Internships at Sunseed

Raphael Prautzsch

„I spent three months at Sunseed as a gardens intern. During this time, I carried out a small project that connected to my academic background. Before joining Sunseed, I had written my Bachelor Thesis on the sustainability of different value chains for pickled vine leaves. Since the vine in Sunseed grows organically, it offers the perfect opportunity to explore pickling vine leaves without the concerns often associated with conventionally grown leaves — such as pesticide residues. Some commercially available products have been found to contain pesticide residues exceeding legal limits, or even substances that are not approved for use in the EU at all (Hayar et al., 2021; Ökotest, 2023)

You can use pickled vine leaves as a pizza topping, in a salad or pesto, or in the traditional way by filling them with grains (typically rice), lentils or soy chunks. Vine leaves are not only tasty but also rich in valuable nutrients: fibre, organic acids, vitamins (A, C, K), minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium), and bioactive compounds like polyphenols and phytosterols. These give them antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties. A key part of sustainable food systems is using land efficiently — what’s called ecological intensification or multiple use of agricultural areas. Vine leaves fit perfectly into this idea because they provide an additional product alongside the grapes.“

Clara Milla

„I am Clara, a former Communication & Sustainable Living intern. I just had finished my Bachelor in Arts in Bozen, South Tyrol. For my thesis, I started an extensive research about the sculptural potential of fibers, both organic and synthetic. I was lucky to be at Sunseed in a period of immense vegetative abundance. The valley was filled with Poppeys, Marigolds, Camomilles and many more plants waiting to be harvested and observed. As we harvested those plants I always took one of the flowers and leaves aside to press them. My idea was to create an extended Herbarium of the plant diversity, found in the Valley. I wanted to experience a new context of working as a graphic designer ( more environmental and social versus capitalistic or commercial) and to follow my emerging interest in herbology and its role in my artistic practice. 

I wanted to combine the traditional scientific Herbarium with a more mythological approach to plants. The Herbarium should not only describe the single plants, their anatomy and their properties, but to give also space to their essence,

their symbiotic relationships and to the magic they carry. One day I dove deep into the tree Eucalyptus and its historic, economic and ecological significance for the south of Europe. It fuelled me to raise my and others awareness of the

actual ecological footprint of paper and to unmask the story of paper, as the most sustainable materials of all. Due to lack of time, I couldn’t finish the project, but I held an educational activity at Sunseed in which we scooped paper out of old paper scarps as well as fibres from Jeans, and gave space for a critical reflection about eucalyptus farms and its impact on the environment. I then took some of the scooped papers and bound small sketch books.“

Leonie Haus

Leonie was an intern in the Organic gardens department. While tending to our many vegetables, herbs and trees she came more in touch with the local gypsum rocks that make up the valley of Los Molinos. Throughout the weeks she crafted a variety of hand braided bracelets and necklaces, often working with the local crystalline gypsum collected in the area. The jewellery was sold in our Sunseed shop and at the local markets. 

Chloé Delpech and Hugo Saigre 

„Hey, I’m Chloé, a French student in an engineering school about renewable energy. I did an internship at Sunseed for 3 months in the department of Appropriate Technology. I really enjoyed discovering how to live in a community and learning about what it is to live self-sufficiently in water and electricity.

I did this internship for my engineering school, the objective was to practise and use our engineering knowledge. I’m very interested in Low Tech and want to learn about how to use engineering skills for more sustainable lifestyles. Together with Hugo, another intern from the same school, we had the idea to build a wind turbine, because the electricity of Sunseed is only produced by solar panels which make the community very dependent on the sun.

First, we did some research about how to build a Low Tech wind turbine, then we did a plan and drawing, and we did a list of all the things we needed. We determined the cost of our wind turbine by trying to be as inexpensive as possible and by maximizing the use of recycled materials to be more sustainable. Finally, the day before leaving, we put the wind turbine on the roof of Main House, but we didn’t have time to finish the electrical part. So there is 3 cables with the 3 phases of the current produced, but now we need to plug it to the batteries with an AC/DC converter and

maybe a stabilizer of current and voltage. Thanks to this project, I learned how to make a generator of electricity with copper wires and magnets, and used some tools to build the wind turbine.“

Hugo and Chloé also used a broken bike of Sunseed, reassembled the parts with other recycled materials and connected it to a blender. Now we can blend foods, make hummus and creams, just by using our legs!

Pierre Salvi

Pierre worked on our plot called 'Jacinta‘ where a lot of caña reeds grow. The plant is invasive and grows aggressively along our riverbed threatening the biodiversity as well as becoming a threat during floods. Pierre helped cutting down hundreds of the caña, collecting them and reusing them to build roof structures in Sunseed. They were also used to build fences and paths in the garden. During a workshop with the local Esparto expert the caña sticks were used to braid baskets that we use for collecting herbs and local plants.