Perpetual Garden
At the very centre of our project are plans for a self-sustaining 'Perpetual Garden' that will exist under a large transparent dome-like structure. Our aim is to use it to demonstrate the feasibility of growing year-round crops in the Irish climate that would normally have travelled thousands of miles to reach us. We want to show that Ireland can produce bananas, oranges, avocado, grapefruits, melons and more, as well as a wide selection of plants and herbs for culinary and medicinal use.
Locally sourced timber
The site will be constructed from locally sourced timber (from managed forests) and occupy a two-acre site, acting as something of a 'big brother' to the earthship-style greenhouse we have already begun work on. It will draw on much of the experience we have gained fro our existing work into self-sustaining food supply.
Wormeries
Wormeries will provide the basic nutrients for the garden's soil to help the plants and trees grow. The restaurant table will feature organic international cuisine made from plants grown within the perpetual garden, and any waste left on the plates will go - you guessed it - right back into the wormery.
Environmental methods
Output from the sinks and toilets onsite will be processed in line with our environmental methods, heading into our biodigester to produce energy that we can use to cook and fertiliser for our grasslands and orchards. All the power needed for the structure will come from renewable sources on our site.
Water features
The feature will boast varied water features that will not only be pleasing on the eye, but can also act as heat sinks, regulating the humidity of the atmosphere and keeping the temperature constant. Running water will also de-ionise the air and oxygenate the aquatic plants we want to grow.
Educational Charity
As an educational charity, we will be encouraging (and funding) visits and tours from schools and colleges to the Perpetual Garden, where the teaching and learning experience will range from visual touch-sensitive displays to actors as characters entertaining and informing guests - education that will appeal to adults and children alike. We aim to make the learning as fun and direct as possible: visitors will walk through the worm tunnel, deep in the earth to learn about our wiggly friends and create their own fresh juices from the fruit trees they can rest under in our Greek style taverna/juice bar. We want the Perpetual Garden to be something that people enjoy with all their senses; the smells of the fresh herbs in the healing garden, the sounds of the waterfalls into the lotus pools, the intensity of the colours of the tropical plants and the butterflies that pollinate them, the taste of food picked fresh from the garden and made into a delicious meal from simple ingredients… all this and more!
As well as the educational opportunities for schools, we plan to run forums, workshops and lectures on raising environmental awareness, as well as enabling ecological companies to exhibit their technologies to bring them to the attention of the public.
Holistic Treatment Centre
The centre will also house a holistic treatment centre which will offer a wide range of therapies, using plants and their by-products from the Perpetual Garden itself, wherever possible.
Self-sufficient
Revenue from the general public (who will have to pay for admittance) and the Mediterranean-style cafe and restaurant will be reinvested into the Perpetual Garden, and it is envisaged that the building will be financially self-sufficient within ten years.
Contact us
The centre will be the most environmentally sound building in the Republic of Ireland, demonstrating many types of the latest ecological features in an educational setting and putting so much of what we have already learned into practice. If you want to know more about the project, then please feel free to contact us.