Danish version below

Who, what, why and how?

Who will benefint:

We are Jan and Kirstine, owners of Dambækgaard, a small-scale family farm in Stevns, Denmark where we for the past three years have run a small farmstay and bnb. By supporting our project, we will benefit by being able to fulfill our dream to inspire visitors to live a more sustainable lives. The support will also benefit our holiday guests who would like to live more sustainable and climate friendly, because the support will provide better facilities to teach, accommodate and serve food to more people.

What:

Our intention is to transform the farm’s old stables into a centre for sustainable life. We have recently received funding from the EU to cover 30% of the project costs and now hope to use this crowdfunding campaign to help raise the remaining 70% of funding. You can read more about how the donations will be spent below in ”What We Need & How we Use the Funds

Why:

Making your daily life climate friendly can be quite a challenge, especially if you are unfamiliar with what it entails.  Living sustainably does not have to be all about abstinence. It also involves creativity and intention. The challenge comes in finding alternatives to your current lifestyle and avoiding old bad habits along the way.

What we are offering is for people to join us at our living lab – either as students for masterclasses or simply visiting guests – to provide them the inspiration and knowledge required to make small or large changes in their lives.  Efforts like this are needed if we want to make a positive impact on climate change for our own household and for future generations

How:                                                 

We believe in setting a positive example. Therefore, we aim to motivate visitors and teach students rather than give lectures.

During their stay, guests are surrounded by

1. sustainable building
2. sustainable family life
3. sustainable food
4. sustainable farm life

They will see how animals live in their natural habitat and have informative conversations with the family, farm volunteers, and other guests. Our home will encourage guests to be more aware and open to sustainable lifestyle changes and, hopefully, inspire them to learn and do more.

Additionally, we will provide masterclasses for students or families who stay at the farm for a week/weekend as part of a the traditional Danish “Højskole” programme (a vocation-based school available for anyone with the desire to expand their knowledge and abilities). These longer and more intensive opportunities will give a more thorough insight into our sustainable living approaches.

Our story:

Ten years ago, we took the bold decision and moved from Copenhagen to the farm with an ambition of fulfilling a life-long dream and becoming a self-sufficient family. After five years, we almost gave up the project. We could not maintain the farm while also being a functional family of five, raising livestock, and organically growing our produce. However, as parents we still felt an obligation to show our children the best possible example and inspire them to protect and live in respect with nature. Not knowing where to turn, we were suggested by a friend to become WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) hosts, a programme that matches volunteers and organic farm owners together. In exchange for free food accommodation provided by the hosts, volunteers work 25-30 hours per week.

Opening our home to (mostly) young people searching for knowledge about sustainability and ecology – and sometimes, also searching for more purpose in their lives – has changed everything for us. The extra help meant we could begin to think about developing the farm further. Our children also became English-speaking world citizens with knowledge of cultures from all seven continents. And we  gained a constant, meaningful reminder of just how important it is to pass on knowledge to the next generation.

For the past five years, we have hosted more than 100 volunteers from all over the world, and for the past two and a half years, we have accommodated more than 500 paying guests in a rent-out caravan, a self-made flat, and at a campsite space on our farm. Many of them have left the farm expressing how inspired they have been to sustainably improve their own habits and knowledge.

We were already living a life which focused on self-sufficiency, minimizing food waste, and, in general, the values of our grandmothers, so we were surprised by the impact we had on so many people, of all ages, from across the globe. Seeing that impact is what inspired us to extend our vision and expand our facilities and, accordingly, to be able to host even more people and offer more educational courses in all aspects of sustainability.

Our confidence  in this idea grew alongside the encouragement we received from different volunteers. Some had experience in marketing for BnBs in France. Others could share their knowledge about crowdfunding campaigns, help film the campaign video, or simply give testimonials about the environment we have been cultivating at Dambækgaard for the last half decade. They gave us the confidence we needed to realize our ambitions and succeed in creating real, lasting impact. Sustainability is, after all, not just something we value, but it is a way of life others are searching for as well.

