Download Case Study

Executive Summary

Proposal for the transition of Terra Alta Permaculture Site into a regional hub for economic and ecological growth.

Overview

Terra Alta is an existing Permaculture demonstration site and educational center located in the bioregion of Sintra, Portugal, near the Westernmost point of Europe. It is 45 minutes NW of Lisbon. The project was officially founded in 2010 by Pedro Valdjiu and Rita Seixas and has grown into an internationally recognized permaculture site.

The intent of this report is to evaluate the existing systems in place at Terra Alta, and through communication with Terra Alta member and Team #6 group member Henrik Ellerbrock, propose changes and advancements to continue development towards the goals of Terra Alta and to suggest a future vision for the project based on our understanding of what makes communities sustainable and regenerative.

Existing Terra Alta Mission Statement

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.

Existing Terra Alta Vision Statement

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.

Terra Alta’s Goals

● Transitioning the project towards a research centre (similar like the Schumacher College) and involving scientists ● Developing more authentic content and providing it as open source to local/global community ● Hosting different events like: art of hosting, teacher trainings, events/courses more related to the Waldorf movement by focusing on the youth ● Writing a book on regenerative culture/ bioregional impact ● Developing a permaculture software for design

What has been done so far Terra Alta is an already developed project, with the first permaculture course hosted in 2009. There is a strong foundation of ecological and worldview design in place, with little emphasis being placed on economic design and some emphasis placed on social design throughout the years. There is a large amount of work that has been completed and much thought has gone into the ecological development of the site.

Creation of this Case Study This case study was completed as the final design project for the Gaia Education Design for Sustainability (GEDS) program, with a completion date of October 2019. The team is multicultural, with members from various countries in Europe and one member from the United States.

We are fortunate that Henrik is a member of Terra Alta and a member of this team. Having a group member that is intimate with the project being developed has made interviewing and fact-finding quick and simple. His “insiders” knowledge of the project, and the fact that he proposed this project as a possible case study to the GEDS administrators means that our team had access to a very willing insider to the Terra Alta project.

Throughout this design project, our team referred back to the four-dimension design approach (detailed in the introduction section).

This Report We start this report from a place of analyzing what already exists at Terra Alta. The suggestions and guidance offered in this report are intended to serve as a “springboard” or a launching off point for the members of Terra Alta to utilize where they see fit. We are providing an analysis and the foundation for future development of the Terra Alta project.

Mission - Proposal

The mission is to explore the essence of Life by creating receptive and healthy community Worldwide, spreading an alternative way of teaching by using intuition, instinct, will and freedom, and developing key ecological and economic drivers in the bioregion.

Vision - Proposal Terra Alta is a regional hub for economic, ecological and social education and development, that resonates inside the hearts of Humans, creates abundant systems and gives direction for future generations.

Challenges

Worldview Issues ● Difficulties finding a balance between friendship and business ● Thin line between personal and community life ● Different cultural backgrounds and nationalities ● Established family structure and a strong family bond ● Strong feeling of separation based on fear ● Reductive, linear and fragmented nature of modern education ● Lack of shared vision ● Misuse of the three values: Freedom, Fraternity, Equality, in the modern society ● Constricted conceptual frameworks (in society in general) that prohibit holistic thinking ● Lack of shared vision, lack of trust in Nature, domination and disconnection (in society in general) ● To learn from Nature rather than try to predict, manipulate, and control natural processes for our short-term benefit and long-term detriment of future generations and Life on Earth

Social Issues ● Lack of time ● The fear of creating false expectations ● Feeling of separation during the permaculture course low season ● Misunderstandings based on cultural differences ● Difficulty of receiving critical feedback based on mistrust ● Not much time to come together to work on shared visions ● Big responsibility of being owners of two neighboring lands ● Not always easy connect to the network ● Competition and scarcity mindset in the local community ● Overworked community members

● Community members working on personal projects outside Terra Alta ● Deep-rooted, unconscious conditionings, blockages, traumas and mental convictions

Ecological Issues ● Challenge of site access to transport goods and materials ● Overall challenge of off-grid water and energy design ● Lack of a yearly crop succession/ harvest target plan ● Lack of soil organic matter due to agricultural exploitation in the past ● Challenge of microclimates & coastal climatic conditions, especially garden, because of increased pest pressure and fungi diseases ● Lack of permanent committed garden manager ● Decay of infrastructure due to lack of realistic timetable for construction phase and committed regular maintenance

Economic Issues ● Lack of economic infrastructure in place at Terra Alta ● Lack of business plan ● Ecological exploitation from students travel to and from courses ● Ecological exploitation through the purchase on non-regenerative products ● Economic systems are based in mainstream economics ● Many products are not sourced locally

Solution Proposals

Worldview ● Work on personal change to drive the system change ● Use Integral Life Practice Matrix to find more balance between project and personal life ● Apply Interpersonal Wellness System to maintain wellness and balance ● Celebrate diversity ● Concentrate on the strengths rather than weaknesses ● Give more importance to the process of visioning rather than outcome ● Use Design Criteria of a Successful Vision: clarity, coherence, community power, consistency, flexibility.

Social ● Developing better time management skills ● Revisiting vision statement from time to time ● Organizing more events that involve local community in order to make a shift from competition to collaboration ● Prioritizing networking on a bioregional and national scale

● Developing skills for trauma and shadow work as well as communication in order to pass from separation to connection ● Becoming a part of the international network ECOLISE ● Develop online “forum” software/platform for previous students to stay connected and network ● Convene group to explore charity work

Ecological ● Building a more versatile and resilient energy system ● Implementation of a more effective and responsible consumption of water ● Create better farm systems - introduce crop succession and harvest target plan ● Continuous effort to improve of soil health ● Adding more biodiversity including life stock and versatile cover crops to increase ecosystem resilience ● adding an improved timetable for construction phases for infrastructure to avoid bottlenecks

Economic ● Developing a Business plan ● Offering a carbon offset for course participants to purchase to offset travel based carbon production (donate to charity or give funds for regional programs) ● Source course materials/food from renewable/regenerative sources ● Encourage students to stay in the region and create regenerative products that Terra Alta could then source from ● Develop a “wiki” infrastructure to enhance the referral process of students for paid work/consulting ● Develop online educational Permaculture courses ● Develop “Terra Alta” brand to sell farm products and other goods ● Initiate an investigation into alternative currencies and other economic systems with the aid and collaboration of other regional groups ● Investigate the use of crowdfunding to fund the development of future infrastructure or the purchase of neighboring land ● Form a group to explore and act upon the suggestions in the Plugging the Leaks report

Strategic Framework and Integration

The Strategic Framework is described and elaborated upon in the Approach section and the Design Outcomes section.

Contents

Executive Summary 1 Overview 1 Existing Terra Alta Mission Statement 1 Existing Terra Alta Vision Statement 1 Terra Alta’s Goals 2 What has been done so far 2 Creation of this Case Study 2 This Report 2 Mission - Proposal 3 Vision - Proposal 3 Challenges 3 Worldview Issues 3 Social Issues 3 Ecological Issues 4 Economic Issues 4 Solution Proposals 4 Worldview 4 Social 4 Ecological 5 Economic 5 Strategic Framework and Integration 6 Contents 7

Introduction 9 Where is Terra Alta? 9 The Origin of Terra Alta 10 Sustainable Development Goals 10

Approach 11 Our 5 Year Vision for Terra Alta 11 Role of the Case Study 11 Design Approach and Frameworks 11 Restoring the Cultural Landscape 12 Backcasting 13

Four Dimensions Analysis 14 Worldview 14 Holistic Worldview 14

Listening to Nature 17 Awakening and Transforming of Consciousness 19 Personal and Planetary Health 21 Socially Engaged Spirituality 22 Social 24 Common Vision 24 Communication 25 Community Building 26 Leadership and Personal Empowerment 30 Community Celebration 32 Social Bioregional Analysis 33 Ecological 39 Climate Change Resiliency 39 Water 40 Botanic and Food Production 44 Permaculture Design 50 Economic 61 Partnerships 61 Business Planning 61 Economic Exploitation 62 Local Employment 62 Ecological Services 63 Quantitative vs. Qualitative Assessment 63 Regional Economic Initiatives 63 Ownership Structure 64 Plugging the Leaks - Reinvigorating the Local Economy 64 Economic Resilience Model 65

Design Integration 66

Design Outcomes 68

Appendices 71 Maps 71

Introduction

Where is Terra Alta? Terra Alta is located in the bioregion of Sintra, Portugal, near Cabo da Roca which is the westerly point of continental Europe. The region has a Mediterranean climate with moderate temperature and wet winters. Due to the natural landscape of the Sintra Mountain, a ten kilometre long granite massif, the influence from the Atlantic Ocean and the establishment of many parks full of foliar rich botanical diversity, the region developed its own particular micro-climate which is characterised by higher precipitation and humidity. This condition in turn favours the growth of a diverse matt of forest including many Atlantic and Mediterranean species such as Pyrenean oak, Cork oak, maple, hazel, chestnut, ash, alder and various cedar species. Terra Alta is about 2 hectares large and lies in a valley 500m away from the sea near Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe. It is divided into two properties, the first piece purchased in 2010 by Rita and Pedro and the other one in 2011 by Henrik who joined the project.

Walking and driving map provided to course students

The Origin of Terra Alta

Pedro Valdjiu and Rita Seixas met in 1994 and today are parents of two beautiful daughters, Jasmin and Zoe. While raising their daughters they realized that they were not satisfied with the schooling that was available. Therefore they decided to create an educational context for their children and for the children whose parents felt the same way. In 2008 "Escola da Terra", a Waldorf school and kindergarten, was founded. Today it serves over 50 children from all over the world. In 2009 their educational project moved a step further when they hosted a Permaculture Design Course. That was their first step towards the movement that has evolved since then into one of the most active permaculture projects in Portugal and Europe - Terra Alta. Together with Henrik Ellerbrock and Maria Almeida they are continuing to develop a model for regenerative culture.

Sustainable Development Goals

All of the Sustainable Development Goals formulated by the United Nations have direct correlation with this project:

1. No poverty 2. Zero hunger 3. Good health and well-being 4. Quality education 5. Gender equality 6. Clean water and sanitation 7. Affordable and clean energy 8. Decent work and economic growth 9. Industry, innovation and infrastructure 10. Reduced inequalities 11. Sustainable cities and communities 12. Responsible consumption and production 13. Climate action 14. Life below water 15. Life on land 16. Peace, justice and strong institutions 17. Partnerships for the goals

Each of these goals is implicitly addressed in this case study.

Approach

Our 5 Year Vision for Terra Alta Terra Alta is a regional hub for economic and social education and development. From its roots as a permaculture demonstration and education site, it has expanded to become a regional training center in the skills and arts of living sustainably and timelessly in the Sintra bioregion. Additionally, Terra Alta has developed several key economic drivers in the bioregion and has acted as a hub for other businesses to partner with.

Role of the Case Study This case study exists to serve Terra Alta as they continue growing. We offer many potential ideas and solutions here for the members to work with, but this is just a beginning. Undoubtedly the members of Terra Alta will embrace some ideas and reject others based on their own desires and needs, and the unique conditions at Terra Alta itself, and we have tried to write this document to reflect that.

Design Approach and Frameworks Many different frameworks and design inspirations were utilized to prepare this report. Each team member was responsible for analyzing and preparing the bulk of a single dimension. Henrik analyzed the Ecological dimension, Gabriele analyzed the Worldview dimension, Laura analyzed the Social dimension, and Aaron analyzed the Economic dimension. After the initial bulk analysis was performed for each dimension, the team came together to critique and expand each others analyses. In this way, each team member influences the overall design and project, and has the ability to integrate their modules into the other modules.

We have utilized this Strategic Framework as a guide for our integration phase

Each dimension is a separate component, yet at the same time they blend together and influence each other at all levels. For example, Worldview describes how a person, organization, etc. views and engages with the world. In this context, worldview also inspires the vision and missions of an organization. Thus, each of the other three dimensions are directly influenced and driven by the Worldview. A person will choose to treat the land much differently if their worldview is one of interconnections between all beings versus a dualistic separation mindset. The strategic framework above assists in integrating the four dimensions together.

This report is organized around the 4-D Framework as outlined by Gaia Education: Ecological, Economic, Social, and Worldview dimensions.

Restoring the Cultural Landscape1 The Restoration of Cultural Landscapes is a concept that encapsulates a holistic design framework. Essentially, the ideas describe the modern resurrection of the traditional village and city life before the modern world changed those systems, but it does so with modern technology and with an understanding of the modern world. So, practitioners look at the “old” way of doing things and discover the reasons for those methods - often grounded in ecological and

1 https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190240318.001.0001/acprof-97801902 40318

technological constraints. This includes everything from the ecological systems that were built (before the carbon age), the social systems in place to ensure smooth village relations, the worldview of these societies, and the economics that kept society functioning. Like all sustainable ideas, the cultural landscape looks different in each and every village and bio-region. This is a very broad topic, and unfortunately we have not had the time to deeply understand the ideas within it or examine projects already utilizing this concept, but we believe it has large importance for the future of localized, sustainable societies.

Backcasting We used a Backcasting2 process to envision the end goal (“destination”) that we believe Terra Alta should strive for. The process then continues by working backwards to figure out the various steps needed to reach that end goal. These steps are actually events, triggers or other inflection points that change the status quo and direction of the project. This process works very well as an act of brainstorming as well - since we have a desired end goal and a starting point, there is much room in the middle to fill with potential ideas.

2 https://www.innovatechange.co.nz/news/2015/6/21/backcasting-from-scenarios

Four Dimensions Analysis

Worldview

Holistic Worldview Shift to Holistic Thinking The founders of the project had a lot of experience in permaculture and teaching, therefore their desire to share it with the world inspired them to open up their home to international community. More than a decade ago the shift from story of separation to the story of interbeing started.

Asking questions like Who are we? and What is our purpose? were fundamental to set up the concept of the Terra Alta community. These questions helped to find ways how to create a meaning individually as well as collectively. Setting up a direction was natural for the founders of the project - they already knew where they wanted to go. Pedro Valdjiu’s dream was to build a model for regenerative culture. He was

interested in the ability to shift between diverse perspectives and to integrate them based on a set of shared values to critically influence our common future. Pedro says: ‘The vision for humans is scary, I know. But it's coming, and I make an effort to envision the best out of it..’

Obstacles of Holistic Thinking in the Modern Society There are many obstacles to holistic thinking. One of them is that the non-holistic nature of modern education has left many, if not most, people with conceptual frameworks that are too narrow to allow the holistic thinking in.

Founders and facilitators of Terra Alta and Escola de Terra projects are showing the alternative way of teaching. They promote connection with Nature, Humanity and Earth, as well as learning to trust our intuition, embrace freedom and understand the circle of life. However, to make a change in a worldview already formed, participants need to be open and ready to live the experience that Terra Alta has to offer.

Another obstacle is a pattern of short-term thinking. Many patterns of events are not understood as whole processes unfolding over different time-scales. Terra Alta is an example of an organisation that step by step creates a change which is going to last for many generations to come. In only 10 years time Pedro’s dream has already become a reality: Terra Alta has trained hundreds of people through its Permaculture Design Courses (PDC) and hosted many gatherings to empower people looking for alternative ways of living. The impact can be measured by the expansion of their courses, improvement of installations, development of the structure and the impact to the land and surroundings as well as having better relationships with the community of the region of Sintra, local farmers etc. They are leaving a footprint of sustainable living which hopefully will last for many years.

One more problem that modern society is facing is a strong feeling of separation. Pedro says: ‘This separation, I believe, is connected to the feeling that patriarchal massive religions promote that heaven is not here but somewhere else which makes our connection to the unknown in stand by, waiting for death to establish it, and therefore we have the right to destroy our habitat with the hope that something better is waiting for us.’

Pedro thinks that this feeling of separation is imprinting fear in our cells and souls, in our community and jobs, countries and the world in general. How to live and connect with the energy of life, how to respect death and the natural circle of life, how to love rather than to be afraid, are a few of the topics that Terra Alta explores.

To sum up, the lack of shared vision and trust in Nature, domination and disconnection are few of the problems of modern society that Terra Alta is trying to cope with. ‘Matter has lost its inherit sacredness for most of us and out of that a society that seems to have its roots in heavy consumption and the depletion of Earth systems has been instilled as the dominant Culture’ says Pedro.

Changing the programmes in our collective memory might be challenging, but with the power of will and practice everything is possible.

Practical Expressions of Holistic Worldview Terra Alta project contributes to the shift from the story of separation to the story of interbeing through many practices held at Terra Alta.

The main activity is the Permaculture Design Course (PDC) held several times every season. The shift from mechanistic towards organismic metaphors that are more appropriate to describe the processes of life are encouraged by the collaborative methods of teaching. Students co-create solutions based on in situ challenges they identify together, using everyone's unique knowledge. These courses encourage participants to find patterns and connections amongst their shared experiences.

Moreover, the community is encouraged to get together in many activities held on the site, such as guided nature walks on the land, zero waste cosmetics workshop, farm your own food - harvesting and cooking, fermentation workshop, wine tasting and bread making .When moving towards a more holistic understanding of life, some of the metaphors that have also guided our cultural life may change too. There is a shared kitchen where students engage in the preparation of meals as this experience is a component of the course. Games room with ping pong table and space for stretching and physical wellbeing are also provided.

The founders of Terra Alta promote "karma yoga" i.e. "yoga of action". It is a part of the community culture to share the responsibility of cooking and keep communal spaces clean because the action of feeding and taking care of a community's health and wellbeing is greater than ourselves. Participants of the Permaculture Nature Retreat engage in karma yoga too. This daily act of service is an act of selflessness that promotes community.

The main purpose of all the activities held at Terra Alta is to inspire people so that they can apply the knowledge gained in their everyday lives and spread that message further. It is important to mention that all the residents are welcomed to discover the local region by visiting farms and local shops to interact with local people and getting involved in the village life. Finally, the way we see the world influences the way we act, and our actions, methods and designs we use - in turn - influence how we see the world.

Union of Science and Spirit

The founders admit that science is the crucial part of the project. Pedro is always trying to improve the installations and at the same time to look for more conscious ways of living.

The project is inspired by Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy3, where spiritual life always goes in hand with science. Steiner believed in the possibility of applying the clarity of scientific thinking to spiritual experience, which he saw as deriving from an objectively existing spiritual world. A s the basis of his spiritual experience, he identified mathematics, which attains certainty through thinking itself, thus through inner experience rather than empirical observation. At Terra Alta mathematics is used in many processes. For example, data collection is crucial for improving design systems.The number of plants transplanted, amount of fertilization, or collecting data on food quantities in the kitchen process. There is a lot of effort and calculation behind the scenes.

Terra Alta is like a living laboratory where participants always try new strategies to build and create a healthy environment. For example, the outdoor lounge area, centered around the cob oven, has gone through several phases of implementation, adding cob benches, a rocket stove and more, and is a good example of designing for adaptability and co-evolution. However, it takes a lot of effort, money and time to experiment and find the best methods that suit the region and climate. There is a lot of information about sustainable building but sometimes only practice can show which methods can work in each particular case.

Listening to Nature Nature as a Constant Teacher How exactly we understand and explain the relationship between Humanity and Nature lies at the heart of any worldview.

Terra Alta’s relationship with nature and surroundings can be expressed by words of J. W. von Goethe: ‘In nature we never see anything isolated, but everything in connection with something else which is before it, beside it, under it and over it’

3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthroposophy

In Goethe's vision4, nature permeates everything, including the human mind and imagination. The truth does not exist as something independent or objective, but is revealed in the very act of human cognition.

The connection with four seasons, bioregion, diversity, natural materials and ways of using natural resources are the core points of the PDC held by Terra Alta. Designing with Nature by using regenerative techniques such as water harvesting earthworks, soil biology stimulation etc. connects with a deeper sense of the place and surroundings. Terra Alta is enclosed in a magical forest of cork and fruit trees, the original inhabitants of the ancient land. The involvement of the local environment is equally as important as human involvement for co-evolution.

In Waldorf Education5, applied to the project, the connection to nature is about showing participants the natural rhythms of life and revealing our kinship with all living things. It is about careful observation to see what the natural world has to teach us.The Waldorf curriculum seeks to help students develop a healthy connection to the natural world and to develop a sense of awe and wonder that later can develop into a sense of responsibility for the natural world.

We need to learn from Nature rather than try to predict, manipulate, and control natural processes for our short-term benefit and at the long-term detriment of future generations and life on Earth. Nature is the teacher within us and around us.

Sense of Place and Belonging The project site has been converted into experimental field where participants discover the sense of place and belonging.

The main communal gathering place is the bamboo stardome, which shelters from the cold Sintra nights and is the site of many educational movie nights and greening the desert dances.

Also there are eating and study areas, comprising different levels and sizes of tables, the community kitchen, and the library. Outdoors, there is a fire circle - a favorite gathering spot after a day of classes, where music circles often are born.

The events hosted in the site goes in-line with Terra Alta’s mission - offering a close touch with nature through various guided educational activities. The installations invite participants to discover the journey of creativity, innovation, and deep insight together.

4https://medium.com/age-of-awareness/zarte-empirie-goethean-science-as-a-way-of-knowing-e1ab7ad63 f46 5 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldorf_education

On the other hand, the winter season in Terra Alta is time for reflection and more separation. Usually only permanent members stay on site. Rita and Pedro live with family, while Henrik and Maria use this time to travel, build their houses and perform all the pending duties. This time is also used to develop a plan for the upcoming season, and make important decisions. There is always a thin line between friendship and business, family and community life, and sometimes it becomes quite challenging.

Awakening and Transforming of Consciousness The Expression of Spirituality The project is actively fostering a culture which celebrates diversity and integrates multiple perspectives. Coming from different countries and having different experiences the participants

of the courses interact with permanent members. This synthesis creates a unique atmosphere and a friendly field to share different worldviews. The spirituality is expressed by daily practices such as yoga, walking in nature etc.

The influence of Anthroposophy Anthroposophy by Steiner plays an important role while creating the PDC. However, Terra Alta does not put boundaries on any religion or way of expressing spirituality. Members constantly interact and share their values and beliefs.

According to Steiner, a real spiritual world exists, evolving along with the material one. Steiner considered that the spiritual world can be researched in the right circumstances through direct experience by people practicing rigorous forms of ethical and cognitive self-discipline. The aim is to develop higher levels of consciousness through meditation and observation. Deep listening lies at the heart of creating a culture of sustainability. To invite the participants to reflect and journal what they have been doing during the course is a part of daily routine in Terra Alta. There is a time where this process can be shared amongst the group, bringing one’s insights to the collective intelligence.

Also, Steiner says that a person becomes enabled to alter his soul by his own will-power. Freedom and intuition are also very important in his teachings. All these principles are used as a guide while creating Terra Alta and Escola de Terra teaching strategies.

The main religion in Portugal is Catholicism, which has had a big influence in the region. It is very important that Anthroposophical science does not want to usurp the place of Christianity, on the contrary, it would like to be instrumental in making Christianity understood and be transformed considerably to meet the continuing evolution of humanity.

Finally, every perspective, no matter how useful and detailed in evidence, is only partial and creates its own blind spots and side effects that are caused by what the particular worldview focuses on and what it ignores. Terra Alta doesn't follow any cult or any religion. The synthesis of different worldviews formed by philosophies and religions makes the project unique.

Personal and Planetary Health Salutogenesis Health is fundamentally scale-linking. That means the health of individuals; their families, their communities, the health of the ecosystems and bioregions they inhabit; and ultimately the health of the biosphere, are all fundamentally linked and interdependent. The main idea is to concentrate on prevention of the illness, which means health promotion, also called Salutogenesis.

There are various practices to do that, for example by engaging spiritual / physical body with surroundings. There are natural retreats, yoga and other practices to follow during the stay at Terra Alta. Moreover, the relationship between health and food is very present in the project. Healthy food and meal preparation are the strong points of Terra Alta project since the members have a chance to take care of the garden and be a part of the cooking process. Also, students are introduced to different Zero Waste practices such as making organic soap and natural toothpaste as well as natural care cosmetics and medicinal remedies.

Alternative Health Systems Holistic health is a concept upholding that all aspects of people's needs, psychological, physical and social have to been seen as a whole. The member can use Integral Life Practice Matrix6 to find more balance and harmony on different levels. Also there is an option to apply Interpersonal Wellness System7 to to find harmony between the inside and outside world.

The permanent members are developing knowledge about alternative health, as Maria has studied Chinese natural medicine (Acupuncture, Tai Chi, herbal products, massages). These activities can be explored during the course. However, conventional medicine has not been forgotten and in particular cases project members still rely on it.

6 http://www.kenwilber.com/personal/ILP/MyILP.html 7 https://interpersonalwellness.com/what-is-interpersonal-wellness-system/

Design for sustainability in its general sense is a design for human and planetary health. Being in connection to Nature has huge influence on the health of an individual as well as a community.

Socially Engaged Spirituality Set of Values Every organisation needs to have its values to be guided during the process of decision making. There are three values distinguished by Pedro in one of his blog posts: freedom, fraternity, equality.

Pedro is questioning what is wrong with the way they are distributed amongst the three realms of society. He says that Freedom calls for Culture, even though actually Freedom is rooted in Economics. We use the word Freedom in talking about "Free market" that unbalances people’s lives and take countries into poverty and debt. The second one is fraternity. The misunderstanding of this word took man to the creation of groups that are protected through the creation of Law and the State of Rights that do nothing but privilege the rich. The third - equality. Governments impose a mandatory curriculum at school and fashion makes people feel ugly.

What if we turn the wheel?

1. Freedom - What if we actually have Freedom guiding Culture? 2. Fraternity (universal love for all that exists under the Sun.) - If we place Fraternity over Economy we will redesign our financial systems so that they will become supportive of life instead of sources of destruction. 3. Equality - Placing Equality in the realm of Law will create magic.

Co-creating our Future Socially and ecologically engaged spirituality is one way of following Gandhi's advice to “be the change you want to see in the world.” As we engage consciously with our power and responsibility to co-create the world we would like to see, we connect with our individual potential to affect small and large-scale changes, and, at the same time, we are reminded to be humble and acknowledge the power of collaboration and cooperation.

Engaged spirituality is not something you can do alone. Strength comes from numbers, and this is more true today than ever with the possibilities of networking on the Internet. Terra Alta is part of a growing network of regenerative communities, permaculture practitioners and alternative thinkers. A few of them are: Escola da Terra (Waldorf school), Aphros Wine, Chao Rico (organic market garden), UK Permaculture Association and GEN (Global Ecovillage Network).

The project is also working on various fields of 17 Sustainable Design Goals (SDG)8 set by the United Nations. A few of them are zero hunger, good health and wellbeing by promoting salutogenesis, healthy food and sustainable agriculture. Moreover, clean water and sustainable energy by promoting green building. Also life on land by awareness of the biodiversity of the region and partnerships to achieve the goal, by being a part of various organisations. Finally, quality education, which is the center of the project itself.

Visions of a Healthier World We hardly ever travel to the lighthouse directly but sail towards it only to pass by on our way to other places. Visioning is like painting idealistic picture of the future.

Terra Alta is brave enough to dream the Utopia, redesign abundant systems, celebrate life and feed surrounding neighborhoods with new ideas that resonate in the heart of Humans. It is like a beam of light giving us a direction. ‘Utopia like something that still doesn’t exist in the world, the New, that wants to be manifested, new codes, new ethics, new imaginations, new art,and a new holistic vision for humanity’, says Pedro.

‘One day, when Power will be used in the way that the Sun powers the flower and the bee sucks its nectar and transforms it into honey, that day Power will be at the center of an abundant society. Systems will be redesigned to incorporate Love, the Love beyond romantic love. The one that is inside the mustard seed.’ Pedro Valdjiu

One challenge that Terra Alta faces is lack of time to rethink the vision of the project. In this case study we present Strategic Framework as a result of Design Integration with our suggestion of the new vision of Terra Alta - to transit from permaculture site into a regional hub for economic and ecological growth.

8 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs

Social

This chapter looks at Terra Alta’s past, present and future from a social perspective: how the project has been running for 10 years of its existence; what works well and what new ways could be implemented to improve its functioning. It starts out by looking at it’s vision, mission and goals. It continues by investigating its communication, governance models, leadership structures and celebrations, and it is concluded by the analysis of the bioregion in which Terra Alta is embodied.

Common Vision

Vision Statement 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, Terra Alta is 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.

Goals Terra Alta Goals:

● Writing a book on regenerative culture/ bioregional impact ● Developing a permaculture software for design

Henrik’s personal goals: ● Finishing his house to gain more quality time when he’s at home ● Renovating the guest house so he can host guests also during the winter season ● Cleaning land to create more fire protection

The Futures History Whenever we start a new project, build a community or engage in any action where more than one person is involved it is essential to not only have a vision but have a shared vision. It is like a backbone of the project. Nothing is permanent and we as individuals change not only every year but also every hour, every minute. So do our worldviews, our visions. It works the same way also in a group. Terra Alta has reached its 10th birthday. The 6 permanent members and the 3 long term members make up its main body. When Terra Alta was conceived 10 years ago it needed a vision, a vision shared by all its members. But is the current 10 year old Terra Alta the same as the baby one? Are all the members that make up Terra Alta’s body the same as 10 years ago? If not, most probably the worldview of each individual that directly influences his or her vision might have changed overtime as well. If not tackled and shared it might create some divisions in the group.

For the future of Terra Alta it could be helpful now and then to tap into each individual’s most profound feelings and visions in order to ‘update’ the shared vision of Terra Alta. The Futures History Method could be very useful to work on this. It requires drawing materials and space to work in. The exercise may last from a few hours to several days, depending on the group. It consists of expressing your vision through drawing by giving voice to the creative right side of your brain. Next steps include sharing your vision and listening to others, giving and receiving feedback, looking for common elements as well as discrepancies amongst the visions, looking for agreements and creating a refreshed collective vision for the shared project. At the end, exercise requires you to imagine yourself already in the future vision by seeing the sights, hearing the sounds and experiencing the feelings, to ground the future vision, and invite your future self to ask a question to your present self (history self from the perspective of your future self): How did this come about? What actions needed to happen in order to get here? This is why the exercise is called ‘The Futures History’. This process further prompts participants to create an action plan for initiatives to take up.

Communication

The way we communicate determines to a great extent our relationships with all that surrounds us. The communication we use to interact with other human beings, with animals and plants, with nature and our whole planet, directly mirrors the communication we use towards ourselves. We have the ability to communicate on many different levels. Our speech is the most tangible way of communicating, especially when it comes to other human beings, but not the only one.

We communicate also through our thoughts, through the energy we emanate, through our actions and reactions. In order to have healthy relationships with our friends, partners, family and the wider community, speech has a very important role. Community governance, decision making and interaction in general amongst the members of a particular community are all a result of the communication that they practice. This chapter will look at how people at Terra Alta communicate, what structures and tools regarding governance and communication are used to keep the community going and what are the weak spots that could be worked on.

Community Building

Terra Alta’s members do not consider themselves to be an intentional community. It has clear ownership structures and the land has two owners. There are actually two pieces of land joined together in the project. This is also a reason why there is a clear hierarchy that comes with the responsibility of owning the land and having different responsibilities within the project.

Most of the year Terra Alta does not consider itself a community but more something like a healthy neighbourhood that includes people who live there and support each other on their different paths, and have shared meals in the common kitchen from time to time. In order to be a functional community, its members think that it would require more permanent members as a part of it. Therefore they prefer to see themselves simply as a functioning neighbourhood in order not to create any false expectations they would not be able to meet.

During the summer season the scene changes slightly. It becomes a temporary community with a staff working there and students coming to participate in the courses organized by Terra Alta. At the beginning of the season when the new staff and course participants arrive, everybody is invited to share their values with others. Different methods are used in order to create a connection between the new, temporary community members. One of the methods used at Terra Alta is a card game where each card carries a different pattern9. These cards were created by volunteers. Every person picks up a card and shares about what this particular value on their card means to them in their own lives. It is done in order to create a common culture, connecting with each other and to see whether all the participants are more or less on the same page while working together. It is an important ritual at Terra Alta and is used also in the general and staff meetings.

During the permaculture courses facilitators also use the World Cafe (WC)10 method to host discussions of course topics. WC helps identify the collective thought surrounding key issues by encouraging participants to find patterns and connections amongst their shared experiences, putting into practice the "observe and interact" principle of Permaculture design. Other learning methods include: action learning, field trips, lecture, walk and talk, games, movies, group work, think and listen, and participatory art.

9 https://groupworksdeck.org 10 http://www.theworldcafe.com/key-concepts-resources/world-cafe-method/

Maria and Rita both work as teachers in "Escola da Terra", a school project based on Waldorf education, in the nearby village. The main goal of this project is to enable students as fully as possible to help them choose and to realize their individual path through life as adults. It is a non-profit, independent school project, which started with no public financial support, but rather with the care and love of dedicated parents involved in the education of their children. Henrik works full time for his Market Garden business in a neighbouring village as well. Pedro who is a certified Permaculture teacher, hosts and facilitates the PDC’s by designing the programs, choosing the team, and giving sessions on the topics he is most passionate about. Additionally, he is a musician, involved in the same band for 20 years.

Membership During the high season (during the late spring, summer and early autumn) all the different permaculture based courses start and it means that the Terra Alta community becomes larger for this period. During this time, it could be said that the hierarchy has four layers:

1st layer - Founders and permanent members. This is the core group of the project and consists of 6 members;

2nd layer - Long term members and semi permanent members. There are 3 long term members at Terra Alta. One of the semi-permanent members been living there for 15 months. He is assisting in running the permaculture courses and helps building infrastructure of the place.

3rd layer - Short term members. One of the short term members is the Terra Alta garden manager who usually arrives in March and stays until late autumn.

4th layer - Course participants. All the people who participate in the Permaculture courses organized by Terra Alta.

Community Governance and Meetings Terra Alta members are aware of the different governance models such as Sociocracy, Holacracy, Consensus based approach, Democracy and others. They do not follow just one single model out of these. It is more like a mix of them, using different governance structures. For instance, if someone has an opposition to an opinion or a proposal, it is not enough to just give veto. The opposer is expected to take responsibility for his opinion and is asked to come up with an alternative. It is very important that everybody in the group is familiar with these tools. All the group members have also participated in a Sociocracy workshop together. Therefore, to a smaller or greater extent all of them share the knowledge of different structures and tools and are trying to use them in their community governance.

When it comes to meetings, Henrik has quite a lot of experience in designing them in a more efficient way and tries to bring a bit of an expertise inside the group. However, especially at the beginning, Henrik has had a hard time dealing with these issues and to bring in his knowledge

and previous experience into the group. He reckons that one of the reasons Terra Alta members encounter these difficulties is because of cultural differences.

Another challenge for the members of Terra Alta is the lack of free time. Most of the time they are all overworked and do not have much time to come together to work on shared visions. It has been like this from the very beginning as all the permanent members, except Pedro, have their own projects outside Terra Alta. Therefore, it is quite natural that there is not much time left to come together for the Terra Alta project. Coming together is a shared interest of all the permanent members, nevertheless they are all very much occupied with their personal projects. Furthermore, prioritizing their personal occupations also has economic reasons. Therefore most of the time meetings are held randomly between just two members at a time and not involving all the members. At the moment they find these random meetings as the most funcional for their reality. Over the years they have tried various techniques and have created, as Henrik calls it, a kind of a ‘meeting trauma’. The permanent members all have very different meeting characters and have different perceptions of time within meetings. This, of course, can create very strong dynamics within the group. New strategies to create a common ground for the future and regular meetings that include all the participants could definitely tackle this problem.

