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On International Women’s Day of 2019, Didi Contractor, co-founding Professor Emeritus of the Internship in Vernacular Eco-Architecture at Dharmalaya Institute, was presented with the Nari Shakti Puraskar, India’s highest civilian honor recognizing women who have made great contributions to India. The award was presented by the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind.
After the invigorating monsoon season, autumn is a natural time for reflective engagement as we return outdoors to work with the earth. Dharmalaya Institute’s autumn 2018 program season began with a five-day silent meditation retreat, led by mindfulness trainer Ellen van Iersel from the Netherlands, which set a contemplative tone. We then welcomed a lovely […]
Didi Contractor, a celebrated earthen architect and co-founding Professor Emeritus of the Internship in Vernacular Eco-Architecture at Dharmalaya Institute (a project of the Earthville Network in the Indian Himalayas), was honored with WADe Asia’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her work in natural building in the Himalayas, which has inspired countless architects in India and beyond.
After years in the making, a new feature-length documentary film entitled “Didi Contractor: Marrying the Earth to the Building” premiered at the 2016 Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) in India. Directed by Steffi Giaracuni of Switzerland, the film explores the life and work of acclaimed earthen architect (and artist and designer) Didi Contractor, whom some […]
Last month, friends new and old from all corners of the globe (five continents!) came to Dharmalaya to participate in our fourth annual SanghaSeva retreats at Dharmalaya. As usual, we were feeling like family by the end, and mountains were moved — both outside and in.
After an unprecedented four-and-a-half-month monsoon, the Dharmalaya Institute in the Indian Himalayas is reopening its brand-new (and still-to-be-varnished) doors to volunteers, students, and interns, with a series of volunteer, service-learning, and retreat programs spanning the next eight months.
Empowerment & Prosperity in Harmony with Nature The Sustainable Thriving Alliance (STA) is a coalition of concerned individuals, nonprofit organizations, and responsible businesses collaborating for sustainable development and healthy living. Our Mission The STA mission is to bring together the people, ideas, and resources to take on ambitious yet achievable projects that help people thrive […]
A majority of US Citizens want mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods, but the US government is letting the fox run the henhouse. You can help!
Earthville Education is developing a model for an international network of holistic centers for learning, service, and sustainable livelihoods. This vision comprises a hybrid institutional model combining two main elements — a highly experiential and service-oriented kind of “school” (in a broad sense of the word), and an innovative approach to social and environmental charitable programs […]
OK, we confess: It isn’t easy. (The title is a bit of an ironic joke on marketing.) But it is doable. And, on a certain level, it is simple. From our experience doing charitable work across the globe, we have seen that the basic formula for change is not all that complicated. So at least articulating […]