TIEEDI,an ecological forest training centre, is nestled in the lush hills of Gorabari, Darjeeling, 90 minutes from Siliguri in West Bengal. The organisation, which focusses on permaculture, regenerative tourism, natural farming, and sustainable land and building design consultation, is also a registered NGO that takes up experiential environmental education and holistic waste management projects in the hills.
The name TIEEDI is inspired from an old Ladakhi folk song featured in author-filmmaker Helena Norberg-Hodge’s eponymous book and documentary film, Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh. The song translates to, ‘Take it easy, Easy does it!’. The first letters of the words of the first line from the song were picked up to form the word ‘TIEEDI’.
In August, a film on the organisation made it to the official selection at Smaragdni Eco Film Festival in Croatia. The film Take It Easy, Easy Does It by National Geographic Explorer Project Himalayas to Sea, Plastic Free (2020-23) highlights community-led plastic reduction and awareness solutions.
The scenic route to TIEEDI takes me through tea gardens, streams and mist. After many momo stops, I arrive right outside their zero-waste store, which sells alternatives to plastic.
Built with bamboo and mud, the store is on a cliff, right below it is a semi-concrete home where kittens and dogs welcome visitors. Aruna didi, who cooks meals here, offer yacon flakes and syrup, grown in the forest.
Over the years, TIEEDI had many architects and design students visit them who volunteered to build sustainable homes. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Founded in 2016 by Utsow Pradhan, the 2.5-acre plot where TIEEDI is located was a hollow block factory for 40 years. It was owned by Utsow’s father, Bhim Chandra Pradhan. With the factory shut for two decades, it turned into a dumping ground for villagers. When Utsow returned to Darjeeling, leaving behind 18 years of corporate life, he decided to turn the place into a forest restoration project.
“I came back because my parents are aging and I wanted to be near them. This area used to look green from top but the land below the hills was invisible due to the garbage dumped for more than two decades,” recalls Utsow.
He recruited people from nearby hamlets to clean up the hill, 8 Mile. Volunteers too joined the effort. “The existing building was a ramshackle. Along with three friends, I started living in tents here and gradually restored electricity and water connections and renovated the building,” says Utsow.
They picked up 10,000 packets of plastic buried in the steep hills, the major pollutants harming the 8 Mile Khola (river), he says. “The lower hill that was buried under a pile of plastic waste is where you are staying in, the mud house I mean,” smiles Utsow.
TIEEDI Zero Waste store, which sells alternatives to plastic. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The idea of sustainable homes
Initially, there was only a hut-like structure for tourists to stay. Over the years, TIEEDI has had many architects and design students visiting them. They volunteered to build sustainable homes. “Two German volunteers from KURVE Wustrow – Centre for Training and Networking in Nonviolent Action – stayed with us for three years and helped us build a sustainable infrastructure and also set up a permaculture course,” says Utsow.
People enjoying locally grown delicacies at a gathering in TIEEDI. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The mud huts are constructed with natural materials such as bamboo, wood, grass and mud. The thatched roof is a mix of Siru (cogon grass) and Citunya (lemongrass) grass. Resting on a strong triple-layered stone foundation, the walls rise up on a bamboo structure caked with mud, cow dung and shredded jute bags. The bamboo weaving technique and plastering is called ‘wattle and daub’. “Siru grass cover on the roof acts as water repellent,” explains Utsow.
To manage waste, the communities in Gorabari have begun composting at their homes. In 2018, a terracotta home compost unit, Khamba, was launched in design partnership with a Bengaluru-based firm, Daily Dump. Khamba can process one kilogram waste every day. In 2019, TIEEDI introduced a community composting unit that can process 50 to 200 kilograms of waste daily. Later, the community started upcycling plastic buckets and designed a household composting unit, Mull Batta, which can process one kilogram waste per day, and Mull Dhwang, which can process 10 kilograms of waste per day.
Inside the deep forest of TIEEDI. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Zero Waste villages
Before the idea of composting was introduced, people of Rajhatta used to burn plastic and dump garbage in the hills. Saroj Tamang, a farmer with 300 acres of organic farm from the hamlet says, “We learnt about ‘Zero Waste’ from the TIEEDI community who taught us about different kinds of waste and how to segregate and compost. Every house in our village practises composting. The dry waste goes to a recycling company in Siliguri.”
Seeing the nearby hamlet go ‘Zero Waste’, residents of Naya Busty and Bara Mile also adapted the concept. Shiwani Tamang from Naya Busty, secretary of a self-help group, is spearheading the mission in her hamlet. “We don’t dump waste outside our homes anymore,” says Shiwani.
One of the clean-up drives in Gorabari, Darjeeling. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Utsow adds, “We collect waste from 80 households and 50 restaurants in Darjeeling and Kurseong daily and compost 60,000 kilograms of organic waste every month.”
Leading waste management
Connecting communities
Ramesh Kumar Tamang, owner of Norkila’Z Restaurant in Darjeeling, installed Mull Dhwang this year and learned about composting. “Earlier we were mindlessly dumping waste in the hills. Now the food waste is composted and used in our gardens.” Kulung Rai, a tea and momo shop owner, also used to dump waste in the hills. “During the rain, the waste would pollute the rivers and trouble families who lived below the hills. Now food waste is turned into fertilizer and plastic waste goes for recycling.” To manage plastic waste, the community is looking out for CSR partners and raising funds to build a ‘Waste Innovation Centre’.
One of the zero waste villages in Gorabari, Darjeeling. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
For the last five years, TIEEDI has also been working with seven schools from Kurseong and Darjeeling on an experiential environmental education. This year onwards, they have designed a holistic year-long curriculum, to teach students composting, identify local species and grow their own food. The schools have also set up composting units and adapted to the sustainable infrastructure.
To manage waste, the communities in Gorabari have begun composting at their homes. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Premmala Allay, principal of Darjeeling Montessori House of Children says, “In 2019, we discussed a programme for secondary students with Utsow and team. Inspired by that, in 2022, 40 members of teaching and non-teaching staff took a certificate course on ‘Introduction to Permaculture’ from TIEEDI. Our school also became zero-waste in 2022.”
In eight years, the community-led effort has converted 1.5 acres of dumping ground into a permaculture forest garden.
