Being on the edge of a forest has its pros and cons. Spraying the surroundings in a place like ours would not only kill the insects and birds eating them, but it would also show effects throughout the food chain of the forest, thus reducing the insect, bird, and mammal populations in the beautiful forest around us.
The absence of birds chirping, fireflies, and forest sounds such as crickets and Cicadas would render the forest lifeless. We believe in using local organic remedies for the same, which might not be as effective as the sterile environment that DDT usage can create. We believe that we are the guests, and the animals and insects of the forest are the owners.
The trees and flora on the property have been selected for a special reason, even though it looks unruly and unknown to human eyes. These plants are of extreme importance to the local insects, caterpillars, birds, and mammals. We believe in growing trees that are endemic to the Sahyadri mountain range and hence useful for the local fauna.
All the wood, clay tiles, and metal used in our cabins are reused from old houses in nearby villages. The swimming pools are made from natural stones found in local quarries, all of which are within a 10-kilometer radius of us. All this has been kept in mind to reduce our carbon footprint in the process of creating this place.
All the laborers, contractors, and others who assisted us in the build are from nearby tribal villages. There are no architects involved in the design process, and we use traditional tribal homebuilding knowledge and technology combined with some common sense.
We at Project Karjat believe that plastic belongs in the trash can and have been putting major effort and resources into cleaning the forests around us from trash and microplastic. It’s a battle we can't win alone. Microplastics, like cigarette buds, can stay in the soil for 100s of years, break down into microplastics, and enter our food chain through plants, fish, and animals consuming them.