What We Need & How we Use the Funds

We need 250.000 DKK for seven different parts of the building project: 

• Building advisors
• A professional kitchen
• Dinning and teaching room
• Accommodation
• Water solutions
• Insulation materials
• Building materials

All of the above focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). 

If we do not reach our entire goal, funds given will be used to pay for the water solutions. Ensure clean water is becoming more and more urgent and having a good water solution is crucial if we are to continue building ourselves without further funding.

Building advisors

• Paying for expert advice  to ensure we utilize the right sustainable solutions during the building project

WHY? Although we have been living a sustainable life for many years now and have gathered experience on how to build sustainably, we are not experts and our skills have their limitations. Therefore, we have arranged for professional building advisors to make sure we choose the right method and materials in our building projects. For security and insurance reasons, authorized personnel must make some of the solutions, such as electricity and sewerage, which is part of the expenditure.

SDG 7 (7.2), SDG 9 (9.2 and 9.5), SDG 9.B (9.B.1)

A professional kitchen

• Upcycling materials from demolished buildings

WHY? Today most of the inventory and materials in development construction projects goes into the dumpster. However, much of it is suitable for recycling toward new construction work – it just requires additional time and the right kind of treatment. It is our philosophy that we should stop acting as if this planet has unlimited resources and a shortage of working hands. We believe it is reverse; there are so many people on this planet but only a limited reservoir of resources. For us, taking the time to clean bricks and carefully remove tiles from an old industrial abattoir rather than produce new ones seems to be an obvious solution to lowering our carbon footprint. SDG 12 (12.2.2 and 12.5)

• Laying clay and linoleum flooring

WHY? Making floors out of clay reduces the need for concrete, which is responsible for about 8% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Clay is a natural and recyclable resource, which is also more durable and less expensive than wood. However, kitchens need a washable surface be approved for professional cooking purposes. Therefore, we have decided use linoleum in the kitchen, a natural, sustainable product that biodegrades once it no longer serves as flooring.

SDG 12 (12.2.2 and 12.4)

• Purchasing appliances and inventory approved for professional cooking

WHY? If we want to upscale the number of people we can host, feed, and accommodate, we also need to upscale our cooking facilities to comply with Danish food law. However, most professional kitchen appliances are made to be extremely durable, so we will be able to buy of our kitchen appliances second hand.

SDG 12 (12.5)

• Installing removable windows

WHY? We would like to show that sustainable construction work does not necessarily require that you have to make aesthetic compromises. The stable dates back to the 1920’es and the existing windows are typical for that time. They add a charming look, but they unfortunately do not comply with Danish building regulations and will require either changing or further insulation. By using removable windows inside of the building, we can maintain the original windows of the stable so it still matches the rest of the farm buildings.

SDG 12 (12.5),

Dining and teaching room

• Installing clay floors

WHY? Making floors out of clay reduces the need for concrete, which is responsible for about 8% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions. Clay is a natural and recyclable resource,  which is more durable and cheaper than wood.

SDG 12 (12.2.2 and 12.4)

• Building a masonry heater from recycled bricks

WHY? The rooms of the restored building will have heated floors drawn from a central heating system. However, a masonry heater will also be needed to reduce the use of wood pellets and to serve as a baking and pizza oven for the kitchen.

SDG 12 (12.2.2 and 12.5)

• Constructing chairs and tables from removed floor separation

WHY? The former floor separation was too worn down to keep as floor separation, but it is still suitable for use as furniture with the right kind of treatment. Making furniture out of the recycled wood will reduce the need to cut down trees and minimize our costs by avoiding purchasing new furniture.

SDG 12 (12.2.2 and 12.5)

• Purchasing and installing panorama windows

WHY? Being in touch with nature is a unique stress reducing activity and is one that allows us to recharge our batteries. Having a panoramic view over the fields and animals in their natural habitat will help inspire guests and students to re-evaluate how they regard animal life.

