Current Projects

Featured Project

Sadhana Forest – A Forest to Grow People

The dream of this community is to ecologically restore 70 acres of barren, severely eroded land into a vibrant Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest (TDEF). This biologically rich forest type, once abundant in southern India and Sri Lanka, is now nearly extinct. Only 0.01% survives. Over two thousand volunteers from all over the world have planted thousands of TDEF trees at Sadhana Forest since the community was founded in 2003.

In September 2009, Sadhana Forest began an ambitious 3-year Environmental Leadership Program with 16 participants from all over the world. For more information, see the Sadhana Forest entry on the Auroville Wiki or on Facebook.

Other Projects

Auroville Earth Institute

Auroville Earth Institute (AEI) has become one of the world leaders in earth Architecture. It has done major work researching and developing cost effective and energy efficient stabilized earth technologies. It also developed the Auram machine for building with earth, which is now sold worldwide. It is the representative in Asia for UNESCO Chair Earthen Architecture, Constructive Cultures and Sustainable Development. The Auroville Earth Institute has trained nearly 6,000 people from 62 countries on earth architecture and technologies through hands-on courses both in India and abroad.

Pitchandikulam Forest

Pitchandikulam was established in 1973 as a pioneering Auroville green belt community engaged in reforestation on the bare eroded township site. Since then the 70 acres have been transformed into a complete ecosystem with more than 800 species of plants. Its Bioresource Centre with library, database, artifact and photo displays provides a focus for teaching restoration ecology, environmental science, and the identification and use of indigenous medicinal plants. A major focus of Pitchandikulam is community outreach, with work in 25 villages in the bioregion. Recently Pitchandikulam was awarded the contract for the ecological restoration of Chennai's Adyar Creek, which has changed from a pristine and productive wetland to a cesspool and garbage dump over the last 50 years. Another outstanding program is Pitchandikulam's outreach to Nadukuppan High School, 25 miles away. One of Nadukuppan's teachers, Mr. V.M. Shankar says that the school has transformed from a hot and dusty place with no water, no toilets, and no shade to "a model of what can be achieved with the support of local villagers, the Education Department and the project team."

Auroville Botanical Garden's Environmental Education Center

The mission of the Auroville Botanical Garden is to conserve India's Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest and to conserve genetic diversity in a wide range of climates. The main focus of its work is education, says Paul Blanchflower, the coordinator of the project. “This has been the intention from the beginning – to create an environment where love, respect and understanding of the natural world can be nurtured and developed.” The programme's ambitious goal is to provide a basic environmental education facility for over 300 schools within a 30-kilometer radius of the gardens. In addition to botanical education, environmental issues such as conservation of biodiversity, global warming, water cycles, food security, and environmental monitoring will be taught. “Our second aim is to be a model of sustainability and to show what can be achieved with today's technologies,” he adds. The Botanical Gardens depends on solar energy for powering its buildings, while wind and solar are used for pumping water.

Environmental Monitoring Service

Auroville's EMS began in 1993 as a service for testing water, soil, and food for quality and contamination. It receives no funding from Auroville, and so survives financially by offering paid services to outside clients, in addition to free testing for public bodies in Auroville like Solar Kitchen, Pour Tous, Pitanga, and some of the schools. EMS tests potable water and groundwater for contaminants as well as the seawater near Auroville's beach communities. Besides food, water, and soil, it also tests soaps, essential oils, cosmetics, compost, and even tea. Its facilities are unmatched in the area and serve clients from as far away as Calcutta and France. See this article for more details.

Village Action

Auroville Village Action Group (AVAG) looks after Human Unity at the doorstep of Auroville. AVAG seeks to establish a friendly sustainable relationship with the people of the villages surrounding Auroville by acting as a bridge between Auroville's idealistic aspirations and the traditional, but impoverished, culture of the local people. This has produced a broad based rural development program. Activities range from educational programs with the children, to helping the people take on self-help projects for village improvement, to savings and micro-credit programs with the women, as well as cultural events. AVAG also facilitates the village-related activities of other Auroville groups in the fields of health, environmental education, water conservation, bio-diversity, sanitation, renewable energy, employment and housing.

Auroville Land Fund

Auroville is to be a city which belongs to no-one in particular, but to humanity as a whole. In order for this city to be built for all of Humankind, the land it is built on cannot be privately owned; it must belong to Auroville. There is now an urgent need to secure the physical base of Auroville - will you help purchase the missing pieces?

The Land Fund 1,000 X $1,000 Campaign raised over $750,000 for the purchase of Land for Auroville. Although this campaign is over, we still urge you to help secure the land for Auroville.

USA Pavilion

The American student guest house, the first project of the USA Pavilion, is one of the most eco-friendly buildings in Auroville. It hosts university groups from the US that are studying abroad in Auroville. Current work, for which funds are greatly appreciated, includes completing the second phase of the guest house with a kitchen, dining room and library.

New Creation Bilingual School

New Creation Bilingual School is one of the Auroville Outreach Schools. We aim to offer a progressive education to some of the Tamil children from the villages around Auroville. We are supported by Auroville but also rely upon charitable donations to carry out all the services we provide, including a packed school curriculum, free meals, thorough health checks and a good deal of individual care to some very needy young people.

Add A Project

Would you like to add another project to this list? Please contact us to learn more about our policies, about whether your project can be included here and if so, what information we will require.