Practical “Sustainability” in the Himalayas

Issue #003, Autumn, 2019                                                                      ISSN: 2581- 9410 We talk about it, others practice it since 23 years. If you take a plane here in Norway it takes approx. 9 hours to Delhi. And if you take the night train, you might arrive in Kathgodam the next morning. If you have ordered a taxi, you will need the rest of the day to drive closer and closer to the Himalayas almost 8,000 m high mountain massif. On an India map you´ll find Uttarakhand in the northern corner, quite close  to both Tibet in the north and to Nepal in the east. Up here in the district of Kumaon, Avani is established. ”The Solar People” approx. 30 people live in this place called “Avani” (earth) which is a non-profit organization. An enthusiastic young couple Rashmi Bharti and Rainish Jain from Delhi came up here to Kumaon to a Hindu Ashram 23 years ago. The young couple saw that people in the villages were on their way from the rural area, their farms and homes to the nearest big city. Why? To find work and to have an income. We don't even have electricity up here, was a typical answer. Rashmi discovered the women's vast experience and knowledge of weaving and dyeing with natural, local colours. Rajnish took care of all the technical planning and they gradually built up this small eco-community up here. When you visit Avani today, you immediately notice all the solar panels and hot water systems on the rooftops. Water that is used mindfully is recycled and used in the landscaping and the garden that supplies th...