Archive for June, 2014

Coconut Toothpaste

Coconut Toothpaste

  • 1 cup #coconutoil
  • 1 cup baking soda
  • 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
  • 1/4 cup #turmeric
  • 1/4 cup #ginger
  • 1/8 cup pepper
  • 1/8 cup salt
  • drops of tea tree oil
  • drops of clove oil
  • drops of vanilla extract

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The field laid out in the shape of butterfly wing and border of each field is stable with coconut husk and the rest now being mulch with dry grass for later planting. Here you see our gardener Kadek and our italian long-term volunteer Luca. They both become best friends, the italian teaching Kadek english and Kadek teaching to the italian bahasa while working hand to hand.

Butterfly shape garden

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Ni Wayan Eramita is one of our students in her third year of computer programming school. In exchange for working two hours a week at Jiwa Damai, she receives a full sponsorship through the Lagu Damai Foundation.

student with laptop student with can

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This is our Lumbung. This Balinese style housing is perfect for getting you in the right mindset to enjoy all that Jiwa Damai has to offer. The mosquito net allows the sounds of nature to come through but keeps the bugs out.

lumbung outsidelumbung inside

The Kubu (just finished this month) provides a nice retreat after a day of working in the garden. The cozy interior is a nice taste of home, but the beauty of the flowers, trees, and creatures of the garden are just outside the door (most of the time).

Kubu Room Outside Kubu Room Inside

The Banyan room provides volunteers with a dormitory style living arrangement just off of the main office.

Banyon Room Outside Banyon Room Inside

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Bamboo

bamboobambo3

  1. It’s a Grass, Not a Tree: Despite bamboo’s hardwood qualities, it is actually a member of the grass family. It may not resemble most other common grasses, since it is a woody plant with numerous hardwood uses, but much like everyone’s embarrassing cousin Ned, it’s still part of the family.
  2. Antibacterial: Bamboo as a plant in nature is actually antibacterial, and has the ability to withstand some of the most vociferous bacteria out there. Some studies even show that products made from bamboo, such as 100% bamboo sheets, even retain those antimicrobial properties, and have the ability to kill harsh bacteria such as those that cause Strep Throat.

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Permaculture – giving love to the earth

When searching for a system to develop the Jiwa Damai garden, quite a few years ago, an introduction to permaculture came to my attention. This book touched me deeply, and determined the direction and the system I would introduce here at Jiwa Damai.

As a result of this choice, for the past eight years, I immersed myself into this design concept, translating it bit by bit into the garden..

Looking back, meeting with various teachers, participating in various classes, acquainting myself with permaculture principles and methods, I introduced permaculture trainings as part of our educational offerings.

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More about composting – Vermicomposting Introduction Vermicompost (also called worm compost vermicast, worm castings, worm humus or worm manure) is the base-product of the breakdown of natural material by earthworms. Vermicompost is a nutrient-rich, organic fertilizer, and soil conditioner. The process of making vermicompost is called vermicomposting.   Vermicompost contains not only worm castings, but also bedding materials and organic wastes at a mixture of stages of decomposition. It also contains worms at different stages of growth and other microorganisms associated with the process. Earthworms’ castings in the home garden usually contain 5 to 10 times more additional nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium than the adjacent soil. Secretions in the intestinal tracts of the worms, along with soil passing through the worms, make the nutrients needed by plants more concentrated and available for plant uptake.

 

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