FARM IN TAPALPA, JALISCO (2)

Our eco-village is an organism in continuous movement and growth, always busy with activities of all types, from planting and sowing to building and paving. We are a settlement in constant improvement.
If you enjoy working with your hands, or want to rediscover nature, the eco-village Léa is for you. You could just as well prepare a garden bed to building a house of straw. If you are curious about experimenting with new techniques, “mi casa de paja” will provide the materials you need and the location to try it out. Just bring your ideas!

Why this project?
We want to establish a home representing the most varied ecological techniques, to promote them in Mexico and beyond, and document their pros and cons. Most of us will stick to conventional construction techniques based on industrial processes not because we prefer them, but because we ignore the great diversity out there.

Who are we?

“Mi casa de paja” is a family initiative that came about through a combination of factors:

· An experienced entrepreneur who refuses to do things in traditional ways, focusing instead on adapting new technologies to address our most basic needs for shelter and proximity to nature.
· A humanitarian worker who managed post-disaster reconstruction projects in Mexico and the Caribbean, with a strong interest in promoting alternative ideas to help people rebuild their homes in a more efficient and more environmentally-conscious approach.
· A master’s graduate who decided to become a full-time mother and to focus on the quality of our lives, emphasizing the balance between our body, mind and soul for the duration of our stay in this world.

These founders and their family and friends all contribute to this project in different ways, with their ideas, knowledge and labor.

Our Project:
We aim to build small huts using as many different techniques as possible, straw-bale, adobe, bags, tires, etc. with the goal of opening up these experiments as part of a rural ecotourism alternative for anyone interested. We will aim to put in practice all available information from internet, books and teachers knowledgeable in all environmentally-friendly, self-construction techniques.

Some of the techniques applied in the Project include:

- Agriculture and soil improvement techniques:
o Permaculture
o Auto-consumption
o Terracing for water retention

- Self-construction:
o Straw-bale homes
o Adobe / mudbrick homes
o Super-adobe homes
o Pallet homes
o Sandbag homes
o Stone homes
o Homes of glass and plastic bottles

- Permaculture Organic Farm in Tapalpa, Jalisco:
o Build terracing and rain-collection mechanisms.
o Test vegetable gardens, organic agriculture and soil-improvement techniques. Help develop organic agriculture and sustainable agriculture practices in a 3.5 ha experimental lot. Establish orchards with pears, apples, beans and corn, while aiming to combine plants of all types.

- Sustainable architecture:
o Construction of different ecological construction techniques from around the world in a single location (straw-bale, adobe, pallets, etc.)
Creativity is a key ingredient for the construction of these shelters, which in turn will allow us to receive more volunteers in the future. We’re currently offering comfortable and entertaining bunk beds for those willing to visit us.

Volunteer with us:
Do you want to put your spare time to good use? Learn as you build, the best way to take on new skills.
We welcome students, architects, agricultural specialists, managers, home-makers, or any other person interested in learning and sharing this experience.

- Meals:
o The eco-village provides a place to sleep and three meals a day for 5 hours a day, 5 days a week in both construction and gardening activities.
- What do I need to bring?
o Sheets, sleeping bag and whatever you need to stay warm at night.
o Work clothes, books for reading and a lot of energy and enthusiasm to work in a unique setting.
- What does the project site look like?
o A hilltop piece of land of 3.5 ha (about 4 football fields), located at 2,100 meters / 6,800 feet above sea level and overlooking the Nogal dam (120 meters below), the Colima volcano, the Manzanilla valley and the Nogal waterfall. Unforgettable sunsets and sunrises and all the stars you can count (and a few).
- How to find us? Upon reaching the historic village of Tapalpa, ask for the Nogal dam and the Remanzo huts, we’re on the hill right behind (800 meters).
- What is there to do in Tapalpa? Cross-country biking, fishing, paragliding, kayaking, paddle board, hiking, touring the historic Tapalpa town center, feasting on Mexican food.
- General info:
o Name of the farm: “ecoaldea Léa” (Léa eco-village)
o Manager: Gustavo Rodríguez Bojórquez

- Information on the surroundings: Tapalpa (“place of colored earth” in nahuatl) is a municipality of Jalisco, Mexico, 118 km (112 miles) south of Guadalajara. Its 16,000 inhabitants are mainly focused on service industry, of which tourism is an important part. It is a certified “Pueblo Mágico” (“magic village”), with similarities to Australia for its beauty and natural settings. The climate is moderate, with dry autumn, winter and spring. Most rain falls during June and October, with an average rainfall of 904 millimeters. The annual average temperature is of 5.2°C (41°F), with ranges between 12.8°C (55°F) and -4°C (25°F). Dominant winds head east and northeast.