Sustainable Living
We aim to live simply and sustainably on the beautiful terraced land on which we camp in the village of Takure. Our intention is minimize our impact on this land by responsibly utilizing resources, harvesting materials, managing our trash, and respecting cultural customs. We have dry compost latrines, which eliminate the need for excessive amounts of clean water and handle our waste responsibly. We believe in learning how to live off this land from the local community while demonstrating the benefits of the sustainable living technologies our volunteers have brought to Takure.
Food
About five hours northwest of Kathmandu, our Conscious Impact camp in Takure is hosted by members of the Brahmin and Chhetri castes of Hinduism. Out of respect for their beliefs, we have chosen to join them in abstaining from meat and alcohol. Breakfast and dinner are cooked together as a community and a local woman cooks us traditional dal bhat (rice and lentils) for lunch each day. We support the local farming community through our vegetable food and grain purchases.
Water
We source water from a few local springs, however it is still a limited resource here in Takure. After a hot day in the sun we are able to enjoy refreshing cold showers at camp or hand wash our sweaty work clothes. Thanks to our Sawyer Filter Drip Systems, we have clean drinking water to keep us hydrated for hard work and fun dance parties.
Weather
The fall is a beautiful time in Nepal, ideal for trekking, sunny days, evening showers, and hillsides overflowing with lush vegetation reminiscent of the monsoon rains. As we progress into wintertime, it cools down quite a bit. During the day we stay warm working hard for the community in sunny weather and get cozy as temperatures drop at night. The spring and summer bring warmer weather and with it intermittent evening rainfall .
Community Engagement
The Nepali community is rich in Hindu and Buddhist tradition. During festival season in the fall, we've been lucky enough to engage many festivities with the villagers. Most years, we assisted in the construction of a 40 foot bamboo swing, partook in festive feasts, and danced in the roads to the music of the Madal (Nepali drum). In the afternoons, we can walk five minutes to the local tea shop to share cups of hot milk tea and laughs with community members while practicing our Nepali.
Communal Living
What brings many of us here to Takure is a passion for service work and sustainable international development. We believe in fostering an environment that supports creativity and compassion through working towards a common good greater than ourselves. Together, with our chore teams, we take turns cooking each other breakfast and dinner and helping with dishes.
The size of our volunteer community varies throughout the year. On average we have about 12-25 incredible people from all over the globe.