SDG 3 (3.D.1)

• Purchasing AV-equipment for educational lectures

WHY? Being able to teach sustainable living, cooking, growing, and building is one of the essential reasons why we are crowdfunding. It is one thing to inspire visitors to a more sustainable lifestyle by setting an example, but we would also like to be able to teach those that are interested in getting the deeper knowledge by giving lectures. Of course, there is much to learn by doing, but sometimes you also need to engage with more specific information, something especially valuable since visitors and students will not see the farm’s full annual cycle first hand.

SDG 4 (4.7), 13 (13.3)

2 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms and 5 toilets

• Purchasing new beds and mattresses

WHY? Most of the inventory for the rooms are made from re- or upcycled materials. Beds, however, will either need to be bought new or have their mattresses replaced so guests can sleep comfortably. We of course aim for the option of finding old beds and replace the mattresses.

SDG 12 (12.2.2 and 12.5)

• Acquiring sinks and toilets from demolished building or home renovations

WHY? Sanitary inventory rarely wears down and, provided they can function well, it is a waste to dispose of them rather than making the required adjustments to make them more eco-friendly. We could also make compost toilets – but, unfortunately, they are time consuming to maintain and empty, which is why we are opting for a grey water flush solution instead (see under biological wastewater cleaning system for more information).

SDG 12 (12.2.2 and 12.5)

• Acquiring removed tiles from demolished buildings

WHY? As we wrote in the paragraph about a professional kitchen, we believe producing new things is unnecessary when recycled materials are available. Therefore, we aim to build as much of the bathrooms from materials obtained from demolished buildings.

SDG 12 (12.2.2 and 12.5)

Water solutions

• Establishing rainwater collection in the former manure tank and putting up a sand filter

WHY? Rainwater drawn from the roofs can be stored and used for animal water and for watering the garden in dry seasons. Additionally, we can use cleaned rainwater to do the laundry. This way we avoid using tap water, which is drinkable, unnecessarily. At the same time, we are able to keep the washing machines longer, because the tap water in our local area is so full of limestone that it wears the machine out quicker than average.

SDG 6 (6.4)

• Building a grey water collection tank

WHY? We would have loved to use the collected and cleaned rainwater for use in the showers, but unfortunately, that does not comply with Danish environmental regulations. Therefore, we had to come up with some other way of minimizing our use of tap water, as clean drinking water is a worldwide sparse resource. Instead, we will dig out a water tank to collect all the grey water from the washing machines as well as showers to use for flushing toilets.

SDG 6 (6.3 and 6.4)

• Designing and installing a biological wastewater cleaning system

WHY? Situated in open land, the farm is not connected to any public sewer system, so we have various options when choosing a system for cleaning the wastewater going out of the building. The most widely known solution would be to use a  ‘willow’ cleaning system, which requires a lot of space. Another option would be to use a chemical cleaning system, which is not compatible with our no chemistry beliefs. We’ve chosen to use a biocleaning system

SDG 6 (6.3 and 6.4)

The difference your donation makes

Your donations will help us:

• choose the most sustainable solutions
• inspire even more people to live sustainably and climate friendly
• make travelling more sustainable and reduce the waste usually associate with travelling
• offer you the facilities to travel and learn sustainably
•  

Is there a risk and how do you handle it? 

If we don’t reach our target, we will have to build more ourselves and less by hired help. Building on your own is always a risk, because there are no guarantees that you have the required skills.

To make sure we choose the right solutions we have established a teamwork with local craftsmen and constructors to provide advice and guidance for free and give us a paid hand when we have the means to pay them.

I don’t have any money, but I’d really like to help

We can use all the help we can get, so if you don’t have the means to contribute financially there are other ways:

• a helping hand in exchange for plenty accommodation and plenty of good food is always welcome.
• spread the word out and make some noise about our campaign in your own network and encourage them to donate and share using the Indiegogo share tools!

