Gib + Ginn provide the building blocks for success from environmental opportunities abound!
Gib's fish farm near Nong Khai
Seeing someone strive for success in the field of sustainable ecological goals is a common enough sight these days. However one particular environmental warrior is setting the pace for cheap, secure and comfortable housing in Isaan, Thailand and is hoping to train others to do the same and spread the word to people all over the world.
Gib and Ginn at the dry land farm near Kuang Khan University
Gib, also known by friends as Charlie, has 2 farms in the province of Nong Khai. He’s hoping to build houses from mud, fish farms inland and continue to promote organic agriculture. His partner on this project is Ginn who foresees a great change in attitudes towards living a more green lifestyle and hopes to inspire volunteers to share this outlook.
They require volunteers to aid them in their quest to build a model mudhouse on their fish farm which they hope to make into a village of mud huts next to Kong Kaen University to promote critical thinking about environmental issues. Along with learning and teaching the relevant processes for constructing these abodes an understanding of nature is high to promote on their agenda.
Ginn guides volunteers through Thai customs and cultures such as shopping
Gib left his family’s farm and went to work in Bangkok when he was younger. Experiencing the difference in Thai life from the rural to the metropolitan had a huge impact on his outlook. He returned home to Isaan after the economic collapse of South East Asia in 1997, hungry to experience more of the outside world. He became qualified in fish reproduction from the local training college and reconverted part of his family’s land into a working inland fish farm – much to everyone’s surprise. Having saved money from working with community development projects Gib made his way to Europe in 2006 to experience the joy of the Football ( Soccer) World Cup. He got a job in Denmark working as a deconstruction worker. His job was to deconstruct an old castle in Denmark and allow for it to be refitted with stronger supports. He assisted with the construction of a wind powered generator and learned many skills which he would later employ. Having returned to Thailand he traveled to the northern area of Chiang Mai. Here he saw in the tribes of the hill people mud huts which where cooling during the hot days and warm during the cold evenings. He also met up with his old friend Ginn who is from the Chiang Rai region and they decided together to try and utilize their skills together and bring volunteers into Isaan to aid with the development of eco-friendly housing and to open a dialogue about environmental ideologies and techniques such as Effective Microorganisms (EM).
Gib is an avid reader of ecology and housing materials.
The long term goals of this project are to promote a sustainable housing market for the people of Isaan, to produce fish for consumption and breeding and to make the option of organic farming a viable option for local farmers. Gibb would love to see people from all over the world use their local resources to produce pollution free homes and create sustainable energy. He would love a wind turbine or some solar panels but feels that they are too costly at this point and hopes that the life of solar panels will increase in the future.
They welcome anyone who is able to give physical skills or mental agility to their project. The hope for volunteers who can work hard during the day and enjoy the pleasantries of Thailand and Laos, such as local bands or festivals, during the beautiful evenings.
The view of the sun setting from gibb's fish farm.
If you feel that you would like to see this wonderful sunset and volunteer with this project, or have information that may be of use to them please contact us. Please watch Gibb’s video below as he explains the process of making the mud bricks for his house.
About Scott Lyon
Scott is our renaissance man. Combining his love of community development, varied cultures, travelling and computing skills he helps guide the web site towards one which shows our projects and good works whilst maintaining user privacy and promoting Open Source software.
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get in touch Gyp! long time no see
I’ve passed your mobile phone numbers along to him now – he should be in touch real soon.