Govardhan Ecovillage

History

In the early 20th century, Lady Northcote Hindu Orphanage (LNHO) was started to give shelter to the famine afflicted children. In the 80s, ISKCON was invited to operate the orphanage on the lines of Gurukul system. Since then steady efforts have been made to provide excellent quality training and education, along with imparting spiritual values mostly to the economically under privileged children under the guidance of Radhanath Swami. In the year 2005, LNHO was shifted to Govardhan Eco Village, so as to provide a pure atmosphere for childrens healthy growth. Today there are over 50 under privileged boys in LNHO from various villages around GEV. The unique feature of the training system here is the blend of Vedic education that preserves ancient values and modern education that keeps in touch with todays world. Training the rural children to become leaders of tomorrow, LNHO today runs almost completely on charitable donations. With excellent teaching staff and idyllic setting of peaceful rural surroundings, LNHO offers the right kind of setup conducive for learning. Sporting in the vast play grounds of GEV, all the kids are provided wonderful physical training ensuring that the healthy mind stays in a healthy body. Providing farm fresh vegetables and milk, all nutritional requirements of the students are taken care of. And nourishing their inner self, a comprehensive spiritual training is offered to all the students teaching then how to make a life and not just a living. Also included in their curriculum are vocational training courses like farming, cow care, carpentry, painting and handicrafts encouraging the kids to take up traditional means of livelihood, rather than to migrate to the cities. Using modern methods like experiential learning, periodic field trips and Home schooling, the best quality of teaching is offered to the students. Training in additional skills like rapid reading, vocabulary building, Vedic mathematics and spoken English are also imparted. Thus LNHO is offering a complete package of academic & spiritual education, training in traditional technologies, moral values and principle centered life style in an atmosphere of love and care. Vision The vision of Lady Northcote Hindu Orphanage (LNHO) at Govardhan Eco Village is to emotionally, socially and spiritually nourish the children, help them draw out their inherent talents and guide them for a bright future. In order to live a life of responsibility and dignity,

a holistic training model has been developed. This includes training the students in academics, vocational skills, spiritual traits and physical wellbeing. Early years are the formative years. Ideals and training instilled in these years last throughout ones life. Radhanath Swami emphasized that the stay of the children at the Orphanage should give them sweet and happy memories of their childhood. Taking inspiration from Radhanath Swamis words, the Orphanage at Govardhan Eco Village aims at giving the students a complete package of academic education, training in traditional technologies, moral values and principle centered life style in an atmosphere of love and care.
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OVERVIEW
Govardhan Eco Village (GEV) illustrates Simple Living & High Thinking a principle which is so succinct, yet profound, and formed the basis of life in the bygone age of wisdom. Life in the Vedic times was focused on Service, but not on exploitation; this was the cardinal rule of living and the very essence of peoples dealings with each other and that with Mother Nature. With the concepts of eco living being innate, the Vedic lifestyle was truly an eco friendly way of living life as instanced in the timeless Vedic scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-Gita. Govardhan Ecovillage is situated on 50 acres of pristine farmland in the Wada district of Maharashtra. Although its rustic charm and sylvan ambience belie the fact, it is only a two-and-ahalf hour drive north of Mumbai, South Asias economic powerhouse. The addition to the community of the Lady Northcote Hindu Orphanage in 2002 brought the total number of residents to 100 (130 including our bovine friends)

OBJECTIVES

To give individuals a first-hand experience of our utter dependence on Mother Natures gifts To help cultivate an attitude of reverence and gratitude towards Mother Nature and all her children To engender a spirit of peaceful cooperation among living entities for the supreme good of all

MILESTONES
Initiated in 2002, the project has since accomplished the following goals:

Education Establishment of primary school and orphanage 3-month intensive courses offered on Simple Living, High Thinking Agriculture Self-sufficiency achieved in rice, vegetable, and dairy production Cottage Industry

ox-driven oil and flour mill Renewable Energy all cooking and lighting energy needs met with cow dung fuel Animal Husbandry zero machinery: exclusive reliance on draft oxen for tilling goshala (cow shelter) home to 30 cows and bulls and growing

SUSTAINABILITY
Govardhan Farm aims to demonstrate the principles of self-sufficiency and localized economy to the world. In consultation with organic farming experts, all inputs and outputs are natural, and only indigenous varieties of grain are grown. Instead of chemical fertilizers, we employ cow dung and natural compost. Cow urine and neem oil serve as organic pesticides and bulls are favored over machinery for ploughing.

Activities
Activities of GEV

Cow Protection

Alternative Energy at GEV Cottage Industry

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Why Cow Protection?

