Swomp, permaculture in amsterdam

Discussion in 'Permaculture Groups, Contacts Activities Anounceme' started by swomp, Apr 28, 2009.

  1. swomp

    swomp Junior Member

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    A group of traditionally squatters activist in amsterdam occupied a piece of ground on the premises of a demolished school in the middle of the city. As a guerrilla gardening action we started informing the neighbourhood about climate change and peakoil, the global robbing of nature and the global south. We started living there in caravans and set up an environmental friendly sustainable household, named s.w.o.m.p. which is a dutch abbreviation that loosely translates as: smart mobilehome inhabitants on beatiful places, but then more funny... Inspired by permaculture we started developing the, until then bare, terrain covered in sand. Now, almost a year later we live there with energy from solar pannels, an eco-compost-toilet, collecting rainwater and with a groundwater-handpump. we have build a little straw-bale house for a living room and kitchen (the four of us have our bedrooms in caravans) and the whole lot became an experimental garden for a sustainable future. We have an open garden day every sunday, bringing people from the city in contact with their food, with new ways like permaculture and with concious consuming. we do skillsharing workshops on a regular base and allready a transition initiative is spun of from this, by the people of our direct neighbourhood.

    we have a website that is gradually being translated to english:
    https://swompenglish.wordpress.com
    much more is available on our dutch website, if u cant read it there are still a lot of nice pics on it:
    https://swomp.wordpress.com

    we can be contacted through [email protected]
     
  2. Pablito

    Pablito Junior Member

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    Re: Swomp, permaculture in amsterdam

    Wonderful idea in a wonderful city.
    Go for it!
     
  3. swomp

    swomp Junior Member

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    Re: Swomp, permaculture in amsterdam

    our website is now translated to english almost completely,

    visit it at swompenglish.wordpress.com
     
  4. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    Re: Swomp, permaculture in amsterdam

    Fantastic.
    Where did all the goodies come from?

    So the place is not a SWAMP? Pity I was going to ask you about swamp permaculture plants :) ;)
     
  5. pebble

    pebble Junior Member

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    Re: Swomp, permaculture in amsterdam

    Wow, this is very cool and exciting. Thanks so much for putting up an English version.
     
  6. swomp

    swomp Junior Member

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    Re: Swomp, permaculture in amsterdam

    Hi all,
    i just wanted to bump this topic,
    i can inform you all that the transition town group in the neighbourhood is starting to really get off.

    one subgroup focusing on education aims to get the swomp to be legalised, and since the ground which is city government property and has educational destination, start a educational centre for sustainible development, working together with the schools in the neighbourhood. off course teachers would be permaculture educated teachers, and apart from a small straw-bale classroom most of the ground would be garden.

    Another project is that next year part of the public park in this neighbourhood will be transformed by a permaculture team into an educational forrest walk. We will try to recreate a normal ecology which is usefull at the same time, and at the same time, since it is a public park educate people about by signs and organised walks.

    the transition town site is in dutch, but the swomp site is available in english also:
    www.swompenglish.wordpress.com
    love and rage
     
  7. ecodharmamark

    ecodharmamark Junior Member

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    Re: Swomp, permaculture in amsterdam

    To the Good People at SWOMP

    A big, happy welcome to the PRI Forum.

    Sorry I missed your initial post and the subsequent thread, and thanks to the comrade who earlier today alerted me to this fact.

    Reclaiming abandoned and neglected public lands, occupying and converting those same lands through hard graft, and in doing so providing self sufficient living space space for yourselves, and an education space for your local community, is a wonderful thing.

    I have now had the time to explore your website, and I must tell you I am very impressed with the level of autonomy that you have been able to maintain, well done.

    Ideology in itself is useless unless people are prepared to follow it through to its natural end - which requires action. Your example is a brilliant lesson for us all in a direct and ongoing action that provides valuable returns to you as individuals, as a communal group, as a wider local community, and to all of us who share an existence on Earth.

    Please keep us informed of your situation, and if there is anything we (I can only speak for myself here) can do to help you in your endeavours.

    I note you have an interest in peddle power. The following may offer encouragement and inspiration:

    Mechanarchy (The Anarchist Savants)
    https://www.mechanarchy.com.au

    Solidarity, Marko.
     

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