Inform
Introductory words...
Hej there,
you've probably heard of the Humus festivals, right? Fiddlesticks, otherwise you wouldn't be here right now.
But what do you know about them?
Let me open up a little world for you that is so colourful that you won't want to miss it any more.
Bevor ich tiefer in Detail gehe, möchte ich dich aber ‚mal ein bisschen anteasern:
The Humus Festivals are self-organised participatory, workshop and camp life festivals for networking the four sustainability movements permaculture, wilderness awareness, foodsharing and FLAKE. They always last eight days, are financed by donations and are limited to 120 people.
In a playful and celebratory way, it brings the people of the networks together and not only them! The whole structure of the festivals is a carefully seasoned stew of the tools and methods of the Four. Only the most exquisite ingredients have been chosen to make people feel at home and curious in the structure at the same time, thus passing on their knowledge and absorbing what is foreign. The whole thing, refined with the distinctive touch of "self-organisation" for kicks, makes each Humus an impressive experience for the whole family.
I had the idea for the Humus festivals during my permaculture studies, at the time I was also doing wilderness awareness training, was a foodsharing ambassador and developed the FLAKE with four friends. I wanted to promote the networking of these four sustainability movements and create a platform to combine the different values, principles, methods and techniques and to learn from each other.
Das macht doch schon ‚mal Lust auf mehr oder?
This is one of the first teasers for the documentary
„HOW TO HUMUS – Humus Sapiens“ Release: 2023
The film, with footage from now 8 years of Humus Festivals, will describe how the festivals have evolved, what designs they are based on, what's important and most importantly, how you can host one yourself!
Thanks a lot for all the years of Humus festivals (no less than 19 of them in almost every corner of Germany!).
But now let's take it one step at a time:
Der Name „Humus-Festival“ leitet sich vom Begriff „Humus“ ab, der für fruchtbaren Oberboden steht. Genau wie fruchtbarer Boden bietet auch das Festival einen Nährboden für Kreativität, Gemeinschaft und Nachhaltigkeit, in der das Leben pulsiert und sich das Potential versteckt, dass sich alles miteinander verbinden kann
Permaculture takes care of humus-building, wilderness awareness sings about its qualities for all beings, foodsharing comes into play with hummus, the chickpea dish, and when we ask ourselves how to deal with all this among ourselves, the FLAKE shows itself to be meaningful and nurturing.
But sure, first things first:
Permaculture, wilderness awareness, foodsharing and FLAKE are the basic movements of the Humus Festival.
Permaculture ist so eine Art „Öko-Lebensstil“ auf Steroiden! Die Idee ist, dass man die Natur imitiert und nutzt, um auf eine nachhaltige Weise Nahrung und Ressourcen zu produzieren.
Das Ganze wurde in den 70ern in Australien von Bill Mollison und David Holmgren erfunden und basiert auf drei ethischen Grundsätzen: „Trage Sorge für die Erde“, „Trage Sorge für die Menschen“ und „Beschränke Konsum und Wachstum und verteile Überschüsse gerecht“.
The permaculture principles sound complicated at first, but they are actually quite simple. They are a collection of practical guidelines based on sustainable design and natural systems to help design and maintain human systems in harmony with nature. They include, for example: diversity, use and creation of resources, synergies, marginal zones or self-regulation, energy efficiency, pattern thinking and scalability.
Permaculture methods are ultimately just as simple: these are concrete, systematic and structured techniques and tools used to approach a specific goal, such as the creation of a permaculture garden, agroforestry, rainwater harvesting, etc. in a holistic way.
Permaculture has a lot to offer in terms of ecology, economy and social issues. Environmentally, it is about promoting sustainable farming practices and systems and preserving and restoring ecosystems. Economically, permaculture promotes a local and decentralised economy, and socially, it is about sharing resources and knowledge and building sustainable communities.
Kurz gesagt: Permakultur ist der „grüne“ Weg in die Zukunft, der die Natur respektiert, die Wirtschaft lokalisiert und die Gemeinschaft stärkt.
Wilderness Awareness is a pretty cool movement that aims to reconnect people and nature and create a better understanding of the environment.
Wilderness awareness originally comes from the USA and goes back to Tom Brown Jr, the naturalist and survival expert. The guy got introduced to nature by his mentor Stalking Wolf in the 60s and later founded the Tracker School to impart his knowledge to others.
Später hat Jon Young, ein ehemaliger Schüler von Tom Brown Jr., die Wilderness Awareness School ins Leben gerufen, um seine eigene Vision von Wildnispädagogik umzusetzen. Er hat eine eigene Methodik namens „Nature Connection Mentoring“ entwickelt, die auf den Fähigkeiten basiert, die er von Stalking Wolf und Tom Brown Jr. gelernt hatte.
The ethic of wilderness awareness is based on the fact that we are all part of nature and that it is important to maintain our connection to it. Wilderness awareness teaches that it is our responsibility to protect and preserve the environment in order to create a future fit for our grandchildren.
The principles and methods of wilderness awareness include connecting with and learning in nature, exploring our own perceptions and environment, developing survival skills and fostering community and cooperation, sharing stories, playing games and creating deep experiences.
Wilderness awareness can help create awareness of the environment and promote the importance of sustainability and conservation. One can learn how to live and work in nature without destroying it and how to use resources in a sustainable way.
Sie kann dazu beitragen, eine lokale und auf Gemeinschaft ausgerichtete Wirtschaft zu fördern, indem es die Fähigkeiten vermittelt, die notwendig sind, um in der Natur zu leben oder die Frage auswirft „Wie viel genug ist?“. Sie fördert eine Kultur des Respekts und der Achtsamkeit gegenüber der Natur und anderen Menschen, indem es das Teilen von Ressourcen und Wissen fördert.
