Reaping the Fruits

Three stories about country life

The Japanese phrase has become an integral part of the country’s approach to health care and ties in with the popular trend to re-indulge the basic human yearning to experience and be at one with nature. More and more urban people in western metropoles are being drawn into the woods and the wild. And increasing numbers of country holiday homes chosen as the base camp for »forest baths« bear witness to the development. But many people’s dream goes much further than just dangling their toes in an occasional forest bath and they want to dive straight into the heart of nature: remove a life living close to and in harmony with nature, reaping the literal fruits of your own labor. We have taken a look at three projects that have taken this leap:

Deep in the Welsh back country 10 people have come together to live, laugh and work as a community. A sustainable relationship with nature and its resources is the fundamental value on which their undertaking is based. In their effort to leave as little of a detectable footprint as possible, the Brithdir Mawr community is connected to neither the electricity grid nor the public water supply. Which makes a sudden urge for a hot cup of coffee a hard one to satisfy! Shopping from the Fair Trade range at the local organic supermarket therefore represents a shady compromise for the otherwise self-sufficient members of the community. Digital entertainment, in the form of DVD players, laptops and an internet connection remove, is available, but their usage differs widely from what would qualify as average - not least because of a limited power supply. The members are fed by the fruits of two large fruit and vegetables patches on which they grow everything the Welsh weather will allow. Bees are kept for honey, chickens lay fresh eggs and goats provide the community with milk. The only means of transport available are horses and fish from the surrounding bodies of water makes for an occasional treat. Life without a fridge facilitates creativity and the re-discovery of such crafts as brewing and preserving. The community shares its collective knowledge of gardening and subsistence farming with WWFers, other nature enthusiasts, shortstay visitors and through workshops: a field testing laboratory for a minimal footprint.

As strict as the project plans were as laid back life in the project ought to be. In corporation with a consulting firm the housing complex for the Pries Residential Project project was erected within 18 months. Now, 60 people live in individual flats and houses spread over six two-story buildings, with a combined living area of 6,500 square meters. The project’s goal is to facilitate a »community of people of different ages and with diverse views and interests«. A miniature village far away from the conservative body of thought prevalent in many country villages. The city is still close enough for a spot of shopping but the area is framed by paddocks and fields; and a communal garden which provides fresh vegetables. The project

appears to have charted the perfect middle ground between the hustle and bustle of an urban life and retreating to a lonely clearing in the woods. Living roofs, solar panels, rainwater systems, DIY playgrounds, a sauna, a repair shop – they all contribute to a rich experience for all inhabitants. There are parties at the community hall and the courtyard with its benches provides an ideal meeting point for the elderly people to spend their time socialising. Who is allowed to move in or own accommodation is governed by strict rules which have to be met by new members in order to qualify - once they pass, the laid-back life begins.

Neuwagen Mill situated in the romantic Jammertal, a valley in the Taunus Mountains of Germany, was built in the 18th century. In 1995, six adults and five children moved into the disused water mill to »revitalize the valley and make it laugh and play again«. Today five people between the ages of 28 and 63 call the mill their home far away from civilization. Sewage is treated in a reed plant and the water wheel generates electricity. While people elsewhere may moan about the endless rain the people at Neuwagen Mill rejoice in enough power to run the washing machine. The mill isn’t covered by a mobile phone network and »digital detox« is a given. The secluded location gets the creative juices flowing and so in 1988 the group launched their first event. Now, instead of a place where grain is ground to flour, the mill has become a place where art helps remove the awareness to flourish. The original Flux festival soon created impulses of its own and exploring themes like »Why is the goddess riding on a white bull?« it has now become an interactive arts festival with accompanying educational program. The entire area is an open air exhibition showcasing several permanent installations. Various changing temporary exhibitions can be explored in the old cellars, barns and stables and bring both artists and arts enthusiasts into the valley.

As strange or even extreme as these three different ways of life may appear to some people all communities strive to make their little corner of the world a better place; for themselves and for the generations yet to come.

AUTHOR: NUNA HUSEMANN | Nuna Hausmann is as a freelance communications designer. She currently resides in Berlin but has previously worked in social institutions in Tel Aviv, Buenos Aires and Rome.