Sustainable living

The Sustainable Living (SL) department co-ordinates the smooth running of Sunseed's low-impact lifestyle.

This includes overseeing shared cooking and cleaning duties, implementing the Sunseed Food Policy (to ensure an ethical, local, healthy and low-cost vegetarian diet), running extensive introductory tours of the project for new volunteers and helping them to settle in, organising accommodation and communal living spaces; and monitoring health and safety.

A team of folk helping with the Pomegranate harvest.

Foodpolicy Oct 18-2010.pdf

SL works closely with other Sunseed departments, for example with Organic Growing to ensure our fresh produce is widely used in the kitchen and that any excess is preserved; with Eco-Construction and Maintenance on accommodation and living space improvements; and with Appropriate Technology on solar cooking and other alternative food preparation techniques such as the haybox and solar dryers.

The SL Coordinator plays a central role in promoting low-impact, sustainable living in everyday life at Sunseed and in developing relationships with the wider local community.

Volunteering in the SL department can see you involved in tasks such as measuring the carbon output of a Sunseed stay, making cleaning products from ash from our clay oven, making chutneys with our local produce and many more.

It can also involve a bit of taste testing!

What we did during the last months?

AUTUMN 2011
Made organic sour dough bread, jams and oatcakes.
Further experiments with sour dough: dried sour dough.
Guided tours for visitors.
Yoga classes 3 times a week.
Preserved autumn fruits, vegetables and herbs.
Harvested almonds (almond pate, cakes).
Harvested and preserved olives.
Created a new communal space for inside activities: The Life Room.
New cushions made of 100% recycled materials for The Life Room.
Improve and decorate rooms and created new spaces in the houses.
Made natural disinfectant for cleaning.
Bio-Botiquin – Natural Firs Aid Box with a selection of essential oils and natural remedies.
Took part on Ecoaltea eco fair in Alicante.
Took part in a handcraft market in a nearby village, Cariatriz.

EcoAltea fair - Feria Ecoaltea

Workshop on Natural cosmetics - Taller cosmetica natural

Yoga class - Clases de Yoga

Preserving pomegramates - Conservando granadas

Whats going on in the next months?

WINTER 2011-2012
Welcoming new visitors. Guided tours.
Transferring the houses to warm and welcoming home, after the winter renovation works.
Making organic bread, oatcakes and jams.
Conversations about healthy diet and Sunseed’s food policy.
Bread and Jam Course.
Participating in the handcraft market in Cariatriz regularly.
Yoga classes.

Sustainable Living Coordinator

NOEMI PRELL "MIMI"

As a child I always dreamt about creating a warm, cozy and loving home. My path lead me to the wonderful valley of Los Molinos and my intention has become to fulfill this dream here, creating a welcoming, amiable and loving home for every traveler arriving to Sunseed.

Sustainable Living – just like everything – starts inside each individual. The understanding of the essential change requires openness, flexibility and positive thinking. That is where my passion meets the aim of the project. As a teacher of yoga I would like to help people to realize their true nature, and develop a healthy and balanced body-mind-spirit to be ready to change the world.