Project MARS

Project MARS Project M.A.R.S is a community based , climate action initiative project in Balik Pulau, Penang .

with a direction on growing food forest , seeds saving and building a best practice space for climate resilience education.

19/08/2026

Heirloom brown rice from Pop & Chee Healthy Home Farming Buriram
Koji prepared with care, alive and ready

Heading into Togetherness
A community miso-making workshop
Under Project MARS — Coming Home

Two days of sharing hands, stories, and time
Where fermentation becomes a bridge
Between people, place, and memory

19/08/2026

Unboxing a little piece of Project Mars 🌾📦

Today, we finally opened a box of dried rice straws from Project Mars — harvested and carefully dried back in December last year.

These humble rice straws are much more than agricultural waste. Traditionally, they have been used to help inoculate soybeans for natto, carrying naturally occurring microorganisms from the rice fields.

At Earth Kitchen, our natto follows a slow, traditional process, using these precious rice straws as part of the fermentation — rather than relying solely on a highly controlled, modern shortcut.

It’s a process that asks us to slow down, pay attention and work with nature.

From the rice field, to the dried straw, to the beans, and finally to a living food on our table. 🌱

A beautiful reminder that fermentation is not just about making food.

It’s about working with microbes, tradition and the wisdom of nature.

And now, after months of waiting…

TraditionalFermentation FermentationCulture LivingFood Koji SustainableFermentation ZeroWaste NothingGoesToWaste

THE LAST DAY ~ MUD HOUSE BUILDING WORKSHOP MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! And just like that, we’ve come to the last day of our M...
18/08/2026

THE LAST DAY ~ MUD HOUSE BUILDING WORKSHOP MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

And just like that, we’ve come to the last day of our Mud House Building Workshop.

After spending so much time with the earth, everyone has slowly become familiar with the mud ,almost as if we have blended into the earthlings’ world ourselves.

Today, we went deeper into the process, learning about the second layer patching and the weatherproofing layer.

It sounds simple ,mix the mud, add the right materials, patch it onto the wall.

But once you actually start doing it, you realise how much feeling and experience is involved.

Getting the right mixture is not just about following a measurement. It is about learning to feel.

We have slowly lost that sensitivity in our hands and feet. The ability to feel the difference between one mixture and another. The slight change in texture when we add straw or rice husk. The moisture, the softness, the resistance, the way the mud holds together between our palms.

Our hands and feet have to learn again.

When the mixture is too wet, you feel it immediately. When it is too dry, the mud behaves differently. When the balance is just right, somehow, your hands know.

And then comes the patching.

Something that looks so easy when you watch someone else doing it suddenly becomes a completely different story when it is your turn.

How much pressure should we use?

How thick should the layer be?

How do we make it stay on the wall?

How do we smooth it without taking too much away?

There is no shortcut. We have to slow down, observe, practise, make mistakes, adjust, and try again.

Some knowledge lives in our hands.

Some knowledge lives in our feet.

Some knowledge comes back only when we spend enough time touching, feeling and working with the earth.

After two full days of mixing, stomping, patching, building and learning together, we may not have become experts yet, but we definitely regained a little bit of that forgotten connection.

A connection between our hands, our bodies, the materials and the earth.

What an incredible two days of learning, getting dirty, laughing, struggling and building together.

Thank you again everyone ! until the next Mud adventure ~

15/08/2026

DAY 1 ~~ MUD HOUSE ADVENTURE

What a fruitful and muddy day!

Today we spent a FULL day getting our hands dirty and learning the art of building with earth , from understanding how to make proper mud bricks, to learning what kind of foundation we need to lay before the building begins.

Then, brick by brick, we started building.

We learned how to lay the mud bricks, how to create the sandwich layering, and how to plaster the walls using mud. And the most interesting part? Every mixture is different, depending on what we are trying to achieve ~ the strength, texture, flexibility and purpose of each layer.

It’s not simply mixing mud and putting bricks together.

It’s about understanding the earth, learning from the material, and knowing what the building needs at every stage.

So much learning, so much teamwork, so much mud ~ and definitely lots of laughter along the way.

A full day workshop, and we are only at DAY 1.

Now it’s time to rest these tired bodies, let the mud dry, and get ready for DAY 2 tomorrow.

More building, more learning, more mud adventures waiting for us.

See you tomorrow!

Night Discovery at M.A.R.S. So much fun exploring the night at M.A.R.S. ~♡Guided by Xuxan, MARS family went on a little...
14/08/2026

Night Discovery at M.A.R.S.

