Geeli Mitti: Natural Building & Permaculture Workshops (Pangot)
TL;DR: Learn sustainable natural building and permaculture design at Geeli Mitti workshops in a hands-on, immersive environment.
- Geeli Mitti offers intensive and introductory natural building workshops.
- Learn earthbag, cob, wattle and daub, and adobe techniques.
- Integrate permaculture principles for sustainable home siting and design.
- Gain practical skills in soil testing, foundations, roofing, and plastering.
- Workshops are suitable for all ages and experience levels.
Why it matters: These workshops offer practical skills to construct sustainable, resilient homes using natural and locally sourced materials, reducing environmental impact and promoting self-sufficiency.
Do this next: Explore Geeli Mitti's website for upcoming workshop dates and detailed curriculum information.
Recommended for: Individuals interested in learning practical, sustainable natural building techniques and permaculture design for housing and self-sufficiency.
Geeli Mitti is a social enterprise based in Pangot near Nainital that operates as a learning space integrating traditional natural building techniques with permaculture design principles. Founded by environmentalist Shagun Singh in 2016, the organization teaches sustainable construction methods rooted in indigenous practices adapted for contemporary contexts. The three-week intensive natural building workshop covers comprehensive soil testing and analysis, foundation design using dry stone masonry and rubble trenches, and hands-on construction techniques including earthbag, cob, wattle and daub, and adobe building methods. Participants engage in detailed theory sessions combined with practical daily work, learning brick-laying patterns, natural plaster recipes and application techniques, roofing options including living roofs and slate roofs, and flooring solutions for natural homes. The curriculum integrates permaculture principles including sector and zoning analysis for optimal home siting, solar passive design for energy efficiency, and utilities integration for electrical and plumbing systems. A shorter three-day introductory workshop is also available for those seeking basic exposure before committing to longer courses. The learning model emphasizes hands-on immersion within the natural environment of a bird sanctuary with streams and forests, making these traditional techniques accessible to participants of all ages and fitness levels with no prior experience required. The organization combines demonstration, research, and training functions to serve as a centre of excellence for sustainable lifestyle practices. Participants work through different building stages on-site, learning practical knowledge of materials, irrigation, and soil systems applicable across various contexts from farms to individual homes. The workshops are structured to make traditional building knowledge usable for people across different socioeconomic and geographic contexts, situating the work within a larger movement toward low-impact living and community-based ecological projects that challenge conventional construction practices.