Build an environmental training center in Moldova

Dear friends,

Thanks to your generous contributions over the past 2 months we were able to take our first steps towards building the Environmental Training Center in Moldova. Despite freezing temperatures, our natural building adventure started with collecting reed from the nearby lake. Quality reed is harvested only in winter, when the lake freezes over and the reed sheds its leaves.

With your support we managed to hire 10 villagers and an eco-transport – good old horse cart – to harvest all the reed we’d need this season. It was nice to see teenagers, grandparents, housewives and seasonal agriculture workers all on one team, earning a fair wage without having to leave the country. One of the workers told us: “My cousin invited me to go to Moscow this winter. I’d have a chance to earn more than in the village, but the risks would be much higher too. Thank you for offering me a chance to work here on building the Eco-Training Center and take care of my 3 kids and my aging dad.”

The harvested reed will be used to super-insulate the Training Center. We tested the material in 2015 on a residential house and the results were astonishing. A thermal audit that measures the temperature of interior and exterior walls (an indication of insulation efficiency) showed that when outside wall temperatures were -13 Celsius (9 Fahrenheit) the interior wall was a cozy +26 Celsius (79 Fahrenheit). It turns out that reed is an extremely effective building material that is also local, economical, carbon-negative and energy-efficient!

At the end of February we’re organizing a focus group meeting with architects, designers, trainers and other Eco-village stakeholders to finalize the architectural design of the Environmental Training Center.  Please visit our FB page to find more details about our progress.

Thank you for your continuous support!