Philanthropy, Sustainability and Ecotourism in Montenegro

Posted on February 16, 2018 by Kamp Pod Ostrog

Situated in the hills of Montenegro lays a little village named Pod Ostrog. While the village has only 200 residents, there are one million tourists annually visiting due to the Serbian Orthodox Monastery Ostrog. The monastery is visited (by people of all faiths) so that they can pray for their wellbeing and health.

Over the years, a lot of miracles have happened in Monastery Ostrog, however, typically tourists only stay for a few hours and go on to other areas of Montenegro because there is a lack of activities that would enable a longer vacation stay.

Thirty years ago, locals from the village, Pod Ostrog, and nearby villages (Povija, Bare Sumanovica, Bare Sobajica) worked in fields where the labors produced vegetables, fruits, jams, and handled cattle. There was a true value for their work, their families, their villages, and their land – healthy and beneficial value for all. Their products were respected in the nearby towns as judged by how quickly they were sold in the markets.

But, time marched on and changes occurred. Supermarkets started to pop up, the trains stopped running on the railroad, and it was as though everything started slowly going to sleep. Everything except the biggest businesses. Instead, they had a sense of costs and investments and customer needs and began opening upscale restaurants.

Meanwhile, down the hill from these upscale restaurants, our sleepy villages spent time dreaming and wondering. The people dreamt about stronger communities that helped each other and worked together – all striving toward the same goals. Or, perhaps this was all a memory from long ago when elders would captivate children with their stories?

…Today, memories and dreams are coming together in a form of concrete actions – actions inspired by permaculture, grassroots efforts, technology, scout ideology, and a love for nature.

For example, during this past summer, Pod Ostrog expanded their efforts to hold two eco-focused camps for young children and teens. The objective was to bring attention to the issues and challenges faced by the area ecosystems and its small communities and communicate to sustainable solutions, which are yielding results.

Through the power of modern technologies, these lessons learned are being shared and improved upon, and locals are delighted with the results. They even helped to supply local food to the camp so efforts can continue.

Driven by the passion and potential of this community, I, as the founder of Camp Pod Ostrog, wrote a green business project proposal to provide for a Fund for Active Citizenship. The proposal won first place in Montenegro as well as Best Green Business idea for all of the Balkans!

With the idea to revive the village, help the community through donations of green technologies, help locals to more easily sell their products and to preserve the old manufacturing skills, our team won USD $10,000 to make a dream come true. Idea Camp Pod Ostrog was a best green business idea on Philanthropy for Green Ideas.

During the last few months, I have created more detailed plans for additional investment, continued researching old and sometimes forgotten technologies, conducted outreach to local and national tourism organizations, started preparations for the 2018 season and just completed an Indiegogo campaign to bring additional awareness and spur development.

The campaign funding will be used to:

Install hydraulic ramp pumps and solar panels
Build cabins, an outdoor kitchen, and fire pits, and
Hold a minimum of 7 education camps for children and teens in order to show models of green, sustainable, and community-based work that could be replicated in other communities.

Through the transfer of knowledge to locals, Camp Pod Ostrog is going to try to establish a village cooperative of food producers so that collectively they can have various product/service offerings to those many tourists and at the market.

Camp Pod Ostrog is also going to open its doors to the WWOOF Montenegro community where backpackers, tourists, and all nature lovers can contribute as well as expand their knowledge and resources toward helping villages become stronger communities.

If you want to help, please connect with us and you are always welcome to come and visit Camp Pod Ostrog and be a part of a great story.

Post is published on GreenLoons Blog

University of Montenegro Faculty of Economics

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Kamp Pod Ostrog

Leave a Comment

We received invitation from Lenka Mirković, student of economics from University of Montenegro – Faculty of Economics, to present concept of Camp Pod Ostrog and its green business model.

Mijajlović wanted to point out that Economy and Ecology can be without conflict

We want to thank to Lenka Mirković for invitation and students for being present this morning.

Sarah Arnoff Yeoman Camp Pod Ostrog

Posted on November 19, 2017 by Kamp Pod Ostrog

Leave a Comment

Sarah Arnoff Yeoman Camp Pod Ostrog

We had a pleasure in September that Sarah Arnoff Yeoman, a travel photographer and photojournalist , visited us at Camp Pod Ostrog. Nice time with Sarah for few days in Camp and in Podgorica. First guest from Utah

Two of us went on some hiking to Monastery Ostrog, tried some homemade food and local beers and wine. Sarah showed support to our cause by sharing a Indiegogo campaign we started.

Sarah Arnoff Yeoman Camp Pod Ostrog

We share Sarah”s words from Facebook:

“When I was in Montenegro, I randomly found Kamp pod Ostrog on Google Maps while looking for a place to stay near the insanely beautiful Ostrog Monastery. I arrived at night and the power was out at the train station.

I stepped out of the train onto the side of a mountain in complete darkness and met Milan Poka Mijajlovic, who then gave me one of the best travel experiences I have ever had. His vision for this village is one of community revival and sustainability, and the property itself is stunning.

