Low-Carbon Living at Sadhana Forest

•  Live an off-grid and vegan lifestyle on 70 acres of land west of the Punducherry-Tindivanam Road 8 kn outside of Center Auroville.

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•  Get exposed to reforestation projects that reflect Sadhana Forest values by working in the community in India and learning more about the new community they have created in Haiti.

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•  Engage in a field based capstone project in one specific area of sustainable community and living, based on the needs of the Sadhana Community.

Cost

Winter 2014: TBA
Includes tuition, program costs, room and board, in-country travel.
Learn about financial aid options here

Credits

4 Transferable Credits from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst
upon successful completion of the program

Dates

Winter Session: TBA

Requirements

Minimum GPA: 2.5
Minimum Age: 16 and above
Language: none required
Apply Online

Visa

Yes: Contact the Living Routes office for details

Housing

Guest Housing

Application Deadlines

Winter Session: September 30
Rolling admissions on a first come first serve basis, so apply early!
Contact us for availability.

FAQs

Sadhana Forest’s mission is the reforestation of 70 acres of severely eroded Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest (TDEF). A relatively new community of Auroville, Sadhana Forest was started on December 19th, 2003 by an Israeli couple, Yorit and Aviram Rozin. The couple began their reforestation and water conservation efforts attracting volunteers world-wide and are committed to sharing these efforts with local communities, including creating Children’s Land for visiting Tamil schools.

Since 2003, the community has grown in leaps and bounds with a sister community started in Haiti in 2011. In 2010, Sadhana Forest won third place in the Humanitarian Water and Food Award (WAF). Learn more about the community here!

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Program at a Glance

Week 1

• Health, safety and cultural orientations
• Initial 1-on-1 mentorship meeting with faculty and mentors
• Introduction to the history, vision and mission of the Sadhana Forest community
• Exploration of pre-semester assignments
• Introduction to academic program, beginning of seminar series and community based capstone projects
• Field based, morning reforestation work begins with community members and volunteers
• Evening activities: Open mike, eco-film gathering and community meetings

Week 2

• Reforestation work and seminar series continues
• Capstone projects continued
• Vegan workshop
• Tour of n larger Auroville community
• Tour of significant cultural sites in nearby city of Puducherry
• Evening activities: Open mike, eco-film gathering, community and technical meetings concerning capstone projects

Week 3

• Reforestation work and seminar series continues
• Capstone projects continued
• Final capstone project presentations and learning celebrations
• Reverse culture shock seminar and life mapping to support taking what we have learned home

Health and Safety

The health and safety of students and faculty on Living Routes programs is always our highest priority. Living Routes has clearly articulated health and safety protocols and procedures compiled in our Health and Safety Manual. This manual is reviewed and updated on a yearly basis to ensure the highest standard of care is in place on all Living Routes programs. The Health and Safety Manual is available for download here, or contact our office for a copy to be sent to you. All students also receive a comprehensive handbook including detailed chapters on health, safety and guidelines for preventing illness during the program.

Living Routes faculty and staff have extensive international experience and numerous affiliations throughout our various host communities and countries. These individuals and networks ensure that we stay informed about changing conditions and help us prevent health and safety risks while also responding to emergencies quickly and effectively if they should arise. Our program managers and directors have regular communication with field staff and faculty, who all carry emergency cell phones and are trained to carry out Living Routes Emergency and Evacuation Protocols, in the event that we must respond to an emergency, or remove a student or program from the field.

The following are measures that we take on all of our programs:

• Regular updates from the U.S. Department of State and always abide by their safety precautions, travel warnings, and recommendations for U.S. citizens abroad
• Registration through the U.S. Department of State Smart Traveler Enrollment Program
• Abidance by the safety guidelines set out by the National Association for Foreign Study Abroad (NAFSA)
• In-country orientation on country, culture, host site, health and safety procedures, illness and injury prevention and emergency protocol
• Emergency Cards with program itinerary, local emergency contacts, emergency protocol
• International health insurance under iNext Basic Plan, which includes major medical, evacuation, repatriation, and 24-hour emergency assistance

For questions or more information about Living Routes Health and Safety policies, please contact our office at (888) 515-7333 or email us at info[at]livingroutes.org.

Required Courses

Full Academic Curriculum

Independent Study: Low-Carbon Living At Sadhana Forest

(Natural Resources Conservation 596) (4 credits)

Course Topics

• Sustainable living including: compost toilets, solar energy, building design, use of chemical-free products and organic farming.
• The Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest and its vital environmental, social, cultural, and economic role in environmental sustainability.
• The role of humans in nature preservation and protection, and the impact of our ecological footprint.
• Community and personal responses to Peak Oil and climate change
• Water conservation; Soil erosion control; Sustainable forestry

Program Faculty

Min Ameen

MBA, Manchester Business School, Manchester, UK.
BS Mechanical Engineering, Vikram University, India

Min lives in Auroville, is actively engaged with the Sadhana community and works on issues relating to environment and sustainability on the local and national level. In addition to working at Auroville’s Center for Scientific Research (CSR), he is involved with projects throughout India ranging from carbon offsetting, sustainable development, influencing government policy and rural empowerment through renewable energy and awareness. Min has worked with the Ministry of Renewable Energy in India to develop favorable policies that will accelerate solar water heater distribution throughout the country. He has also created an Eco-Exhibition in Auroville, for up to 500,000 visitors a year, that will improve awareness about sustainability and developing a program to deploy solar energy solutions for lighting and pumping water in deprived regions of India. He is now researching on ways of effectively measuring sustainable living and finding ways of influencing human behaviour in that direction.

Craig Nicolson

UMass Faculty Sponsor: Low-Carbon Living at Sadhana Forest