Sunseed News

Life at Sunseed – Rabbiya Naveed

At the first glimpse, Sunseed appears like a rather ordinary not-so-well maintained place. At Sunseed, we bake our own bread and jams, harvest our own crops, use seasonal fruits only, exploit the solar energy, use urinals and compost toilets, use organic products, recycle our waste, use limited Internet and say goodbye to a chemical-enriched life. For anyone, this package is a bit hard to digest initially. To be honest, I kept delaying using a compost toilet till my intestines gave up. I regret that.

However, in less than three days I had adapted to the lifestyle and started enjoying the tranquility of the place. Sunseed is located in the middle of mountains and caves, and has been blessed with a natural swimming pool which is an absolute delight during the summer. There is no such thing as ‘working’ at Sunseed. What we are assigned is our responsibility and what we do is what we owe to nature. All the staff members and volunteers live like a family in a community with the motto of minimizing the impact on the environment. Sustainability first! 

I can write a whole journal about my experience at Sunseed and how little bits from every single day have taught me one thing or the other. At the Appropriate Technology Department, I have worked on a few projects like Fuel Gasifiers, Establishment of a Compost Toilet Light System, Maintenance of Solar Panels etc. I always had a strong inclination towards Sustainable Engineering and working on these projects has only strengthened my resolve and reinforced my belief that Engineering techniques can indeed push technological development further whilst staying within the shell of sustainability. I can’t help thinking that if such a lifestyle was implemented on a larger scale, global problems like energy crises could be tackled to a substantial extent.

Sunseed has taught me that every individual has his own niche in the environment and something unique to contribute to the world. It has taught me that writing and speaking about sustainability and environmental conservation is one thing, but taking a step to bring a real change is a completely different ball game. It has taught me to value nature and it’s products and has reinforced the tranquillity of the natural world in my mind. It has taught me that low impact living extends from our kitchens to our toilets and is perfectly viable. All in all, my experience at Sunseed has taught me how to minimise my carbon footprint without compromising on my comfort and ease. 

I already feel guilty by the thought of the lifestyle I used to have. I will always value the time I have spent at Sunseed and given an option, I would’t exchange it for any other opportunity. I would highly encourage everyone to spend some time of their lives dedicated to a similar cause. It will be an extremely vital experience to put things in perspective. I want to thank all the Coordiantors at Sunseed for their guidance and for making all the volunteers believe that ‘Yes, we can!’, all the volunteers who turned out to be amazing friends for the absolutely lovely time I have spent with them, and Chitto for being the best demonstrator one could have.  

La vida en Sunseed – Rabbiya Naveed