So much fun exploring the night at M.A.R.S. ~♡

Guided by Xuxan, MARS family went on a little night adventure, discovering the incredible life that comes alive after dark.

We photographed the insects we found and added them into our ongoing biodiversity data collection. Every tiny creature tells us something about the health of the ecosystem.

As M.A.R.S. continues to restore and regenerate, we’re seeing more and more insects returning and appearing , a beautiful little sign that the ecosystem is becoming more alive, diverse and balanced.

So much life hiding in the darkness… you just need to slow down and look closer.

Let's join us for the next session at September ♡ to explore and to discovery life after sunset ~♡

12/08/2026

Working moment at MARS today.

08/08/2026

Mission accomplished ~♡♡♡

We made A LOT of “sh*t” today , mixing, stomping, shaping and building a mud oven with earth, clay, sand and straw, and somehow, we turned all that “sh*t” into a beautiful mud oven!

Today we had such a wonderful Mud Oven Making Workshop, learning, building, laughing and getting our hands dirty together with a lovely group of new friends.

We also tasted wonderful tasty food from & also woodfire pizza. ~

And guess what… we completed our very own Totoro Mud Oven!!

Our little Mud Kitchen is also slowly coming alive ~♡ Built with natural, reclaimed and repurposed materials, it is becoming a little space where we can cook, experiment, share food, gather and simply enjoy being together.

And now… Totoro has officially moved into the kitchen!

This mud oven is not just an oven. It carries the fingerprints, laughter, energy and memories of everyone who helped build it.

A reminder that with a little earth, some creativity and a bunch of good people, we can create something beautiful, useful and meaningful together.

From “sh*t” → oven → FOOD → community!

Thank you to everyone who came and made today so special. Thanks for all the support

More mud, more cooking, more learning and more fun coming soon ~♡♡♡

If you miss out this class dont worry , let's participate in our upcoming 2 days mud house building workshop .

Build Your Own Traditional Mud Oven at Home , Almost ZERO Cost!Imagine baking pizzas, artisan bread, roasting vegetables...
31/07/2026

Build Your Own Traditional Mud Oven at Home , Almost ZERO Cost!

Imagine baking pizzas, artisan bread, roasting vegetables, or cooking delicious meals... all from a mud oven that you built with your own hands.

Sounds unbelievable?

For thousands of years, people built beautiful mud ovens using nothing more than earth and natural materials around them. They didn't need expensive equipment or modern technology, just the wisdom passed down through generations.

Sadly, this knowledge is slowly disappearing.

That's why we started this workshop.

In this hands-on experience, we won't just teach you how to build a mud oven. We want to help bring this forgotten wisdom back to life.

What you'll learn:
• How to build a traditional mud oven using natural and locally available materials.
• How a mud oven stores heat and why wood-fired cooking creates such amazing flavours.
• How you can build one at home with almost ZERO cost (or less than RM50).
• A practical life skill you can recreate with your family, friends, or even your community.
• Experience the joy of building together and creating something meaningful with your own hands.

One thing we've learned over the years...

Many beautiful things in life don't need to be expensive.

Sometimes, all we need is the right knowledge, a little creativity, and the willingness to get our hands dirty.

We believe traditional wisdom shouldn't disappear. It should be shared, experienced, and passed on to the next generation.

If you've always wanted to experience natural building, traditional cooking, or simply spend a meaningful weekend learning something new...

We'd love to build together with you.

Limited spaces available to ensure everyone gets a truly hands-on learning experience.

Register now and let's bring this beautiful tradition back together.! WhatsApp: 014-247 0018

Date : 8 August 2026
Time : 9 am -5pm
Location : Project M.A.R.S (Balik Pulau)

Every week... our well-trained and committed community volunteers come together.We work together.We learn together.We bu...
30/07/2026

Every week... our well-trained and committed community volunteers come together.

We work together.
We learn together.
We build together.
And at the end of the day... we share a simple dinner together.

It has slowly become our weekly routine. ♡

Building a community is never easy.

It doesn't happen because of one event, one workshop, or one person.

It takes time.
It takes trust.
It takes consistency.
And most importantly... it takes people who choose to show up, week after week.

Some weeks there are many of us.
Some weeks only a few.

But every helping hand matters.

Slowly... strangers become friends.
Friends become family.
And together, we build something far more meaningful than buildings or gardens.

We are building a place where people feel they belong.
A place where everyone has something to give, and something to learn.

Address

Balik Pulau
Pulau

Telephone

+60142470018

Website

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