Founder of Rohan Village located in the hills above Orleans districtKevin Baly is a unique figure in the Saint-Martin landscape. The website born from his imagination and the fruit of his hard work is a eco-place based on the sharing of knowledge and learning through the practice of workshops, destined to develop into an “eco-responsible village”.
Born in 1974 in Guadeloupe and descendant of two prominent Saint-Martin familiesKevin Baly is a free spirit, self-taught and who refuses to be pigeonholed by the boxes created by current society. A graduate of Parsons School of Design In Paris, he then worked in the United States as a graphic designer for Ogilvy & Mather, which was behind the major communication campaigns for Coca-Cola, Holiday Inn, or DuPont.
A lifestyle that brings her everything the modern man’s toolkit Comfortable apartment, impressive car, easy lifestyle. Yet this is not the life he aspires to and that fulfills him. After a profound questioning Based on his expectations, Kevin Baly then makes a radical decision: he sells all his possessions and leaves to test an alternative way of life in Costa RicaThere he learned the basics of a self-sufficient life which would keep him there for a few years.
Back to Saint-Martin and a new transition
After a stint in the Canadian cold and Florida, he decided to return to his homeland and restarted his career in Saint-Martin. graphic designer activity with Baly Designs, which is gradually taking off. Based in Beacon Hill, he personally approaches his future major clients, offering them a portfolio of visuals he envisions based on the brand’s identity and associated vision. And it works. It’s impossible to drive more than five minutes on the island without seeing Kevin’s handiwork: border signs, logos of various businesses, iconic events organized by the Collectivity such as Fish Day—Kevin is everywhere. But he’s also a aftertaste of his previous life who returns and again, it is not this mapped-out and secure existence that he is aiming for.
Birth of Rohan Village
The entrepreneur then embarked on a second profound period of self-reflection: he envisioned a unique place where he could apply what he had learned during his life in Costa Rica and transpose it to his family’s land. He did the inventory of materials what he would need to build his living space: a container, wood, tools. He went to his grandfather, from the Rohan family, who, charmed by the project, granted him a land share for his life project.
From there his first cabin, on January 15, 2021, and others will follow, thus forming Rohan Village: “This is the life I wanted, with my vision.” At this eco-friendly site, everything is made entirely from recycled materials with minimal purchases. A real boon, considering Saint-Martin is richly supplied with wooden pallets thanks to the constant import of goods. self-funded project due to his work as a graphic designer, which has taken shape over time: “I don’t have a pre-established plan; my vision is evolving and gradually giving meaning to this overall quest.”
An eco-friendly place open to the world and sharing
A personal project that is gradually taking on an international and collective dimension: “The goal is to offer people from Saint-Martin and elsewhere the opportunity to experience life off the grid, in complete autonomy, in a sustainable way and above all, freely.” For this purpose, Pedagogy and knowledge are emphasized The aim is to set up workshops, or to exchange ideas during volunteer stays. self-sufficiency techniques : using plants, managing water, making natural filters, in short, to be independent of any person or institution.
To help him in his mission, nomadic volunteers use sites such as woofing or, workout and they come from all over the world: Italy, Germany, Denmark, Poland… For example, four volunteers are restoring the greenhouse while this portrait is being taken. Everyone stays in the cabins, each with its own toilet and shower, and a kitchen is available. Workshops scheduled throughout the year allow Kevin Baly to spread the values of the eco-village: “The latest one, a sewing workshop led by a young girl from Quartier d’Orléans”It generated such enthusiasm that we were forced to decline the participation of about fifty people.”
Develop to ensure the site’s sustainability
In projects under development, a shared vegetable garden It is conceivable to build on the greenest slopes of the land because the land has water resources, but drilling is necessary: “This year is the first time I’ve done a grant application Because for the project to continue, we need resources: to establish a drilling system, to buy a truck for transporting materials, and to replace the equipment which deteriorates very quickly.”
Rohan Village, Kevin Baly, a visionary and his project that deserve to be better known. _LA
Info: https://www.rohanvillage.com
Source: Faxinfo https://faxinfo.fr/en/portrait-kevin-baly-les-mains-et-la-tete-au-service-de-la-liberte/
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