to help you know us better
FAQ
WHAT IS GAIA GRID?
Located on 45,000 sq. ft. of dry land on the hills of Kadampara, Kerala, Gaia grid is envisioned to be a model farm founded with the aim to create a self-sustaining pocket. The main long-term objectives are to achieve complete nutritional autonomy by growing all of our own food (organically) and promote off-grid living. In the future, we also plan on collaborating with local tribal villagers to help create similar self-sustaining farms which in turn can grow into a co-op of tribal farmers. Gaia grid will also promote permaculture, sustainable architecture, natural farming and unconditional gifting.
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NAME - GAIA GRID?
In Greek mythology, Gaia, is the personification of the Earth and one of the Greek primordial deities. Gaia is the ancestral mother of all life: the primal Mother Earth goddess. The Gaia hypothesis, also known as Gaia theory or Gaia principle, put forward by James Lovelock proposes that organisms interact with their inorganic surroundings on Earth to form a synergistic self-regulating, complex system that helps to maintain and perpetuate the conditions for life on the planet. Topics of interest include how the biosphere and the evolution of life forms affect the stability of global temperature, ocean salinity, oxygen in the atmosphere, the maintenance of a hydrosphere of liquid water and other environmental variables that affect the habitability of Earth. Cultures all around the world speak of such a universal mother; Tierra Madre in Latin and South America, Dharti Maa in India, Pachamama in the Andes and so on. At Gaia Grid, we take this definition further; all of existence – animate and inanimate, the void and matter, all components of duality and the absolute comprise to form “Gaia”. This network of seemingly chaotic existence arranged in a neat, almost mathematical symmetry where each element co-exists, harmonizes and thrives with another; this interconnectedness is Gaia Grid.
HOW IS THIS DREAM FUNDED?
For the initial set up, we are relying on the unconditional support of people. Once the farm is set up and producing an yield, we will sustain it from sale of our harvest, courses on dry land farming and by hosting workshops and conferences.
IS GAIA GRID AN NGO (NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATION)?
Gaia grid is not an organisation of any sort yet. We have no affiliation with the government or any other private business. Gaia grid is simply a name chosen to realise a personal dream. Right now, it is a home. All amounts being raised through unconditional gifting are for this personal dream. All the people who wish to come help us build this space will be guests in our home. With Gaia grid we also aim to create an international network of peers who can support and realise each other’s dreams through unconditional gifting.
HOW DO I KNOW THIS IS LEGITIMATE?
a. You’re welcome to contact and/or visit us at any time. Please email us at join@thegaiagrid.org
b. We maintain accounts with receipts and pictures of all the items that are purchased/paid for with donated money.
c. Once we’ve reached our goal, we will intimate all donors by personal email stating where their donated money was used.
d. We will also publish a newsletter and financial summary on our facebook page after reaching our fundraising goal.
HOW CAN I STAY UPDATED ON THE WORK YOU ARE DOING?
You could write to us at join@thegaiagrid.org to know about the work we are doing and to participate in this movement.
Our facebook page is also a good way to keep track of our progress. We will update the page with news and pictures weekly.
WHY SHOULD I SUPPORT?
Our fundraising campaign is an experiment. Are there people out there who like the idea of what we are doing and are able to support us unconditionally? Many of them do not even know us personally. Will we be able to raise enough money to realise our dream just because we asked for help and people were willing to give it?
WHAT WILL THE MONEY BE USED FOR?
A list of items with approximate cost estimations is provided below. They are sorted based on priority. The amounts include labor, loading, unloading, transport and taxes. The market value may vary and hence the costs (in rupees) are rounded up to the nearest thousand. While donating, you may pick an item that you wish to donate toward. Once the goal amount for the item is reached, you will receive an email informing you of the same. To maintain full transparency with donors, we will email you a picture of the item being installed on the land along with a receipt mentioning the actual price.