He eventually wants to build cabins, plant more orchards, lead eco-tours, create a paint ball forest and involve other village residents to build a community-oriented destination for adventurous travelers and Montenegrin youth.

He’s a scoutmaster and community activist who loves where he lives and wants to make it the best it can be. So even if you think you’ll never make it to Montenegro, throw a few bucks toward a cause that has a good heart and purpose.”

You can also support us by donating or sharing our cause:

Sarah Arnoff Yeoman Camp Pod Ostrog

Come and visit us at Camp Pod Ostrog and be free to sense true Montenegro

Support us on Facebook or read our blog

Camp Pod Ostrog Montenegro

Tv show – Sasvim drugacije

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Kamp Pod Ostrog

Leave a Comment

Tv show Sasvim drugacije

I had a pleasure to be guest in fantastic TV show “Sasvim drugacije” and talk about Camp Pod Ostrog and all other work I do.

You can visit Online shop Kukica

Enjoy

Revive village – Camp Pod Ostrog – Montenegro

Posted on October 6, 2017 by Kamp Pod Ostrog

Leave a Comment

Revive village – Camp Pod Ostrog – Montenegro

I’m an enthusiastic nature lover, voluenteer, gardener, Scout Master. Thirty years of age, I always finding a way for self-employment and self-education. The past 17 years all of my free time I devoted to the Scout Group “Njegoš”, educating children and youth, contributing to society and local communities.

I’m now on a mission to revive my root house in country side and open its doors for tourists, wwoofs, and primary/high schools. Want to make a green eco village with camp, organic food, wooden cabins, everything powered with renewable energy, green house, build chicken coop, wood hut (outdoor kitchen), showers, bathroom for winter, bring drinkable water to property.

The plan is to create a completely self sustainable property that can fund itself, welcome wwoof-ers, organize camps for primary/high schools for demonstration of green sustainability of one property, camps for learning scouting and bushcraft skills .

Recently I received a philantropic award on Philantropy for Green Ideas with award amount of $10,000 for the best green business idea, so we are on a good path to being realized. http://www.philanthropyforgreenideas.org/2017-winners/

My personal goal is to settle and grow old on this property but with same life principles as that I currently have, help others and bring them joy, peace and knowledge.

So by backing my goal you will give to a lot of people enjoyment, fulfilment, skills and you’ll help raise awareness to local community and people from cities that village can be good example for green development.

The direct impact of our idea is to thru time invest in the local community, implement green technologies, improve economic situation of the village and to be an example for youth in Montenegro for green sustainable development. We hope to also be an example of other locations accross Montenegro and Balkans of how one can be self-sustainable and not destroy the environment.

We want to make the property better, more attractive and accessible. Want to bring people from Montenegro and around the world to show them the village, and this local, green-sustainable property. Plan is to open our doors of our property to WWOOFers, tourists and kids from primary/high schools. So we need your help!

What have we done

What we did so far and our plan:

– Changed roof and tile on house

– Changed power installations in house

– We have rebuild part of house that was the meat smoking room into living room

– Renovated bedroom

– Planted more fruits on property

We invested 10 000€ so far. Last four years were full of work, cycles of saving and investing.

You can check gallery on www.podostrog.me /gallery

We need to do more:

Bring drinking water on property – solar powered pump and solar pump, water hoses, plumbing etc (wellspring is 700 meters downhill from house) – 2000 € – (HAVE FUNDS)

Make outdoor summer showers and traditional bathroom for winter – 2000 € (we already have 1000€ )

Build two wooden cabins with solar can and solar panel heaters (one on property one in forest) – 7000 €

Build wood hut (outdoor kitchen) – 1000 € (We akready have funds)

Build two fire pits – 500 €

Electrify house and camp with renewable energy power (solar panels) – 2500 € (We have 700€)

Build workshop for woodwork (from old stall) – 1500 €

Build chicken coops – 400 €

Plant more in orchard – 200 €

Build greenhouse for winter season (7x14m) – 1500 € HAVE FUNDS

Food for one year for WWOOFers and kids coming to camp – 1000€

Taxes and registration of property – one year – 2000€

Buy 10 bicycles – 2500€ -( We have funds for five 1275€)

Total Funds we need to implement idea are 17100,70€.

We already have funds we won through Philantrophy for Green Ideas 7475.70€

So we need to fundraise 9625€ more

Main thing that dictate prices is position of property. Transportation costs always take 10-30% of investment.

The Impact

I believe that positive example of property in manner of green development, renewable resources, informal educational will show young people that they can go back to their roots and live in balance with nature giving to everyone interested a place of rest, joy, fun.

Backing up this idea you will certainly contribute to people in Montenegro to realize that life out of cities is possible, healthy and enjoyable.

I’m currently project manager on project “Scouts Go Green!” (funded by Delegation of EU in Montenegro) where we are building a scout camp in “Garden of Ecologic” in Podgorica. Cubs have their own garden. Kids camp there, watch birds, learn and have fun.
More info on https://oinjegos.com/

You can also chech www.netactive.me , portal we are running for Ngo’s in Montenegro