Boodaville Fundraising 2017

The Boodaville land site is a Permaculture education centre and demonstration site in the Matarranya region, 2.5 hours from Barcelona. The land is 1.5 hectares of pine forest and olive groves which has been developed since 2010, following permaculture principles, and now has: two stone buildings, one outdoor kitchen, a geodesic dome, three outdoor toilets, two outdoor showers, camping space, tool shed and a rainwater collection system.

Permaculture is an ethical design system, with tools and principles that can help anyone move towards a sustainable lifestyle. The basic ethics are earth care, people care and using fair share of resources and produce. Permaculture covers all aspects of life, from economy, to energy, to food production, education and community with a basis in ecology and systems thinking.

We run courses, events and retreats between April and October each year and work with volunteers as we continue to develop the site. In 2016 we became a not-for-profit education association and we use the funds available from donations to run courses with excellent facilitators, offer opportunities for volunteers and build up a Boodaville network with people who are integrating permaculture into their lives. As well as donations we apply for public funding where possible, and take on loans for building work and materials which add capital value to the site.

We are almost ready to be economically sustainable, thanks to the amazing efforts of dozens of people over the years, but we need support to start the 2017 season - to host people on site, keep everything maintained and ensure that courses can happen.

The motivation behind Boodaville is to spread the ideas of Permaculture by offering inspiring courses and leading by example with an on-going land project. We promote the integration of ethical and sustainable ideas into everyday life and offer the chance for anyone who is interested in environmental and social issues to learn more as a volunteer, a participant in a course or by joining our online community for resources. We are working increasingly with young people to promote Permaculture within, and as an alternative to, the current education system, and the long-term goal of the project is to create a small eco-community at Boodaville; living sustainably, regenerating the land, and having a positive impact in the Matarranya region and beyond.

The crowdfunding is to cover the costs we will incur to get the project to the next stage. We have resources, and ideas, and a very clear plan on how to be financially sustainable in the future, but, as a not-for-profit association we are asking for donations to enable us to achieve our goals for the next 7 months.

The people who work closest to the project are:

Anna Gurney - founder of the project, manages the site, organises plans and promotes the activities, works as a secondary school teacher as well!

Alessandro Ardovini - Permaculture teacher and designer who is expected to get his Diploma in Permaculture in 2017. He collaborates with permaculture teaching and design of the site and is a member of the association.

Ondrej Sofr - Lives on site from April to October managing the budget, the site and the volunteers.

Carlos Buj - founder of the association Viaje a la Sostenibilidad and member of the Boodaville association. He supports with facilitation on training courses and advice on running the association.

Bernat Rueda - Videomaker, project supporter since 2010.