Social Innovation | Exp Institute
Earth Village Project
I helped host more than 100 volunteers from around the world to build a typhoon bunker made from recycled and natural materials. I served as the chief documenter during the project, helped activate a community garden, hosted adobe building workshops, and worked with locals to establish a co-op model.ย
When
2014
Where
Batug, Leyte, Philippines
Web
n/a
This was my second apprenticeship as a student my yearlong graduate degree at Experience Institute. While I was in Australia,ย I heard about Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) that ravaged the Philippines. At the time, it was the strongest storm that had ever made landfall in recorded history. I joined the Earth Village Project, a project aimed to help rebuild a village in the most sustainable way imaginable.
It was an emergency response situation and I got to play a vital role in being a leader, while also being the glue of the team. I helped host more than 100 volunteers from around the world to build The Windship, a typhoon bunker made from recycled and natural materials. I served as the chief documenter and storyteller during the project, I helped activate a community garden, hosted adobe building workshops, and worked with the local community on establishing a co-op model focused on building trust and transparency. I also supported a local liaison with trauma and healing work.ย
The Windship has been used as a bunker during subsequent typhoons and saved lives. When it’s not a bunker, it is used as a classroom.
You can see a few posts from my time in the Philippines here.
Below is a mini documentary about the Windship.
