Personal blog
I have a great interest for natural building, permaculture, self-sufficiency, well being, innovative technologies, alternative ways, positive economy, intentional communities, renewable energies, etc. For Piano Man's related posts, see "News" or Facebook.
Food, shelter & love.
As a completion of my Ted Talk, here is my vision of things, my conception of an ideal world. I believe we can organise our system differently, with permaculture, natural building and participatory systems.
"C'est comme le jour et la nuit"
A friend and I have started a little TV serie to show the differences between Belgium and New Zealand, which are directly opposite on the planet. It's all about having fun and comparing the lifestyles, environments and other daily mundane things. It's in French, though, just in case :)
Built an indian tipi
Back a few years, my partner and I set up to build a tipi and live in it for winter. It was more than ticking the box in the bucket list, it was about empowering ourselves to thinking we can actually build homes efficiently and cheaply, and provide ourselves with that experience. Plus we got to stay in a tipi for 2 months!
A curious entrepreneur
Thierry Vandebroek quit his job in search of meaning. He went out travelling, got back to his senses, and started over. It's been over 10 years created Poseco, a non-profit organisation promoting Positive Economy. There are many people doing what they feel right, or what they love. He is one of them.
It's a video interview.
A straw bale home
Last year, before our trip to Europe, I went to a straw bale building workshop in Cargston, a mere 45 min drive from Queenstown. The workshops consisted no less than putting up the walls of a couple's home to be !!! We were around 30 people, supervised by a strawbale experts. I find natural building such as strawbale building so simple, so easy, so efficient that I would want to become a builder to promote it endlessly.
The Hemp museum
Our trip brought us to Amsterdam, Holland. Everyone would have expected us to have a joint in a coffee shop. Well, we did better (?) we visited the hemp museum and discovered the more of the history of hemp and cannabis as well as all its many uses. Hemp could literally save the world.
The curious gardener
Jean-Luc Daneyrolles grows food and distribute seeds... and it's illegal. HUH indeed?! I believe what is going on concerns us all... or put another way: if you eat, you are in! It's a video interview.
Nature & Progres
The travels bring us to a festival made out of...alternative ideas and people. Spot on ! We attended a few workshops, widened our minds about group systems and human relationships.
The Rocket Stove
Daan got into building Rocket stoves, these highly efficient wood burners that burn up to the smoke of the fire in a double combustion, leaves no smokes and only necessitates sticks, plus they can heat a lot... The full workshop 1 hour+
On the road...
A surprise was waiting for us on the road.
Terres Rouges
An abandoned village rebuilt and populated by one man..a story to learn from.
Eourres, alternative village
We first visited Eourres, an alternative village in the mountains. Things over there are quite different and seem to make sense.
The start of the trip
We took off to the South of France. The goal of the travel is to meet and discover alternative ways of life amongst communities, collectives, organic farms, etc. The start of the trip had a surprise for us..a little brakedown in fact.