Overall, wilderness awareness is a super way to reconnect people and nature and build a sustainable future.
Foodsharing is also a strong movement that fights food waste and reduces hunger in the world.
Die Idee stammt von Raphael Fellmer, der 2012 in Berlin das Projekt „Lebensmittelretten“ ins Leben rief. Auch Valentin Thurn, der Regisseur des Dokumentarfilms „Taste the Waste“, ist ein bekannter Aktivist in der Foodsharing-Bewegung.
Foodsharing is based on the ethic that food is too valuable to be thrown away. Therefore, the movement encourages people to share surplus food to help those in need and promote solidarity in society. But foodsharing is more than just a noble gesture. It is also a good way to reduce the environmental impact of food waste and strengthen local economic cycles. It also helps to reduce the cost of food waste disposal.
The methods of foodsharing are as simple as they are ingenious. You collect surplus food from supermarkets, restaurants and other establishments and distribute it to those in need through local foodsharing groups. You can also organise events to raise awareness. This is how each of us can help create a grandchild-friendly future. Who knows, maybe the next revolution won't be a political one, but a culinary one!
FLAKE. No, it is not a new breakfast cereal start-up! FLAKE is an analogue platform that encourages people to share resources without strings attached.
Sie basiert auf der Idee der „sozialen Plastik“ von Joseph Beuys. Die Entstehungsgeschichte der FLAKE beginnt im Jahr 2017 in Berlin, dort entwickelte ich mit vier Freunden den ersten Prototypen der FLAKE.
The ethics of FLAKE are based on the idea of unconditional sharing, where people share their resources to foster communities and avoid waste.
Die Prinzipien der FLAKE beinhalten die Schaffung eines Erfahrungsraums für das „Teilen statt Tauschen“, die Förderung von Gemeinschaft durch Werte wie Selbstbestimmung, Vertrauen und Kollaboration und die Reduzierung von Verschwendung.
One method to form a FLAKE consists of building a 3D multisharing platform that enables people to share and combine resources, needs, ideas and information. As an art installation, a place of encounter and playground of networking is created where information, needs, resources, skills and ideas can be made visible, combined and united.
The FLAKE not only has environmental benefits by helping to reduce resource waste and CO2 emissions, but it can also strengthen local economies and reduce poverty by giving people access to resources they could not otherwise afford.
And the best part? No software is required, just a willingness to get involved and share resources. So what are you waiting for?
And so I came to the decision to create a platform where these movements can come together and celebrate together.
Im Jahr 2016 fand das erste Humus-Festival statt. Es war eine Jungfernfahrt, bei der das Motto „Beobachte und Spiele“ lautete. Im darauffolgenden Jahr fand das Festival unter dem Motto „Spiele und Beobachte“ statt und entwickelte sich über die vergangenden Jahre und Festivals immer mehr zu dem, was es heute ist: Ein Ort, an dem Menschen aus verschiedenen Bereichen zusammenkommen, um gemeinsam zu experimentieren, zu lernen und zu teilen.
At the Humus festivals you will find everything your sustainable heart desires:
Von Permakultur-Workshops über Wildnispädagogik und Foodsharing bis hin zu inspirierenden Vorträgen und kreativen Kunstprojekten. Zum Beispiel: den Bau von Kompost-Toiletten und Solarduschen, informative Waldspaziergänge zu saisonalen Heilpflanzen oder dem Fährtenlesen, ein Update zum aktuellen Fortschritt von „foodsaving worldwide“, Terra Preta-Herstellung, Konzepte wie Eigentum, Markt und Profit neu denken und vieles mehr.
Musical performances are also not to be missed, because what would a festival be without music?
Unplugged bands will provide the background music and contribute to the special atmosphere.
A special feature of the Humus Festival is that it relies on self-organisation and self-regulation.
This means that there should be no separation between organisers and participants in order to promote self-empowerment and a sense of responsibility of the individual in relation to themselves and the group. The boundaries should be blurred and everyone should be invited to walk through different groups and take on tasks.
Whether you are a newcomer to the world of sustainability or an experienced enthusiast,the Humus Festival is the perfect place to expand your knowledge and skills in a space of openness, respect and tolerance. It's also a great place to make new friends, expand your senses and gain new experiences. Did I mention that already?
Greetings...Lauritz
p.s.: Now I forgot all about the Humus Hood!
Are you ready for a trip to Freak City?
Then let's talk about the Humus Hood - the epicentre for fun, games and surprise.
This unique event is an offshoot of the Humus Festival series and takes place every year at Europe's oldest hippie festival, the Burg Herzberg Festival.
The Hood is a festival within a festival, so to speak - rad, isn't it?
There's so much to discover here, you won't know where to start!
Since 2015, the Büro für soziale Humusaufbau has been presenting a colourful programme at the Hood, including the FLAKE and Freeshop, the Old Crafts, RepairCafé, Foodsharing, Permaculture, the Sensory Experience Field, the Workship (an OpenSpace workshop tent), as well as the Utility Hemp Tent and the Clay Building Corner.
But what is really behind it? If you want to find out more, you should definitely drop by!
And for good measure, here's a second teaser of the documentary....
Die „Humus-Hood“ (2019)
Has been a spin-off of the festival series since 2015. It is a festival within a festival.
Namely the Humus-Festival at the Burg Herzberg Festival. Burg Herzberg Festival.
LAURITZ HEINSCH
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