Terra Alta Permaculture Education Centre

Logo of the Global Ecovillage Network with interconnected leaf and flower design.
  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • English
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 2010

What we do

One of the most established Permaculture projects in Europe—the off-the-grid Permaculture education centre, Terra Alta. With 10 years as a permaculture site-in-development, a center for research and education, and with over 20 Permaculture Design Certificate Courses (PDCs) taught, Terra Alta, led by visionary Permaculture teacher Pedro Valdjiu, offers Permaculture education at the highest level. Alongside Permaculture, Terra Alta is committed to bioregionalism, evidenced by the involvement of local guest teachers and by the Waldorf school, “Escola da Terra”, that Pedro Valdjiu and his life partner, educator Rita Seixas run which, together with Terra Alta form the nonprofit “Waldorf Association of Sintra”.
We treat Terra Alta’s off-the-grid site as a teacher in its own right as students get to experience Permaculture daily, learning from our existing projects and being part of our intentional community by helping shape it. This hands-on, holistic learning environment is complemented by the collaborative methods of hosting we use.
Vision
A wild piece of land near the cliffs of Europe’s westernmost point is host to a journey of self-discovery, where community building is done in connection with nature, guided by the energy from the powerful site. An inclusive learning center, Terra Alta is a destination for people from all walks of life, where together they become regenerative agents, creating new ways for the future, inciting an international movement of cultural, land, and social transformation.
Mission
Inspired by the principles of permaculture, we are a community committed to regenerating the soil, producing healthy food, and building ecologically while actively contributing to the international web of eco-cultural transformation. Terra Alta offers experiential life-education programs for both youths and adults, preparing participants to become pollinators, spreading the word of abundance and nature connection throughout the world.

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Languages
  • English
  • German
  • Portuguese (Portugal)
  • Community type
  • Land-Based Communities
  • Activities
  • Ecological Restoration
  • Permaculture
  • Education

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2010
  • Started living together

Video

  • Not open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
8

How to join

Please contact before a visit. We are not a drop-in project.
We run summer programs, internships and volunteerships and usually only host visits outside of our summer programs.

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Our Community Members

Terra Alta Permaculture Education Centre

Promoted Needs and Offers

  • Promoted
Need
  • Promoted
Need
  • Volunteering
1 month ago

Social Media Intern

Ecovillage Network logo with sun and moon symbols in purple.
Ecovillage Network logo with green leaves inside a circle.
Ecovillage Network logo with a heart-shaped handshake symbol.
Logo of the Global Ecovillage Network with a stylized flower design.
Logo of the Global Ecovillage Network with interconnected figures.
Social Media Intern for GEN International Hours: Up to 20/month, flexible around your schedule and availability Location: Remote, work with Eva Goldfarb Focus: Instagram + LinkedIn (TikTok if you’re into it!) Hi! I’m Eva, and I run social media for GEN International — the global network connecting ecovillages, intentional communities, and regenerative culture-builders across every continent. I’m looking for a co-conspirator to help me tell the stories of the people quietly building the future: off-grid villages in the Philippines, permaculture farms in Senegal, urban cohousing projects in Berlin, elders passing down land wisdom in the Andes. It’s a wildly rich, wildly underrepresented world, and I want more people to fall in love with it the way I have. What you’ll actually do: Dream up and create content for Instagram and LinkedIn (reels, carousels, stories, captions that don’t sound like a corporate newsletter) Dig into our global network and turn your findings into stories people want to share Pitch your own ideas. If there’s a series, a theme, a format, or a corner of the network that lights you up, that’s what I want you to focus on. What we’re looking for: A natural storyteller, someone who can spot the human thread in a project update or a photo from a faraway village Genuinely curious about ecovillages, sustainability, intentional community, regenerative living Self-motivated and communicative; this is a flexible, trust-based role Why this role: This isn’t a “post 3x a week and don’t ask questions” internship. You’ll have real creative freedom to work on what excites you, learn how a global grassroots network tells its story, and build a portfolio full of meaningful, purpose-driven content. Plus you’ll be talking to people living some of the most interesting, intentional lives on the planet. If storytelling for a better world sounds like your kind of fun, let’s talk.
  • Events
10 years ago

Introduction to Permaculture

Beyond agriculture or architecture, but borrowing from both, permaculture is a comprehensive design tool that can be used to better own communities, gardens, and lives. By mimicking nature to heal broken systems (both ecological and social) permaculture provides a variety of approaches for positive change. In this introductory weekend, Graham Calder of P3 Permaculture will walk participants through the basics of permaculture philosophy and design. ​ This introductory weekend is designed to equip participants with the confidence and ability to identify and overcome the design problems that surround us. The first day of the course will focus on the history, ethics, and principles of permaculture, as well as provide an introduction to its design methods. We will then use permaculture to explore solutions to the challenges we face in our homes and communities. Examples of permaculture projects from around the world will provide useful case studies. On day two we will put theory into practice: together we will go through the steps of implementing a permaculture design, from observation to the generation of appropriate design strategies. The Deanery Project is a rural learning centre and demonstration site that provides hands-on learning and skill sharing opportunities designed to strengthen community and protect the environment. Through learning about such topics as forest management, alternative energy, natural building, food sovereignty, healthy living, as well as the arts, we can improve the health of our land, waters, natural resources and communities for sustainable social and economic gain. Born out of the desire to support local values and a traditional resource-use economy, The Deanery Project evolved as a natural response to a need to protect the social fabric of the community by saving an old summer camp from private development. The project now continues to reconfigure itself in interesting ways. We have diverse partnerships with schools, all levels

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A residential project: people live here as their primary home.

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An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).

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