At the end of October, Annick, who has been leading the construction of the Äerdschëff since 2018, left the project for a new adventure. We gathered some reflections from the crew and volunteers to honour all her soulful work she poured into this for over three years.
As everyone knows, the Äerdschëff project has not always been a breeze. Among the reasons for this was the sheer ambitious nature of the dream of not just building an earthship but adapting it and bringing it from 1970s America to a European 2020 context, navigating the male-dominated, quite conservative world of construction, as well as dealing with the consequences of a pandemic on a volunteer- and citizen-based project.
Annick’s perseverance and determination to find solutions for things that appear impossible are recognised by everyone. It takes a strong sense of rootedness and an unwavering positive attitude to keep the project moving in the face of all kinds of bureaucratic and construction-related challenges and setbacks. Annick did compromise when softness and adaptation was needed in the face of legislation and rigidity, but she also stood her ground when needed. Her strong aesthetic sense and integrity in terms of sustainability solutions in construction has led her to follow through with interesting materials choices, such as clay that are truly at home in a naturally clay-ey place like Redange.
Annick has also been cherished as a mentor and guide for all the volunteers that she worked with. She always had an open heart and ear for any arising issues from anyone on the project. She found words of encouragement and solutions for any obstacles, putting volunteers in touch with other people to help their learning journey along. This thoughtfulness and thoroughness is not the least of her qualities and skills.
Annick also brings a deep respect for all living beings, saving countless insects from death by frying against the Äerdschëff’s south-facing windows, and making sure any injured birds were recovering alright.
We have much gratitude for all that Annick has done for the realisation of the Äerdschëff and we wish her a serene maternity leave and much joy and fun in the crazy journey that is parenthood.
your CELL Team-mates ♥
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Want to participate on the construction of the Äerdschëff? Open from Monday - Friday (sometimes also saturdays) from 8 am - 4.30pm.
Write an email to aerdscheff@cell.lu to contact them!
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