E-Newsletter from ZED Earth - April 2014
Earth Update
IT'S BETWEEN US ... It s axiomatic that if we don t have information, there are more questions and concerns that arise in our minds. You are no exception just as we are not. We will offer this Earth Update every month. We will offer you little and big details of what we are doing and what is getting positioned. It will also help us understand each other, what we do in our lives, what we read, what we watch, and how we bring about an understanding of each other s inclinations in life, and our lifestyle. It will also help you bring a stronger cultural fit with other members within the campus here.
GROUND REPORT FROM ZED EARTH PHASE 1 Ten homes have been handed over till now and seven more by month end. A dedicated team has been commissioned to identify various areas of improvement. A well-known project management company is being roped in to offer an objective audit of the project. The audit will cover snags, finishes including electrical appliances, water fixtures etc. We have 19 more homes which are at an advanced stage and will be delivered between end September and October 2014. The single big challenge that has slowed our progress has been the availability of quality wood for the windows and doors. This means that the frames for these homes are going to take another 45 days as we write - into about mid-May. We are in the meantime ensuring that all the other work relating to these houses are completed barring the final flooring, electrical and water fixtures. After the handing over of these 36 homes, we would have 5 more which are scheduled for completion by September. This leaves only 3 more villas in Phase 1 that remain unsold. These will also be taken up as soon as confirmations come in from the buyers. This means that the number of workers who come into Phase 1 will reduce dramatically by July end. There are a around 6 families residing at the campus; others are likely to move in as we hand over the homes. So we have charted out a protocol after receiving feedback from existing residents. ď‚&#x; Work should be stopped inside Phase 1 after 7.30 or
CLUB ZED KICK STARTS POST SUMMER Work has started as of end-March. Broadly, the club would offer a reception area, a foyer and a well-equipped fitness center with change rooms to support. We plan to have an outdoor courtyard, a large water body with underwater lights, a community space at two levels, a large swimming pool meeting every norm of the sport, with change rooms and support structures. The Club would also have a indoor badminton court. The club area alone is a little over 2 acres. The ancient peepul tree on the southwest corner of the club area, as well as the ones that flank the clubhouse on the north will be retained with only some nudging supports in terms of traditional values of Kattes and such. The lighting system of the club is being worked out, with underground lighting infrastructure. There will be an alfresco dining area as you step into the club area for people to sit on an evening and chat. The club should be open for use by end August.
THE ZED EARTH FAMILY GROWS BIGGER The last year has seen inclusion of new members at the rate of approximately two families every month. We have a mixed portfolio of customers working across India; in Bangalore; and some working outside the country. The profiles are formidable, all of them leaders with over 30 years of inspiring experience. All of them blessed with an understanding of far ranging issues, the deeper values of zero energy development, and what the campus represents in terms of hope, happiness and health. We are taking care too, for instance, to ensure that parthenium and other pollen bearing weeds & plants are completely rooted out of the ZedEarth campus. We are doing our best to ensure water-efficient species that lend to productivity and non-salinity of soils, or medicinal and aromatic species that enhance the air quality in the campus.
ZERO FOOD MILES SET FOR LAUNCH
max 8 PM. ď‚&#x; Come October, there would be no workers coming
through this campus to reach Phase 2. We would have a separate access created for them to enter Phase 2.
ACCELERATING WORK AT PHASE 2
A few residents have volunteered to oversee the production of vegetables like greens, gourds, legumes, and cereals. We don't expect to sow wheat and paddy but cereals like corn and millets like Ragi, and perhaps Bajra and Jowar as part of the Zero Food Miles Plan using lands in the common areas. We are waiting for mid-May when the lands will be moistened with the April showers. That will be a good time for us to get started on a planned scale for such urban agriculture. We want to see if we can produce 30 kg a month for every resident or for those who use it as a weekend home.
Work has started on 21 villas and the expected time of completion would be approximately 12 months. We are ensuring a tight control on both construction as well as project coordination with respect to time, quality and delivery schedules. We need to commission work on a multi tasking basis so that works that don t overlap can be implemented parallely.
The Zero Food Miles program holds lot of exciting potential. It will be the first time that any such residential campus anywhere is undertaking such a progamme. We will invest in making this happen in the initial round. We expect it to become economically efficient with the vegetables being paid for at normal rates by you ZedEarthers and other friends you may recommend.
Another 5 to 6 villas would get started this quarter [April - June] and that would take the tally up to about 28 villas. There would be 65 villas in all, in Phase 2. We have 36 ZedEarth townhouses on the far end toward the Club Silent Spring where work is all set to commence. We expect Phase 2 work to continue till at least December 2015, if not later. Apart from being the quietest, it continues to be the largest villa campus to the north of Bangalore and is rated amongst the greenest in the world.
If there is an element of cost overrun, we would bear it in the interest of nurturing such mission objectives. It is in this context that I request each of you ZedEarthers to participate in this plan. We don t expect you to be live the life of active farmers! If you can pitch in with your leadership inputs on how we can achieve efficiency on the operational and tactical strategies of growing these vegetables, it will be a great help for us. This is purely voluntary as you understand. We don t expect you to do it, but we will be happy if you did.
Harikrishna President ZED Communities
For private circulation only