Use Your Green Thumb And WWOOF For Great Travel Opportunities

by
Wwoofing by the sea

Wwoofing by the sea (Photo credit: Peter Blanchard)

If you have a green thumb, need a vacation, and you are willing to work approximately 4 hours a day in exchange for room and board, WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms) may be your ticket to paradise.  WWOOF is an exchange program that started in the United Kingdom in 1971 for people at least 16 years old, who are interested in organic farming and travel.  You, the WWOOFer, pay your travel costs, but do pay any living costs, and the host farmers do not pay you a wage.  Rather, for a period of time predetermined by the WWOOFer and the host, you get hands-on experience in organic and sustainable farming, and the farm gets extra hands.

WWOOFing opportunities exist globally.  Those interested can WWOOF in the United States or abroad.  An excellent place to begin your WWOOF journey is at the website, www.wwoofinternational.org/.  This is a comprehensive site that thoroughly explains the program, requirements and rules for participation.  This site has links for both volunteers and for organic farms interested in participating in this wonderful program.  The site also includes links to specific WWOOF organizations in Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe.  This site specifically addresses any concerns one may have regarding security, VISAS, insurance requirements and even specialty farming opportunities.

WWOOF presents a great opportunity for summer vacations.  The host opportunities come in all sizes and shapes.  A review of the site shows that there even are opportunities for family participation.  What better way is there to spend a summer vacation learning something new and valuable as a family while also providing a service to the environment?  This would be a truly unforgettable vacation with an added bonus of free time to tour places of interest while making a difference in sustainable living.  This also is a great opportunity for high school and college students to enjoy unique cultural experiences during their summer vacations.

For anyone still planning a summer vacation, who is interested in learning about organic farming and who does not mind a few hours of work in exchange for room and board, WWOOF certainly should be a consideration.  With our busy lives and the constraints of urban living, we often are limited in the ability to learn many aspects of organic farming.  WWOOF links individuals interested in learning about organic farming with experts all over the world, who are more than willing to share their knowledge.  This truly is a great way to live green, be green.

_________________

Sources for this article:

1.  www.wwoofinternational.org/
2.  http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/06/15/wwoofing.volunteer.farming/index.html

Social Entrepreneurship and Bahay Kubo Organics

by

Social entrepreneurship encompasses the relentless drive to disrupt the “now” and to create something out of nothing in order to improve the way in which we live. Often, social entrepreneurs possess a passion characterized by the altruistic desire to better their communities and better the world in which we live. That is exactly what Ryan Aguas and his colleagues are striving to accomplish in the Philippines with Bahay Kubo Organics.

Immediately after graduating from Fordham University, Ryan Aguas returned to Manila, and along with Enzo Pinga and Illian Pascual, founded Bahay Kubo Organics, a social entrepreneurship venture designed to combat the local scarcity of reliable and affordable sources of food for low-income communities. Ryan and his team have innovated aquaponic farming techniques that incorporates both aquaculture and hydroponics to develop a sustainable ecosystem for assorted plants and fish, local staples. Plants are grown vertically, without soil, through a system of filters and rock beds while fish are raised in tandem. The waste from the fish is used as fertilizer for the hydroponic plants, while the plants serve as a filtering mechanism for the fish. They are currently building their first commercial sized facility that is 130 square meters in size. The facility will be used to showcase all of the possibilities of vertical farming.
Below is a video that Ryan made, showing us exactly how the system works.
Bahay Kubo Organics is working to spearhead several social issues at once that have unfortunately plagued the Bahay Kubo Community. With this venture, they ultimately hope to eliminate any concern for food scarcity, reduce environmental degradation throughout the country, and eventually establish a sustainable farming culture that can help locals establish a means to earn a respectable living. We are confident that Ryan and his team will be successful with this venture, and we will continue to follow them on their journey. Most recently, they made it into the top 10, out of 300 projects entered into Project Pagsulong, a nationwide competition seeking the next “big” social enterprise all over the Phillipines.
Here you can see a video that features Project Pagsulong
Please give Ryan, Enzo, and Illian your support as they try to better the world and help in the mission for everyone to consciously live green and be green in all that they do. LGBG solutes Bahay Kubo Oragnaics and their mission as true, social entrepreneurs, daring to take on the world.
A link to their Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/BKOrganics?fref=ts. Please “Like” them and learn more!
Bahay Kubo Pic