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Why ‘ER Units’ are needed around the world

By Dr. Lilliana Corredor – Founder, Earth Recovery Units © May 30, 2016

 

Humanity can no longer afford to sit, watch and blame governments or corporations while our planet is being destroyed. We MUST ALL take EMERGENCY Recovery Actions around the world or loose it all.

Best lotus-reflections-Yangshuo, China 2015.
Like a beautiful Lotus that grows out of the stinking mud in dark waters, so too will
‘ER Units’ – ‘EARTH RECOVERY Units’ – grow out of the despair and concern of people around the world for a viable planet.

Please help co-create an ‘ER Unit’ in YOUR Village/ Neighborhood/ Town/ Country. The aim is to get people to work together for 2 COMMON GOALS:

1) ENHANCE your Quality of Life; and
2) RESTORE the Earth in your vicinity.

You can do this by implementing the 3 Rs: RETHINK – RE-PLAN – RESTORE.

Let us start to consciously and joyously co-create a planet in which people CARE and PROTECT its land and waters for the COMMON GOOD.

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What is an ‘ER Unit’?

An ‘ER Unit’ is a group of adults and children, that can be formed anywhere and at any time.

Rather than feeling powerless and hopeless, people CAN get together in ‘ER Units’ and DO projects that ENHANCE their standard of living and simultaneously help RESTORE the areas where they live.

It is recommended to involve the children, but not as child labour. Rather, to teach children sustainable principles of living, to cultivate in their young hearts and minds a sense of  responsibility for the Earth, and to foment an altruistic sense of cooperation with others for the common good.

It is also important to create a sense of fun and joy of communal work for the benefit of all.

Please read our ‘ER Units’ Brochure.

Feel FREE to Download , PRINT and DISTRIBUTE this brochure.

ER Units – Brochure-p.1

 

ER Units – Brochure-p.2

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What kind of projects can the ‘ER Units’ do?

ER Units are about the community members getting involved in the management of the areas where they reside. Rather than leaving all decisions to local government officials, people are encouraged to take an active role in the management of their locality. In other words, it’s about people taking their lives and places of residence into their own hands. The most productive way is to create a NEW system of cooperation between the community members, as well as, between them and the local government.

No longer is the local government allowed by the community to dictate and impose developments or projects without prior Consultation. This has been happening because communities have allowed it to happen. However, if communities kindly offer to also take responsibility for their neighborhood or village and its surrounding area, local governments are more likely to want to cooperate with the people.

Arrangements can be made with local government to provide the ER Units with:

a) A small amount of funding in exchange for free labour by community members (dollar for dollar);
b)
Supply the materials  for community projects (i.e. building materials, tools or plants); and,
c) Provide technical assistance in some cases – such as in water quality monitoring and fisheries surveys.

However, in order to avoid red tape and too much local government involvement, it is better to have the community act on its projects with or without the local government input, as much as possible.

Community members will have to provide their time and work for FREE, and probably provide materials too.

It is important to keep in mind that: whatever the ER Units do is for the BENEFIT OF ALL.
So effectively, people are INVESTING in their future and their children’s.

People are to participate in these ER Units because they WANT to ENHANCE their living conditions, because they want to REPAIR and HONOUR the Earth and waters in the areas they live in. By doing so, people effectively honour themselves.

Working together gives people a sense of ownership and empowerment, and the rewards are many.

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Types of ER Unit Projects

ER Projects depend on the ecological and social issues in each locality.  Therefore, the ER projects can only be set by the Community members, and could be done according to the level of urgency in solving serious problems. On saying this, the ER Units  can embark in short, middle and/or longer term projects to maintain the momentum, the interest and the cohesiveness of the Unit.

The following examples of projects are always useful in all localities and can include:

  • Reviewing local council development plans and sharing the information with the community. To do this you can ask university students or local NGOs for assistance.
  • Organizing Community Meetings to discuss problematic issues or developments that affect the community.
  • Requesting Community participation in local government decisions. To do this you can ask university students or local NGOs for assistance.
  • Requesting funds to purchase materials (or plants) for projects from local government or international Aid agencies. To do this you can ask university students or local NGOs for assistance.
  • Revegetation of riparian zones – to protect creek/river banks from erosion.
  • Reforestation of headwaters – to protect the sources of water systems
  • Reforestation of areas damaged by clear cutting or mining.
  • Reforestation for the Creation of ‘wildlife corridors’.
  • Mangrove reforestation – in damaged coastal areas – to prevent sea intrusion and damage of productive areas by salinization.
  • Cleaning canals – removing excess water weeds and rubbish.
  • Clean Up Days – Garbage removal from: common areas, rivers, streams or beaches.
  • Building storm-water runoff channels – to reduce flooding near houses or paddocks.
  • Creation of  Community Gardens – to grow food to be shared for all – in a neighborhood, a village or in suburban built-in areas.
  • Creation of ‘Permaculture farms(organic agricultural complex ecosystems) – to RESTORE the quality of the land and ENHANCE its productivity. Hence, to provide food for all – in common land. This scheme is particularly useful for Communities that have been relocated by the creation of Hydropower Dams or other government projects, and who been offered barren or poor quality land in compensation, such as in India, Laos and Cambodia.
  • Monitoring water quality (i.e. taking water samples from bores, creeks or rivers and delivering these samples to the authorities for analysis).
  • Monitoring fisheries catches.
  • Building a Community Hall or School.
  • Dob-in a polluter.
  • Dob-in illegal loggers, etc.

People in each ER Unit could get together for a “Working Bee” – a working session, twice a month or as often as it’s suitable to the group. In a few months, people will be able to share meals from their Community Gardens or Permaculture farms.

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What is Permaculture?

Permaculture is a combination of a self-maintaining, wholistic, long-term approach to sustainable organic food production (free of toxic chemicals), water storage, husbandry, aquaculture, forestry, ethical living, and more. It has general principles, but it must be designed and adapted to the local conditions, cultivating native species, etc. Hence, Permaculture farms require careful research and planning prior to starting them, and ‘team work’ to ensure a most productive long-lasting ecologically sound system.

For assistance in the design and construction of a Permaculture farm, ER Units can:

  • Get the best known Permaculture Manual
  • Contact the Permaculture  Association – check their bulletin board.
  • Send the smartest local youths to get a Diploma in Permaculture-to the nearest Permaculture Institute (in Australia, USA, Brazil, or others throughout the world). So these youth can come back to design the Permaculture Farm to suit the local conditions and teach others how to do it.
  • Get people to come help you set it up through WWOOF (Willing Workers in Organics Farms).
  • Create a mini-self-banking system for self-reliance. And, seek funding from local government, NGOs and International Aid Agencies.

Useful Permaculture information links:

Below we offer another useful video that expands on Permaculture  in the tropicsSee https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cr10nOm0xU

RAK TAMACHAT – Permaculture Education Centre in Sikhio, Korat Province,  in Thailand. You can screen this video in your locality with subtitles, see the free media kits here: http://www.seedsofpermaculture.org/

Below is also a link to a series of 40 videos by Bill Mollison the founder of Permaculture and by his main friend, in all sorts of subjects related to Permaculture, includes many amusing and fascinating stories.

https://www.youtube.com/results?q=Permaculture+Design+Model

Only by working together can we maintain a better quality of life and a healthy planet.

Please share. Thank you.

Contact

Dr. Lilliana Corredor
Founder, ER Units
Bogangar, NSW 2488
Australia

Skype: lillianacorredor
Email: