Eco- Brick Community Project Proposal 
 
 
Part 1: Vision 
 
Who Are We? 
Wholistik  Permaculture  is  a  leader  in  Vietnam’s  sustainability  education  movement.  Founder,  Tanya  Meftah, 
has  10  years  of  experience  in  Vietnam  working  on  community  projects,  both  as  a  non-profit  leader  and  as  a 
sustainability  expert  and  educator  in  Vietnam’s  top  international  schools.  Wholistik  Permaculture  combines 
the  deep  systems  theory of permaculture with hands-on experience of building and doing, to create powerful, 
inspiring and impactful learning. 
 
What Can We Do? 
Our  goal  is  to  organize  the  building  of  an  eco-brick  school  that  will  clean  up  and  support  a  disadvantaged 
community  while  empowering  the  public  and  next  generation  with  sustainable  permaculture  practices  to 
protect  Vietnam  and  our  mother  nature.  We  can  use  this  opportunity  to  demonstrate  and  build  excitement 
around  many  low  cost  and  effective  permaculture  techniques,  such  as  earthen  building  and  food  forestry, 
which can be integrated into an eco-brick school project. 
 
Through  effective  media  and  country-wide  engagement,  we  aim  to  inspire and ignite a movement among the 
use  of  eco-bricks  in  Vietnam.  Awareness  of  the  plastic  problem  is  very  high  as of 2020, but opportunities for 
practical  action  remains  low.  We  believe  that  by  building  the  first  eco-brick  structure  in  Vietnam  and  by 
providing  effective  training  media  (written  and  illustrated  guides,  as  well  as  video  guides),  others  will  soon 
follow and this solution to plastic waste will scale. 
 
Why? 
Vietnam  currently  lacks  waste  management  infrastructure that can keep up with the 7,000 daily tonnes that is 
produced  by  HCMC  residents  [1].  The  600  hectares  Da  Phuoc  landfill  in  Ho  Chi  Minh  City’s  Binh  Chanh 
District  will  be  shutting  down  in  2024  because  it’s  current  practices  are  unsuitable  and  an  unpleasant  odor 
has  been  upsetting  residents  since  2016  [2].  Plastics  in  the  system  currently  have  nowhere  to  go  and  so 
continue  to  pollute  our  soils  and  waterways.  Until  policy  and  effective  enforcement  take  effect,  innovative 
projects  can  create  positive  actions  to  generate  real  time  change  amidst  an  ecological  emergency.  A 
sustainable  solution  is  to  change  the  perspective  that  plastic  is  waste  and  treat  it  as  a  valuable  building 
material.  
 
1.8  million tons of plastic waste is accumulated per year in Vietnam [3]. One eco brick school could repurpose 
over  1  ton  of  discarded  plastic  waste,  which  will 
make its into our soils, rivers and oceans. [4] 
Not  only  this  project  repurpose  tonnes  of  trash,  but  will  exemplify  sustainable  school  grounds  by  creating 
biodiverse  and  edible  landscapes  for  rich  hands-on  learning  experiences.  Depending  on  the  community 
partner’s  needs,  it’s  possible  to  include  systems  such  as  aquaponics  and  plastics  recycling  on  site-  making 
this an effective resource for all of the surrounding community. 
 
We  feel  the  time  is  right  for  this  project  in  Vietnam.  There  are  no  major  technical  obstacles  to  overcome, 
communities  can  produce  eco-bricks,  volunteers  can  participate,  and  the  cost  projections are low. Our hope 
is  that  this  project  will  inspire people in Vietnam to begin eco-bricking and raise their awareness of the plastic 
problem while offering a realistic, sustainable and scalable solution.  
 
Part 2: Key Stakeholders  
 

  Role  
  -Plan, organize, manage and facilitate the eco-brick community project.  
 
 
-Design the building. 
Wholistik 
 
Permaculture:  -Plan, organize, manage and facilitate the construction of building. 
   
Organizers & 
-Organize local community for collection of eco-bricks and building participation. 
Consultants  
 
-Educate local community about the dangers of plastic and environmental 
sustainability. 

  Role   
Community  -Connect us with the community in order to develop a plan that suits specific needs. 
 
Partner:  
-Provides the building site. 
 
 
A non-profit or 
charity with  -Supports us with local laws to ensure our building process is legal and sustainable. 
long-standing   
connection to a  -Responsible for ensuring that necessary paperwork is legitimate and it legal to 
community; a  build the school.  
community leader;   
a business within a  -Support us with or capabilities to ensure teachers will be hired after completion of 
community; an  the project.  
educational 
Requirements  
institution; or any 
-Participation in the planning, designing, and building process  
other form of 
partnerships that  -Leaders in the community who are interested in operating the building and ensure 
will connect us to a  its continuity. 
community in need. 

 
   Role   
-Financially sponsor the construction, materials and all associated fees to complete 
 
the project (including staff to manage/ operate project). 
Financial    
Partner:  -Legally ensure funds are being used in accordance with local law. 
 
 
-Support with managing finances of project (optional)   
Primary financial 
 
sponsor. 
Requirements  
A basic level of involvement in the project to best support marketing and media 
strategies.  

 
Part 3: Cost Estimates 
 
What  Description  Estimate 

Building materials   Contingent on specific requirements for the building: size,  $10,000 
type of materials, other (see material ​sheet​ 30sqm building)​.   

Construction partner​:  Structural Engineer to consult and approve final design.  TBD 

Project management:  Includes a project manager($10,000), communications team  $25,000 

Logistics​:   Transportation, tools  $3,000 

Legal Fees:  Depends on legal rules in the ward and community  $10,000   

Media:  Vietnamese building manual, video tutorials, social media  $2,000 

Unknown Expenses​:  Unknown  $2,000 

Total Cost Estimate : $50,000-$55,000  

 
 
 
For more information please contact:  
 
Andrea Towne 
Wholistik Permaculture Project Manager 
Email: ​atowne@gmail.com  
Mobile/Whatsapp: +84964688040 
   
Resources​: 
In article 
[1] [​https://ngocentre.org.vn/news/vietnam-encouraged-recycle-reuse-waste​]  
[2] [​https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/hcmc-to-close-its-largest-landfill-in-2024-4037195.html​] 
[3] https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/2019-09/vn_plastic_waste_deck_-_final_-_eurocham_-_en.pdf 
[4] ​https://hugitforward.org/faq/​ [How many bricks does it take to build a 3-bottle school classroom] 
 
External 
[5] Success story: Cambodiaa ​https://wasteaid.org/this-is-not-a-leaf-the-story-of-plastic-bottle-schools/ 
[6] Our ​Presentation​ on eco-bricking.  
[7] ​https://www.ecobricks.org/how/​ How to make an eco-brick