THE BIHAR

PROJECT
2017
THE RIDE
The Bihar Project is the third in a two-
year series of projects taking place
from India to Scotland, to connect
people for sustainable living, peace
and community wellbeing. These
projects make up the Vasudhaiva
Ride, and are hosted by Prashant
Kumar (India), upcycling designer,
installation artist, animal welfare
activist; and Ben Reid-Howells
(Canada), educator, trainer,
community organizer. The Ride
started from Khubavali Village, near
to Mahindra United World College in
Maharashtra in January 2017. Since
then Ben, Prashant and Buddy the
Dog have travelled approximately
11,000km across India: two projects
completed, and more than twenty
community sessions held in cities,
towns and villages. Now they have
reached Bihar, the location of their
final major project in India and
Prashant’s native state.
. The Bihar Project is
focused on sustainable
construction and
community resource
exchange
WHY
BIHAR?
 Plastic consumption in India is
growing at an annual rate of 22%.
Thereby increasing urbanization, in
the absence of a household waste
management system by the
government, has led to extreme
pollution in Arrah.
 Chemical fertilizer usage in India.

Currently the gross of farmers is using

dangerous amounts of pesticides and
chemicals to work their land, thereby
creating multi nutrient deficiencies in soil,
destabilizing the food production system and
the lives of all those who depend on the
land.
Measured is a 67% melt of
glaciers in the Himalayan
mountain ranges in the past
decade. Glacial melt is
expected to increase under
the changing climate and will
lead to increased summer
flows in some river systems
for a few decades. News
articles give serious data

about increasing floods

around Patna; last year Ganga
broke the 1994 record with
water level recorded at 50.40
meters, which is 1,8 meters
above the danger mark.
Bihar has a total
literacy rate of

63.82%
(75.7% males and of
55.1% females).

Bihar suffers from a

Brain drain effect:
young professionals
leaving the state to
pursue their careers in
more developed areas
of India, or abroad.
 People in Bihar consume excessive amounts of
groundwater in urban areas, in a way that natural
sources of groundwater (e.g. rain) cannot feed this
demand. Also excessive groundwater draft for
irrigation has led to depletion of groundwater levels.
To presume further disaster from happening
sustainable water management should be
applied.
Mother Ganga comes with a gift:
clay can be found in the entire
area and this clay has many
purposes. Not only is it an
excellent beauty product (hair and
skin love a clay mask), it is also
used for housing. Traditional mud
tiles, produced from local clay and
dried in traditional fire heated
ovens, are decorating the roof of

the center. We believe in

the power of local
skills and products, this
is one example of many.
Future Bihar
Worlds oldest University Nalanda
(located in Bihar) has reopened
its doors and lectures on history
and sustainability are currently
given on the new campus. The
government has big plans to
improve education in Bihar and is
working hard on a better future.
Sustainability is a main subject in
the University, where students
have started programs on
recycling and sustainable
farming. With the work of
Prashant and his family, students
at Nalanda, volunteers from all
over the world, children from the
slumps and basically everyone
willing to make a change, we .

believe that Bihar can go through

a huge transformation.
Resilient Design
The design of The Bihar Project
incorporates measures for various
environmental factors: it is made

theft-proof, flood-proof, it is
made self-reliant and is a
model for sustainability.
Sustainable development is a necessity
in a society dealing with pollution and
limited resources, the community
centre will be a place to experiment
with sustainable architecture and
sustainable living, it will be a model for
self-reliant housing. We therefore want
to address The Bihar Project as

resilient design.
UPCYCLING
Prashant as an upcycling artist, used all
sorts of materials for the design.
Upcycling waste will provide an
example for the community on how to
reduce waste and use all resources
available, eventually leading to a more

circular economy.
Approximately 6000 bottles were used
as part of the wall; Old wheels of a cart
as windows; Tires the base of the
fencing; All wood and bamboo used is
recycled; Furniture was created from
scrap metal.
URBAN GARDEN
An urban rooftop garden will
finalize the look and functionality
of the center. Bamboo, tires and
cement bags collected during the
construction process, form the
base-layer of rooftop garden beds.
On this picture you can see our
vertical garden, made from
recycled bottles. We recognized
the growing need for space in
Arrah, and witnessed how locals
grow certain crops on their
rooftops. Inspired by this the
center will contain both a
vegetable garden on the roof and a
small permaculture farm on the
surrounding land. Being
sustainable also means being SELF-
sustainable.
THEFT- AND FLOOD
PROOF
By using conventional materials like
cement and bricks, the building has
become more than just a “green
home”. It has become resilient for
theft and natural forces. Bihar is
suffering from floods, earthquakes,
high criminality rates and heavy
rainfall. The foundations of the
building are elevated and
strengthened with a cement base.
The primary structure of the house is
formed of bricks and cement, which
makes the house a fort-like structure
that endures all kinds of weather
conditions. Upcycled materials were
used to create windows and frames
that make the house impenetrable
for unwanted visitors.
SELF-RELIANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY
To increase the self-reliance and sustainability of the building the following
installations have been applied:

• A septic tank for the human waste.

• A 2KW solar plant is going to provide the entire center with solar
energy.
• In order to make the wastewater of the center, and in the future of the
entire area, reusable for irrigation a natural wastewater treatment
system was created. The base for the system is a tank, filled with layers
of: rock, gravel, sand and Activated Carbon.
COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT
The goal of community engagement is
getting people involved to improve
community wellbeing; without the help
and understanding of locals it is not
possible to make a change. The team
has been working on a community
engagement program. The program
involved workshops with the local girls:

women empowerment.
And the education of the children from
the area. We witnessed a growing

demand for education. We hope

in the future to strengthen our team

with volunteers who have the
enthusiasm, skill and knowledge to
continue our work.
TOTAL IMPACT
STATS
Total costs of materials used 191.000 INR

Cost saved* 444.830 INR

Impact A model for sustainable and affordable housing created.
*costs saved with the use of waste and natural materials

• The Bihar Project shows that building a home doesn´t have to be expensive. By using upcycling
materials and natural building materials one can create a home with half the budget for
conventional building. Thereby the environmental impact by using these materials is priceless.
We believe that The Bihar Project is a future for Arrah, solving many problems; economical,
environmental and societal.

• A grant was received from Global Ecovillage Network of a 1000 Euro´s. Other grants have been
applied for.

• To fund the rest of the Vasudhaiva Ride we are currently seeking for (corporate)
sponsoring.
WE NEED YOUR
HELP!

Check our campaign on:

https://fundrazr.com/vasudhaivarideBiharProject?ref=ab_1ATnZe5DRPV1ATnZe5DRPV
BENJAMIN REID-HOWELLS KUMAR PRASHANT ROMY AARDSE
FOUNDER FOUNDER WRITER/DESIGNER

Tel +918890456206 Tel +918890456206 Tel +31614188180

Romyaardse@gmail.com

Organization: Vasudhaiva Ride

Address: Arrah, Bihar
Email: Vasudhaivaride@gmail.com
Website: www.vasudhaivaride.com
Instagram & Facebook: VasudhaivaRide
 VASUDHAIVA
KATUMBAKAM:
ONE WORLD, ONE FAMILY