wall got fuzzy. We then filtered the clay and it turns out, a shredded piece of cloth showed up which we removed. The wall was smooth again. A worker dropped a hat maybe?
Next week the cabin will be opened. Right now the boiled linseed oil is drying, sealing the clay floor.
The bar is now painted and the floor polished with wax. So now we are ready for guests again!
We have started selling books. A learning center must be able to offer books, right? At the book desk we now have the Growing calendar of the year, Bill Mollison’s A Designers Manual, ”Skörda nya smaker” by Anders Kjellsson, Selfsustainability by Mandelmann, Herbert Gruber’s book about strawbale building (in German) and we are awaiting the reissue of Ecological building by Varis Bokalder. But also books about the transition period of today and of course the futuristic novel Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach. It is the very core of this learning center.
This Sunday we had a new meeting about the transition project with a local seed bank and community vegetable growing. It will be exciting to see how it turns out. Today the mobilization course from Social studies at Lund university will visit to hold a future workshop about ”Social mobilization for a worthier and more equal society”. That’s where I studied to be a social worker a long time ago.