The Cow divine and all auspicious, has had a deep impact on all aspects of our lives since time immemorial. But post industrial revolution human reliance on Cows and Bulls has drastically diminished. Agriculture, which is the sustenance of human society, today is massively dependent on oil. With the impending oil crisis seeming to draw nearer and nearer, the very existence of mankind is under threat. But the solution is not so far! The sacred ancient scriptures hail the Cow as the Mother and the Bull as the father. The Cow provides us with milk and the Bulls supply us food grains by tilling the land. And it is by reviving this lifestyle based on Cow-culture and Agriculture can mankind hope to find a solution to this imminent catastrophe. Indeed the Cow is a benediction from God and hence is most dear to Lord Krishna. So much so that the Lords abode has been hailed as Goloka and the Lord Himself is addressed by His ardent devotees as Govinda or the giver of pleasure to Cows. Unfortunately today this worshipable entity is being mercilessly butchered in slaughter houses all over the world. India today boasts of being the third largest exporter of beef with about half a lakh cattle slaughtered everyday! The direct consequences of Cow slaughter are clearly visible, with milk products becoming dearer to common man. But the hidden consequences of Cow slaughter are many. Firstly, cow killing has led to gradual degradation of farming sector in India. Dependence on chemical based farming is proving penny wise pound foolish, with many farmers in India today committing suicide unable to bear the burden of mounting debts. Employing oil based farming is only adding to the worsening ecological crisis, polluting the environment more and more. But the most devastating consequence of Cow slaughter is the subtle effect it is having on the human society. Shortlived relationships, anxiety filled lives, rising crime and social discord are all the karmic reactions for the ghastly act of Cow slaughter. It is high time we realize the divinity of Cow and revive the culture of respecting her supreme position as a gentle mother and a blessing of God.

What is Cow Protection?

Cows are divine beings and a blessings of God to mankind. At Govardhan Eco Village we believe that Cow protection is not just about protecting Cows from slaughter, but giving the due respect and love. Cow protection is about expressing our gratitude for the wonderful gifts that Cows have given to human society. Traditionally the most essential foods came from the milk of Cows and labor of the Bull. Therefore it is reasonable that we should care for them in return, even when they are old and no longer productive. Thus from a holistic perspective, Cow protection is about giving them love & care and a quality life thus making them as happy and comfortable as possible. This is not based on some superstition but on firm moral & practical considerations.

Benefits of Cow Protection

One of the purposes of the Goshala at Govardhan Eco Village is to demonstrate the principle of Cow protection by showing how their blessings can be suitably utilized in our day to day life. Milk from the Cows meets the daily requirements for the GEV community. And when they no more produce milk their blessings in the form of dung and urine can be utilized for * Biogas generation * Manure * Medicines like Ghanvati (Health Pills), Go-arka (Distilled Cow urine, used as a health tonic), Eye and Nasal drops, Pain Balm etc. * Chemical free lifestyle products like Ubtan (Bathing Powder), Danthmanjan (Tooth Powder), Dhoop sticks etc . Cow dung slurry when digested anaerobically produces methane or natural gas, which is a fuel. AT GEV the Cow dung is used to produce electricity by a biogas plant and generator. The slurry which is left over after the digestion process is a top grade organic fertilizer which can be directly used in farming application. Cow urine also finds its utility as a natural pesticide when used in a diluted format. Ayurveda, the most ancient and versatile medicinal science in the world, describes Cow dung and urine as possessing special medicinal properties, proving the utility of Cows beyond the milking period. Unaware of this fact, many Cow owners in India, sell the Cows to slaughter houses once the Cow stops milking. With a view to discourage slaughter of old and invalid cows, GEV has also successfully demonstrated a cottage industry<link to cottage industry> manufacturing varieties of products from Cow dung and urine, proving the utility of Cows in all stages of its life. GEV also holds various training programs for interested people, who want to make a living by protecting cows. In order to demonstrate the utility of bulls, they are engaged in varieties of activities like

Ploughing Oil extraction Flour grinding Internal transportation

Water pumping
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Alternative Energy at GEV

Various alternative/renewable energy initiatives have been taken in an effort to make community at Govardhan Eco Village self sufficient with respect to its energy needs.

Water Pumping and Sprinkler Irrigation

One of the 5 HP submersible pumps has been replaced by an animal driven borehole line-shaft pump. This pump is a positive displacement screw pump that is driven by two bulls connected to the pump rotor through a gear and chain and pulley arrangement. This arrangement multiplies the rotation of the bulls from 2 rpm to about 1400 rpm. The pump is currently installed at a depth of 60 feet and we are currently getting a discharge of about 5000 liters/hour. This figure is expected to increase when we replace the 8 pulley with the 6 pulley once the bulls get used to going around. Some of our flood irrigated and sprinkler irrigated areas are being irrigated through this system, which operates for about 3 hours in the morning and evening respectively. Slowly we are hoping to replace all our submersible pumps with this animal driven pump. The picture above shows the animal driven pump, operated by two bulls, with a man sitting behind.

Water heating

Hot water needs of the farm residents used to be taken care using immersion rods and LPG based water heaters. We have now started to replace them, stage wise, using solar water heaters and Gujarat boilers. We have replaced the LPG heater at our varishtavaishnava quarters using a 500 liters/day evacuated tube based solar water heating system. In our LNHO building we have installed a fuel efficient, wood based Gujarat boiler with inputs from experts from ARTI. The picture shown on the left is a Gujarat boiler that was fabricated in house by one of our residents (Venudhari Das).

