Cloughjordan Commmunity Farm in Arrival training

The first day was the welcome for the volunteers and the introduction for the European Voluntary Service. As practice exercise, we had to explain to other volunteers about our project. My co-workers and I drow the feelings and some symbols which are important for us for represent our work on the farm.

We drew a tractor in the middle of the paper as a symbol of work on the farm. Another diagram we wanted to highlight was the shape of the ellipse. On the farm everything is connected, all our actions affect and are involved in the cycle of nature.

With post-its we wanted to highlight some of the tasks and objectives of our project. The apple and carrot represent cultivation, care and harvest at the farm. The following post-it "local" represents the promotion of responsible consumption, production and the importance of self-supply of resources in the ecovillage.

The circle of people represent the community and the importance of making decisions together, for example, carry out an activity or resolve any existing conflict.

The word "BIO" symbolize a new lifestyle. In the community consumerism is not the governing system. Ecological and environmentally friendly products with the environment are the priority in the ecovillage. An example would be the use of ecological detergents and personal products, the association between plants on the farm to prevent the use of pesticides or bioconstructions of some buildings.

The recycling symbol represents other objectives of the community, the rule of the "3 R" (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), applied, for example, management of solid waste in the community.

The watering symbol means the importance of water as a natural resource in the community. It is essential to supply water to irrigate farm crops. Thanks to water the community can consume their own food. The water is regulated with care and drip irrigation system inside the polytunnels and houses collects rainwater for irrigation of their own plants. On the farm there are dry compost toilets or “compost toilet” that don’t use this natural resource.

With the world diagram we symbolised "think global, act local", promoting rural development in the community and being really aware of the effects that our actions can have on the world and on future generations.

The sun diagram means the use of renewable and clean energy. As we said in the first point referring to the ellipse, everything is a cycle, we have to be aware that climate change is happening today and we are responsible for determine actions that stop or at least reduce it.

Finally, the last drawing is a diagram that ends in a heart. This drawing is one of the 17 main objectives of sustainabledevelopment of a United Nations report to transform our world. It means good health and wellbeing like consumption of  local and healthy products of organic farm, like we do in the community. Activities that connect mind and body like tai-chi or help you to find your emotional balance as meditation are promoted in the community for good health.

"To transform our world, we must transform its cities" says UN chief on World Cities Day. Promoting rural and community development, Cloughjordan Ecovillage with the community farm promise to be a good example of sustainable community, as we draw in the paper to explain what is our beautiful project.