The volunteers are gathered in front of their home for the next week.

Six air mattresses, six mosquito nets and as many backpacks – it’s about what fits into the small bungalow on the festival area. It’s far from the luxury suite at the Grand Hôtel. But living here are six girls from different parts of Sweden – and they love it. They love their little Thai garden shed so much that it feels totally unnecessary to ever move away from there.

Just a few days ago, only two of them knew each other, and in a couple of days they will leave each other again. A couple of the girls are going to Bali, one is heading to China, a few are staying Thailand and one is going home to Sweden. But now they are here, on Koh Samui, to work as volunteers with Reearth’s environmental projects, and to visit the Reearth Festival.

Crew on their way.

So why are they here? Well, they want to be a part of the new form of tourism that doesn’t only visit, but also contributes. They want to learn more about the environment. They want to meet like-minded people. And they want to have fun.

Eva Franzén is the team’s veteran and visited the festival last year.
- But then I experienced it as a fun party, a fun festival, but I didn’t understand how the environment came into the picture, she says.

Eva wanted to know more about Reearth, so she did her research and decided to return this year, and get involved in the environmental project which aims to build erosion dams that will help to improve Koh Samui’s ecosystem.

- I wanted to immerse myself while doing good. For me, who’s travelling alone, this is also a great way of meeting other people, she says.

One of the festival workers in a Primus tent on the beach.

Together with her new friends Ebba Myrsten, Madeleine Bäckström, Ida Westlund, Gabriella Lindelöw and Julia Johansson, she has received a theoretical introduction to the ecosystem from Reearth’s own environmental experts Ronja Ljunghager and Maria Osbeck.

- It gave us a lot, say the girls in unison, adding:
- It’s ideal to first have a review of the ecosystem, on Koh Samui, on the dam project and the local population’s attitude towards this.

The volunteers also do practical work by building dams.

Ebba Myrsten, Kristin Montagu-Evans & Promoe during the dam building.

Why do set aside a few days of your vacation to do volunteer work?
- This is as way do combine business with pleasure, says Ida.
- To learn. You travel to learn, says Ebba.
- You get so much back, meeting new people and getting Thai friends among those who work on the project. You get knowledge, you see nature and get to be involved and contribute to a better environment, says Eva.

Is there anything that hasn’t been that good?
- That you wanted to do more practical work, and work longer to build the dams, states a few of the girls, while the others feel that the time for the theoretical part has been time well invested.

Reearth 2011

VOLUNTEERING 2012
Book via Kilroy Travels! (Sweden) book your stuff via vip@kilroy.se

A limited number of volunteer can stay and work with us for 1-3 weeks in Jan-Feb 2012. First come first served.

BOOK NOW!

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