Cooking
We have reduced our dependence on LPG cylinders to 50% by using biogas and fuel efficientchulhas. Soon the cooking will completely be based on chulhas and biogas. We also intend to use our bio gas system for electricity production.

Flour mill and oil expeller

We have bull driven oil expeller and flour mill demonstrating the utility of bulls. This will also help us make our own oil and flour in an eco friendly fashion. The picture shown on the left is our oil ghani.

Electricity
As of now we are dependent on the grid supply for our electricity needs. But, because of erratic grid supply and also in an attempt to become self sufficient in our energy needs, we have decided to look out for alternate ways to produce our own electricity. After exploring various options including Solar PV, Solar thermal, wind, gasifiers etc., we have decided to start by using our existing 35 m3 bio gas setup for electricity generation (This is expected to electrify just a few buildings). We have a 15 kVA biogas generator which is currently producing around 30 units a day. We are also looking for more economical in-feeds for our biogas set up which will help us take care of our electricity needs in a more economic way. Alternative Energy is being used in the following areas at GEV Residential purposes

Lighting (decoration, reading, normal, night lamp) Heating and cooling of the building Other electrical equipments Hot water Overhead tank filling

Kitchen requirements

Fuel for cooking Hot water

Recreational purposes

Water fountain

Agriculture

Water pumps

Current Status at GEV

Current electricity consumption 200 units (KWh) per day Current domestic electricity consumption 50 units/day (@ an average unit rate of Rs. 6/unit) Current Agriculture electricity consumption 150 units/day (@ an average unit rate of Rs. 1/unit) After expansion the domestic electricity consumption is expected to increase to 100 units (approx) After expansion the agricultural electricity consumption is expected to increase to 300 units (approx) We currently have a 30 cu.m floating dome biogas plant and a 6 cu.m fixed dome biogas plant. The in feed that we are currently using is cow dung from our goshala which is sufficient for about 20 cu.m of biogas. (it is equivalent to about 20 units of electricity or about 10 Kg of LPG)

The produced biogas is currently being used mostly for cooking and also for emergency electricity needs. We have a 15 KVA/12 KW biogas generator for this purpose.

Govardhan Go-utpadan

From the very beginning Radhanath Swami emphasized that Cottage Industry is one of the important aspect of developing self sufficiency and means of providing employment to the resident members of the community. These cottage industries are primarily based on agriculture and cow based products. At present there are seven such industries running at the farm: Gobar or Cow dung and cow urine are the most important blessings of Mother cow. It is mentioned in the Vedic scriptures that the Goddess of fortune Mother Lakshmi resides in the dung of a cow. The urine of a cow has many medicinal and antiseptic properties that makes it cure many diseases. The Cow Products Manufacturing unit at GEV utilizes these great blessings of Mother cow from the GEV Goshala and manufactures 11 cow products. No modern machinery is involved in making these products; these are completely hand made. Along with cow dung and cow urine, some natural herbs are also used to make these products. Currently CPMU is planning to increase the number of cow products to 25 in near future. Some of the products and their benefits are given below.

Soap Powder (Ubtan)

This soap powder is made from cow dung, cow urine and other natural herbs. All the farm residents use this soap powder and the visitors are also recommended to use the same. This soap powder is also supplied to our temple in the city.

Benefits of Soap Powder (Ubtan)

Anti Dandruff Effective in skin diseases Relief from bad odour Makes skin soft

Tooth Powder
This is also made from cow products and other natural herbs. Benefits of Tooth Powder

Protects teeth & gums Keeps mouth fresh Protection against all oral infection

Flour Mill
This flour mill is based on bull power. By using this one can get fresh flour and requirement for storage also goes down. Moreover crushing grains in machine produces a lot of heat due to which all its essential nutrients are destroyed, but in flour mill temperature remains close to the ambient temperature and hence it retains the essential ingredients. Also in rural areas there is frequent power shortage so the flour mill based on machines become unreliable.

Incense sticks(dhoop)
This natural incense is made of dried cow dung, nagarmota, kachaura, jatamausi, chandanpowder,wood powder, ghee, ral, kaudidhoop.

Gomutra Ark (distilled cow urine)

Cow urine is boiled in a closed container and the vapors are condensed to form distilled cow urine. On an average 2 litres of cow urine gives 1 litre distilled cow urine in 1.25 hrs.

Ghanvati (Cow urine tablets)

Boil cow urine in an open vessel. After the urine is boiled solid content is left behind. Mix this solid content with turmeric powder and make them into small tablets. 10 litres of cow urine makes 750 grams of Ghanvati.

Oil mill (Ghani)

It is bull operated oil extraction machine. Currently groundnut oil is being produced. This oil is used for cooking purposes and the oil cake is used for the cattles. For 10 Kg of groundnut we get 3.5 litre of oil and 6 Kg oil cake.
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Srila Prabhupada Says

"Unfortunately, modern society has devised many means for killing animals in different forms of life. For example, in the agricultural fields there may be many mice, flies and other creatures that disturb production, and sometimes they are killed by pesticides. Every living entity should be nourished by the food given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Human society should not consider itself the only enjoyer of all the properties of God; rather, men should understand that all the other animals also have a claim to God's property."