WHAT IS CONSCIOUS CEVENNES ?
Conscious Cevennes is a non-profit organization that focuses on educational and awareness-raising measures for environmental protection and sustainable development in the Cevennes region in France.
It develops in the areas of ecological wastewater disposal and greywater management as well as sustainable and renewable energy planning.
We support agro-ecological planting and construction solutions based on permaculture principles. The association organizes training courses in traditional drywall construction, permaculture garden design, beekeeping for individuals and proposes measures for municipal services, schools and farmers in the region.
We develop both an online and a local structure for exchange and learning according to permaculture principles.
We would like to raise awareness of original types and cultivation techniques, which are revised with a modern touch.
So what is it really about? In simple words, we support all permaculture projects, from upcycling to the use of green waste and water, to affordable renewable energies. The association does not intend to promote traditional tourism or companies, but to support initiatives or future-oriented regional producers and farmers in terms of sustainability, reusability and cooperation.
We bring human
interaction with nature again into balance
WHAT WE DO SEEK FOR?
Awareness is not as easy as it seems, not easy to attain, not easy to reflect, not intuitive as it sounds. Consciousness is a deeper state of mind that slowly arises through observation, collection and assimilation of data and knowledge and practical experience.
To be aware of the Cevennes means to be aware of the power of this region, its traditions and powerful geology. Likewise, remaining and working in and with these natural forces can trigger awareness processes.
As the meaning of the name Cevennes as "the backbone" it was such a long time economically for the region of massive Central France. Unesco described it in 2011 as "too poor to house a city and too rich to be abandoned".
Our project aims to raise awareness of nature in the Cevennes through human interaction within sustainable projects, agro-ecological plans and permacultural approaches. Not that the region is unaware of the environmental issues, as the CNRS (Centre National de Recherche Scientifique) explains in a research article that "people leaving in /by a protected area are more environmentally conscious"(Cazalis, Dacher, 2019)
Industrialized post-war agriculture has replaced most of the traditional and regional agro-pastoralism so well presented in Maclean's article, as well as ecological plantation techniques used for centuries. In search of higher income and fewer production losses, modern agriculture has caused people to lose contact with the elementary and vital elements of our food production: nature itself.
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Agronomists have manipulated the genes of crops, others have forced the selection of animals to increase the efficiency of meat production, milk and by-products. The lifespan of animals is no longer important; Animals and plants are replaced in short cycles to achieve higher profits. Modern civilization has corrupted the existing life cycle by "healing" the ground with unnecessary medication and killing the life below, polluting and drying up our groundwater.
The monoculture fields and herds are getting bigger. The need for technical supremacy to support production efforts is growing day by day and leaves no room for error. This is closely linked to profit optimization. (Incidentally, profits are not made by farmers, but by resellers who rule the market and flood our businesses with unnecessary production.)
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To make the transition easier, we need to understand human interaction with nature through the modernization of agriculture, take into account the mistakes made and the horrors that arise, and consider the relationship between energy consumption and effort to final production quality, only then can we take a step back and reflect on the distribution and consequences of our actions.
Therefore, we must fundamentally deal with the upcoming measures and educate our children with different concepts and habits, in contrast to those with which we were brought up.
"understand human interaction with nature"
WHAT NEXT?
Our projects are based on a long-term strategy...
Things can be changed very quickly, plants can be put on the ground, the soil can be regenerated with compost, and biodiversity can be supported with good water and adequate waste management, but people learn slowly and changing their habits will take time.
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Conscious Cevennes has developed a number of projects that help build sustainable strategies. Some are related to the quality of life in nature, others with the self-sufficiency and autonomy of energy, others with the growth of the permaculture philosophy in the region and maybe beyond its borders.
WHO WE ARE
Mirjam and I have taken a turn in our lives and recently found great interest in permaculture principles, sustainability strategies, renewable energies and life-changing thought processes. We both work for educational institutions, Mirjam as an art teacher and I as a librarian for secondary schools, and we are faced with these issues every day as the awareness of younger generations increases.
We both had different jobs in completely opposite directions, and gardening won't be the only activity we're looking for in life, but we're preparing for the day when we will definitely be moving to southern France and fully investing our time in that time.
We live with our three children in the German capital Berlin and recently moved to a house with a garden in a suburb of the city. Berlin is known to be very green and our house is surrounded by gardens, a farm and some parks.
The contact with nature became even livelier when I brought my wife to the middle of the Gorges du Tarn in France.
For me, it was a kind of reconnection with my youth and for Mirjam, it was a sensation to be part of something that is much older than us, something that had to be taken care of.
