Sadhana Forest India

The vision of its founders, Yorit and Aviram Rozin, is to transform 70 acres of severely eroded, arid land on the outskirts of Auroville. In a spirit of human unity, their aim is to introduce a growing number of people to sustainable living and veganism. Our energy and resources are focused on the creation of a vibrant, indigenous Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest (TDEF). Click here for a brief video on the vision and work of Sadhana Forest Indigenous Tree Planting:We planted more than 25,500 Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest plants of 160 different indigenous species, and are constantly mulching and caring for them.Survival rate in average is between 80% - 90%.  Survival rate does not fall below 70% even on the most degraded soil. Water table recharge and conservation:More than 20 kilometers of trenches have been dug and eight earth dams have been built, altogether storing more than 50,000 cubic meters of rain water.As a result of this work underground water level has risen by 6 meters from an average of 26 feet deep during 2003 (before Sadhana Forest was started) to an average of 6 feet during 2007 after four years of intensive water conservation work. Outreach and Education:A very warm friendship has developed between us and the villagers around. We work together to regenerate and protect our area. The project is very frequently visited by local people, especially kids. Every visitor is welcome and gets an explanation of the project and its value to the environment. More than 3,000 volunteers, interns, and students from India and around the world have lived and worked in Sadhana Forest for periods of 2 weeks to 36 months. Accommodation in Sadhana Forest is always free. Thousands of children from the surrounding villages and from Auroville have planted TDEF trees. Over 200 kids are regularly caring for the trees they planted on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Twenty Ecological Living workshops were given as part of the Auroville Winter Integr