Renewal of the large greenhouse thanks to the hands of the Community

After months of group work, the largest greenhouse of the the Light-Community has been restored from scratch with the help of all its members and collaborators. This structure protects the majority of the vegetables and fruits which sustain the Community and thanks to it and to a daily effort of maintenance, self-sustainability is possible.  

Due to the great climate changes and to certain unfavorable conditions that take place in Uruguay, closed structures are necessary in order to enable the control of temperature, humidity and other environmental factors for the good development of plants.

The largest greenhouse of the Community, which has been set up in the R2 area for some time now, had the wooden pillars placed directly in the ground; with the passing of time the foundations began to rot and the plastic of the ceiling to get ruined due to the strong winds and sun, showing signs of a need for renewal. Thus, the decision of renewing it entirely was taken. Cement was put in the holes of the pillars and the wood was protected with a material named “hidro asfalto” in order to increase its durability.   

The woods that were used had been donated by a neighbor collaborator, who needed to remove the eucalyptus trees from his field which were putting his property in jeopardy. Some of the members of the Community helped him with this task, which took several weeks of hard work. This is how the forty new posts that were needed for the renewal of the greenhouse were obtained. “To cut a living tree, something which grew many years ago, places you before a difficult situation, but at all times I felt much reverence for the Plant Kingdom and knew It was offering Itself for our sustainment. Living this process arose within me much more gratitude for the Kingdoms of Nature”, says Friar Akhbar, member of the plantation group, who assumed the task of reconstruction with the help of members of the Community and with the support of collaborators.

The big woods were especially cut and treated in order to begin the foundations of the place. This task was made possible by the effort of the group works, which are also called “mutirones”, where the members of the Community gather to perform tasks in common.

However, many difficulties came up which delayed the task. During the rainy season, the holes of the foundations were filled with water and the conditions became unfavorable to be able to continue. All the same, with the help of the group energy, they could manage to move forward little by little. In addition, the posts were heavy so the task of placing them required a considerable effort; this is why it was done with ropes.  

Finally, after months of weekly work which was subject to the environmental conditions, the foundations were set up and due to the large size of the place, it was necessary to hire specialized workers for the placement of plastic that covers the structure. Friar Akhbar tells us: “I felt that in the face of the projects that need to be carried out in Aurora, this was a very small one; but as a Community, it prepared us internally through the group work, through the work among brothers and sisters, in order to know how to face what will come in the future.”

With the main structure ready, the Community is now dedicated to the installment of the irrigation system and to the building of a fence so that the animals may not enter, as well as to the restructuring of the gardens since many of them have been damaged during the process. Once the conditions within the structure are favorable for planting, tropical trees such as papaya and banana trees will be planted due to the fact that this environment allows for a microclimate to be generated and thus there will be certain protection for a good development. Furthermore, during this first stage and taking advantage of the spring season, tomatoes will be sowed so that they may bear fruit in the summer.

Raising a good structure that would protect the sustainment of the Community was a great challenge that was achieved thanks to the hands of all the servers who work day after day in fraternity; this reinforces the example that if we are united in the same Purpose it is possible to attain any goal, both material and spiritual. Friar Akhbar concludes: “We all felt a very special energy; all who participated, who helped and who experienced this work since the beginning, we all got to feel something Greater in the effort of the Community for self-sustainability and common good.”

*Clarification: all the people who appear in the pictures live in the Community since before the pandemic. The Community is not in contact with the public and does not have Covid cases, so they were without masks. However, nowadays, in spite of not having any cases, the criteria of using masks for further protection is being implemented.