- Date: 17 September – 29 November 2024
- Location: Mount of Oaks - Monte dos Carvalhos, Portugal
- Language:
- English
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Mount of Oaks/Monte dos Carvalhos has 10 week programs, in Autumn and Spring for 2 to 4 people, who would like to experience community living and deepen their knowledge and experience on off-grid sustainable living…you will also have the challenge to practice your design skills and present to us at least one design of either a new system or improvement of existing ones.
The Regeneration process on this 5 hectar piece of land started in 2006, when the land was bought through a divine miracle and many people´s generosity before “crowd funding” was even a concept. The land has no private property as it became part of an Association and residents are guardians and part of the ecossystem.
Back when I (Barbara) came here, I could only see plowed fields, a small stone ruin with half roof, some olive trees, some citrus trees and a few pear trees, a tiny little native forest at the top of the hill and a massive pond, and a tiny little forest at the bottom…
Thank God, the seed bank needed to begin the restororation was still here, and with many human, animal, fungi and vegetable help, things started to improve… Now I can say it is an abundant, resilient and restored ecossystem 🙂 Our first 5 years were mainly filled with daily tasks, getting to know our neighbours and the region, observing the natural system and praying, as that was our main intention for this place…A refuge of peace, rest, healing and prayer that restores land. From 2009 to 2012 we hosted several PDC´s each year, with the great pioneer in Portugal, Lesley Martin…
Today, besides the most important which is a restored healthy no tilled soil, we have already much to inspire others and much to develop still :
– The only existing small ruined was restored to be our common working kitchen now filled with a lot of our delicious produce (olives and olive oil, aromatic herbs, teas, madicine in all shapes and forms and fermented food and drinks )
– different compost toilet systems;
– hot shower with either sun or fire depending on the day;
– a small independent kitchen for interns or guests;
– a camping area between the olive grove;
– several safe fire-pits to gather around;
– a multipurpose room, built with strawbales, with an extensive library and musical instruments, used for all sorts of activities we host during the year : – praying and singing circles (weekly), yoga, vipassana meditation, herbalism with yoga, permaculture and other workshops, chill and rest, etc…;
– a guest room with double bed also made with strawbales;
– a veggie garden with many raised beds with drip irrigation filled with a diverse mix of annuals, perennials, flowers, aromatic herbs, fruit trees, etc…
– Different agro-forest systems starting;
– Chickens, Ducks and Geese;
– Small native forests and some areas with Acacia trees to be replaced by Oaks, Cork Oaks, Ash, Willow, Strawberry tree and chestnut trees, which are more native to this region…
– a polytunnel and nursery to start and propagate most of our plants;
– a worm farm that produces some of our liquid and solid compost;
– a “treasure Island” where we have a workshop with most tools we need for any required job (carpentry, electrics, plumbing, etc) and also where we keep some recycled materials we use later on 🙂 ;
– Many natural buidings, designed and build by our hands and others who wanted to help. You will be able to see examples of all these techniques and meet the designer and main builder 🙂 : wattle and daub, strawbale, rammed earth, Cob, Cordwood, Superadobe, Lime plaster and Lime wash with pigments and even Tadelakt… The earth used for all these was dug from here and will become future ponds…
– a 24v photovoltaic system that provide electricity for light, a small fridge and plugs to charge our devices;
– a few outdoor areas to rest, pray, contemplate, having small retreats, spiritual cerimonies, sweat lodge, etc…
– a pond filled with bio diversity that feeds all our irrigation and washing system…a nice place to simply be, or jump for a swim in the hot summer days…
– 2 spring waters (to be restored)
– wild life corridors where the lucky ones can see some local wanderers like the wild bore, small deer, squirrels, foxes, mongoose, many birds, etc…) at the end of one of those corridors we are starting a small “primitive camp” for ocasional bushcraft gatherings, or personal retreats;
And well, I think you got the idea 🙂
For more detailed informations here is our long post
Or fill our REGISTRATION FORM here
https://forms.gle/fo96EpLXSf2GkteHA
For more information, please visit the event website.
