Belarus, perhaps the only remaining dictatorship in the Western Europe, repression notwithstanding, has its share of great people and projects. We would like to focus on Village Druzhaja. This 21-home village was constructed as an initiative with the help of the German-based organization Heimstatt Chernobyl. Their focus was to offer an alternative for the mass relocation of Chernobyl affected families, with a goal to create healthier housing and a healthier community. In the search for appropriate building practices and community centered economic sustainability, the village became one of the first examples to use alternative building techniques, wind energy and community-based enterprises. The village pioneered use of Light Straw building methods in the country, alongside with strawbale construction, the use of wind energy for a decentralized community-based solution to energy needs, and community-based enterprises. Arina Pittman of the Permaculture Institute has participated in the construction of four light straw houses, and a strawbale barn as a volunteer, in 1994-1995. In 1995 she joined the Belarussian Division of International Academy of Ecology as technical translator to assist in technology transfer of energy-efficient building methods to Belarus.

More good work in Belarus in the realms of sustainability has been initiated by the International Academy of Ecology, lead by a talented Belarusian Evgeni Shirokov. He is an activist and scientist whose work over the years has been paving the road for natural building and renewable energy use for the entire country. Evgeny developed a hot water batch heater design for Belarussian climate with its frequent overcast weather, then moved on to introduce strawbale construction methods in the country.

The first strawbale building in the country was constructed during the summer 1995 workshop in the village Druzhnaja, Mjadel region of Belarus in a workshop led by Shirokov. Later, Evgeny brought the first wind generator to the country, opening the door for decentralized energy production in the country that suffered most from the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe in 1989. Since then, Evgeny developed a prototype design for a Zero-Emissions House for Belarussian conditions.

In the Fall of 1995, Scott Pittman with guest lecturer Joe Bullock taught the first permaculture design course to 28 participants from all regions of Eastern and Central Europe in Belarus, near Minsk. Students traveled from Georgia, Ukraine, Estonia, Bulgaria, Russia and Belarus to attend this training.

If you know of other sustainability-focused projects in this region, please .