Chencharu Ecovillage

The need for human and nature connection in rapidly-developing cities like Singapore is becoming more acute. A discussion in my friend's Facebook post has inspired me to dream. It sounds like an impossible dream, but technically it can easily be achieved.

Let me first show you what is already happening in Singapore, in a place called Kampung Kampus: happy faces of children and adults engaged in activities which get them closely connected with nature: Photos of Kampung Kampus activities (Photos credit: GUI)

I am dreaming that people well-versed in permaculture, biodynamics, syntropic and natural farming come together to create a Chencharu ecovillage, an extension of the already existing Kampung Kampus created by Ground-Up Initiative (GUI). Kampung Kampus has been nurturing an eco-conscious community with the mind, the hands and the heart to be stewards of a more sustainable and happier future. Since the sudden passing of GUI's founder last month, some people, including myself, are concerned that the Singapore government will soon take back GUI's 2.6 hectares of land for "development".

My dream is not just about preserving the land of GUI. It is about extending it to include the nearby land along Lor Chencharu which may be freed after AVA's dissolution.

This is my dream:
A lovely scene of big mature trees, fields of wild grass, weeds and flowers, lakes, natural streams and forested areas where children and adults can interact closely with nature through a variety of activities such as farming, tree climbing, stream wading, running through fields and meadows, observing animals like birds, butterflies, fish, tadpoles, frogs, playing with soil, etc. With its varied topography, the huge rustic area along Lor Chencharu can be such an ecovillage. Although the forested area on the east side has already been destroyed for the building of a clubhouse, the remaining part of the area, including the land of Ground-Up Initiative (GUI), is still quite good and can easily be converted into a huge rustic area for people to experience nature. I have confidence the ecovillage can be designed and created in a truly sustainable way - low on carbon and resources. Maintaining the place should be simple and low on energy and cost too. As I watch the construction of the clubhouse building nearby, I wonder how much energy and materials is being used everyday, with so many big truckloads of materials being moved in and out of the site. The future running of the clubhouse will also be high on energy consumption and carbon emission. Whereas the everyday running of the ecovillage would be low on energy and materials, producing zero waste and, through regenerative farming, can be carbon-negative, hence contributing to carbon sequestration and climate change reversal!

This is a wild thought, but technically it is perfectly achievable.

There is just one major hurdle - the paradigm of the people who hold the power to decide how the land should be used. We need them to value life, land, soil, nature and food not as commodities, but as elements to bring about happiness, health and a bright future for human and nature.

Do we still want to destroy more nature to satisfy our appetite for more luxurious, convenient lifestyle and entertainment, consuming more energy and materials? Or do we want a healthy lifestyle with better connectedness with nature, and make the earth a better place for our children? I have been a farming volunteer in GUI for some time. Very often, visitors to the farm express their amazement over the rustic, relaxed feel of the place while at the same time express worries that the place will be gone due to government's possible future development of the area.

Although we already have many nice public parks all around Singapore, they cannot provide the functions that I described for Lor Chencharu ecovillage.

An urban ecovillage is a nice extension to our "Garden City" vision.

See the photos of the happy faces of the children and adults during Kampung Kampus's activities: (Photos credit: GUI)

The following photos show the rustic environment of the area along Lor Chencharu: