Environmental Projects
Nature is protecting us
Our Focus
We believe in earth stewardship and environmental action through collective projects for a more balanced relationship between the earth and all its inhabitants.
Our expertise is in ecological restoration and the ethics of holistic approaches to sustainable living, which can be applied in daily life. We provide opportunities for gaining skills through live projects, adventures, workshops, seminars and intensive tours with our core team members and in partnership with our international collaborators. These include:
- Ayurveda
- Bushcraft
- Permaculture
- Sustainable Building
Our organisation brings together the skills in architecture, ayurveda, biology, bushcraft, landscaping, navigation, permaculture, survival, sustainable construction and water purification.
The Context
The ecological problems facing the planet today concern us all as individuals and collectively. Finding solutions provides opportunities for bringing people together from all backgrounds and cultures. The heart of our work is to find ways of reconciling with the plant kingdom, without which humanity and animals would be at risk, and to learn from them. Trees especially provide human communities with a template for mutual care and shared sustenance.
“The very existence of human beings on earth depends on Nature. In truth, we are not protecting Nature – it is Nature who protects us.”
– Mātā Amṛtānandamayī Devī
Our Environmental Projects and Actions
France 2020 - Permaculture gardening
In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic, members of the Surya team launched a permaculture garden project in Auvergne. The initiative aimed to explore and apply sustainable gardening techniques as a practical response to growing concerns about food security. Through hands-on collaboration, the team created a self-sustaining ecosystem, experimenting with composting and companion planting. This project offered a meaningful way to reconnect with nature, build resilience, and deepen the group’s understanding of ecological living in a time of global uncertainty.
India 2019 - Saving Trees after Cyclone
In early 2019, South India was hit by a very strong storm that caused widespread devastation. A Surya World group was travelling in the region of Tamil Nadu shortly aferwards and visited anAshram in the countryside, close to Trichy, where several of old trees were uprooted by the cyclone. We joined forces with the locals to dig big holes and put the trees back in place, which was not an easy task in many cases because of their substantial height and weight.
La Reunion 2016 - Permaculture Garden
In August 2016 Surya Reunion was granted use of a 250 m2 plot of land at an altitude of 1400m in Piton Ravine Blanche on which to develop a permaculture garden. The proposed design was carried out in partnership with Luca Piccin, a local specialist in agroecology and Fulvian Faucher, a landscape architect. Work began in December and seeds of fruit trees have been planted at the end of April 2017.
India 2015 - Planting Trees near Trichy
Surya members plant native evergreen trees in a biodiverse garden project in Tamil Nadu, South India. Over the years Surya World has developed an ongoing relationship with Auroville, where seeds and trees are regularly sourced and a charitable trust near Trichy, where the planting is carried out. Plants are grown and maintained in a simple, ecological manner using principles of biodynamic agriculture and the numerous varieties provide shade, timber, food and medicinal support to the local community. Aside from holding nature awareness programmes with the community’s children, the objective of the garden is to provide a model for the local area that demonstrates how to grow with little water on such dry land. This is one of Surya World’s ecological projects with local partners around the world.
France 2014 - Bushcraft training
As part of our objective to provide sustainable living skills, we held a bushcraft adventure in July where participants were trained how to make fires in humid terrain, and shared great moments connecting with nature in the lake of Annecy.
India 2013 - Green volunteering
Surya members from the USA, France, Reunion Island and UK serve as volunteers in environmental stewardship projects in Kerala and Tamil Nadu Ashrams.
France 2013 - Bushcraft training
Our wilderness camping adventure in the Auvergne region of central France provided opportunities for participants to gain bushcraft skills in the summer. The rudiments of how to survive in nature was taught including how to use a knife, cut wood, make fire and archery, all in an atmosphere of fun.
Mexico 2012 - Reforestation
In Queretaro, participation of youth volunteers in reforestation works was done in partnership with Ekocuates Queretaro with the objective of learning the skills and understanding the ethics of sustainable environmental development. Volunteers were responsible for watering all the new saplings during the workshop and a dozen participants carried out planting of around 600 trees over 3 days in the Sierra de Queretaro.
France 2011 - Bushcraft training
A 3-day wild camping and bushcraft workshop was organised during the summer in the forests of the Cantal area of Auvergne France, providing the largely urban participants with the survival skills required to withstand and enjoy the experience. Training included navigation, fire making, knife work, archery, identifying shelters and learning survival principles in extreme and unpredictable weather conditions.
India 2011 - Ecological skills
During its annual trip to India, Surya World organised intensive tours and workshops with several communities in Auroville, Tamil Nadu that are well known internationally for their innovation in environmental development and green practices. Participants were able to improve their knowledge and obtain skills in ayurvedic plants and herbs, sustainable farming techniques, seed banking and spirulina farming from local experts.