Vores historie:

For ti år siden tog vi den dristige beslutning at flytte fra København til gården med en ambition om at udleve en vedvarende drøm om  at blive en selvforsynende familie. efter fem år, var vi meget tæt på at give op. Vi kunne ikke selv vedligeholde gården, hvis vi samtidig skulle være en velfungerende familie på fem, opdrætte dyr og dyrke økologiske grøntsager. Men som forældre følte vi stadig en forpligtelse til at være det bedste eksempel for vores børn og inspirere dem til at beskytte og leve i respekt for naturen. Vi vidste ikke, hvor vi skulle søge hjælp, da en god ven foreslog vi blev WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) værter, et udvekslingsprogram der matcher frivillige og økologiske, bæredygtige producenter. Mod fri kost og logi fra værternes side arbejder de frivliige 25-30 timer pr. uge.

at åbne vores hjem for – overvejende – unge mennesker på jagt efter viden om bæredygtighed og økologi – og nogle gange også søgende på mere indhold i deres eget liv – har forandret alt for os. Den ekstra hjælp har gjort, at vi begyndte at tænke på at udvikle gården endnu mere.Vores børn blev engelsk talende verdensborgere med viden om kulturer fra alle verdensdele, og vi fik en vedvarende og meningsfuld påmindelse om vigtigheden af at videregive viden til den næste generation.

Gennem de sidste fem år har vi været værter for mere end 100 frivillige fra hele verden og igennem de sidste tre år, har vi huset mere end 500 betalende gæster i en campingvogn, en lejlighed, vi selv har bygget og en campingplads på gården. Mange af dem har givet udtryk for, hvor inspireret de er blevet til at forbedre deres egne vaner og viden på en mere bæredygtig måde

Vi levede allerede et liv, der fokuserede på selvforsyning, minimere madspild og – generelt – værdierne fra vores bedstemødre, så vi blev overraskede over, hvor meget vi indvirkede så mange forskellige mennesker i alle aldre fra hele verden. At få øje på en indvirkning inspirerede os til at udvide vores vision og udvide vores faciliteter og dermed få mulighed for at være værter for endnu flere mennesker og tilbyde kurser i alle aspekter af bæredygtighed.

Vores tro på ideen blev forstærket af den opmuntring, vi fik fra forskellige frivillige. Nogle havde erfaring med marketing for BnBs i Frankrig. Andre kunne dele deres erfaringer om crowdfunding, hjælpe med at filme og redigere videoen eller ganske enkelte bidrage med anbefalinger omkring stemningen, vi har skabt på Dambækgaard igennem det sidste halve årti. De gav os den selvtillid, vi behøvede for at realisere vores ambition og fortsætte med at skabe, en reel vedvarende indvirkning. Bæredygtighed er trods alt ikke bare noget, vi værdsætter, men en livsstil andre også søger.

Hvad har vi brug for, og hvordan bruger vi pengene

Vi har brug for 250.000,- til syv forskellige dele af byggeprojektet: 

• Buyggerådgivning
• Industrikøkken
• Spise- og undervisningslokale
• Værelser
• Spildevands og gråtvandsløsninger  
• Isoleringsmateriale
• Byggemateriale

Alle ovenstående dele fokuserer på FNs verdensmål (SDG). 

Hvis vi ikke når vores mål, vil de givne donationer, blive brugt til at betale for bæredygtige spildevands- og gråtvandsløsninger. At sikre rent drikkevand bliver mere og mere presserende og især sikring af en god spildevandsløsning  er afgørende for, at vi selv kan færdiggøre byggeriet uden yderligere finansiering.

Byggerådgivere

• at betaler for ekspert rådgivning for at siker, at vi anvender de rette bæredygtige løsninger i løbet af byggeprojektet

Hvorfor? Selvom vi har har levet bæredygtigt i mange år og har fået erfaring med, hvordan man bygger bæredygtigt, er vi ikke eksperter og vores evner har deres begrænsninger. Derfor har vi entreret med professionelle byggerådgivere for at sikre, vi vælger de rette metoder og materialer. Af hensyn til sikkerheden og forsikringen skal der naturligvis også autoriserede håndværksmester til at tilslutte elektricitet og kloak, hvilket er en del af udgiften til byggerådgivere. SDG 7 (7.2), SDG 9 (9.2 og 9.5), SDG 9.B (9.B.1)

Industrikøkken