Decision Making Henrik and Pedro are the primary decision makers when it comes to long-term decisions and general decisions regarding their land. There are some areas that they have in common; in this case the power structure is more like a horizontal hierarchy. These areas apply to common areas that have a greater impact on their lives. For example, in the case when a member moves to Terra Alta for a longer period of time, water management, greater earthwork projects, planting of canopies, and others become a concern. Pedro and Henrik also share the ownership of some tools they use for the land while the energy system (solar power) is shared by all the permanent members. There are certain departments that have clear decision makers and they are free to make short-term decisions regarding their department on their own. For example, the garden department makes their own decisions by themselves, amongst it’s team members, without the need of getting the ‘ok’ from one of the primary decision makers (Henrik or Pedro).

Connection In our modern day society separation is an epidemic. Most people, to a smaller or greater extent, seem to be affected by it. Our feeling of separation towards nature, animals and other human beings arises from our not knowing ourselves, from being separated from our hearts and souls.

During the decade of its existence, Terra Alta has already had ups and downs and has learned a lot from this experience. Most of the time the sense of inter-being is present in the space between its members. However, as Henrik says, ‘The dragon of separation is very strong and oftentimes hard to overcome.’ Most of us, if not everybody, carry within ourselves one or other kind of conditionings, blockages, traumas and mental convictions, which are not always easy to overcome. Most of the time we are not even aware of these conditionings guiding our

behaviour. In order to become aware of them, a great deal of self work and questioning is necessary.

At Terra Alta, also the different seasons of the year have a great impact on how its members manage to deal with a feeling of separation. They have noticed that it is much easier and natural to connect with each other during the summer season when the days are longer, the sun is providing a lot of energy and everybody tends to be more joyful, open up more and organise different events to come together. During the colder winter months they tend to go inwards and remain more in their own ‘bubbles’.

Non-violent Communication Non Violent communication is a tool of which all Terra Alta members are aware. Most of the group members have studied it and it is a part of their PDCs (Permaculture Design Courses). Non violent communication is present in their everyday life communication, using ‘I’ sentences (taking responsibility for one's thoughts, feelings and deeds), not projecting one's feelings onto others, instead, sharing one’s feelings openly with others. After a 10 year history of living together it has already become a part of their lives. They have gone through many ups and downs within their communication. A layer of ground trust has been built up. Knowing each other for such a long time makes it easier to work together. The members consider non violent communication as a great selection of helpful tools for everyday communication. Sometimes they make jokes about the violent communication as they think that in some cases it is less violent than the non violent communication, meaning that an underlying violence could be transported behind the tool of non violent communication. They have become aware that non violent communication could also be used in a really violent way if the person using it has not done the inner work and uses it to manipulate others.

Active and Deep Listening The members of Terra Alta are acquainted with the concepts of active and deep listening. However, they do not use any particular practices or games in their everyday life to strengthen this aspect. Nevertheless, meetings at the Waldorf School, which is also a part of the Terra Alta project, are started by singing together, doing an exercise or playing a game together, or drawing together. Only after having done all or some of these activities they pass to the actual meeting. They do this before each meeting in order to tap into the group energy and connect with each other. In this way they open themselves up to listen more deeply and actively. Staff members of the Waldorf School all have different backgrounds and expertise for creating this space and leading creative and fruitful meetings amongst them.

When practising active listening and deep listening in a group it is important to have clear guidelines on how it is being done and to be concise when talking - by not talking for too long and letting everyone express their opinion and be heard. Every member has to take the responsibility to participate in the process with respect towards him/herself and others by being concise with what is being shared. If all the members are not aware of that it becomes very difficult to let the process unfold. Terra Alta team has started to nourish this aspect in their

meetings. However, more concrete intervention is needed to involve all the participants. At the moment, no particular games or techniques are used to tackle this aspect.

Giving and Receiving Feedback In Henrik’s experience, people in Portugal have a hard time receiving critical feedback (thought to be due to the 40 year dictatorship). There have been peaceful revolutions but there hasn’t been a public discourse about it. So there is a mistrust between people in general. Feedback is usually received very personally and oftentimes even as an attack. Henrik himself grew up in a city, in a middle class neighbourhood in Germany, and it was quite normal for people there to give and receive critical and honest feedback. Therefore, when he moved to Portugal it was difficult for him to interact with people he lived with. He realized that his honest feedback was not always very welcomed and most of the times interpreted as a judgment.

Nevertheless, in the communication amongst Terra Alta permanent members, some ground rules such as Sandwich Feedback11 are used. Sandwich Feedback consists of three layers: firstly saying something positive, then communicating the message (critical feedback), and then saying something positive again. It is a softer way of communicating a critical feedback. However, there is a risk of becoming or sounding hypocritical. The founder of Terra Alta, Pedro, has lived for a long period of time in a community called Tamera, also in Portugal. At Tamera an advanced complex of tools of giving feedback, called Forum, is used. It is a form of articulating truth within a group. It’s a set of powerful tools for creating space between people in which truth can be shared and received by everyone. Pedro has good skills of giving critical feedback. He is very straightforward, able to articulate critique well and is likewise open to receiving critical feedback. Nevertheless, during the general meetings of the Terra Alta core group, critical feedback is still treated carefully. Some of these tools used at Tamera are also used during the meetings at Terra Alta. However, their use is still very limited.

Effective Participation It is a very important and relevant aspect to the reality of Terra Alta because issues regarding equity and participation are faced quite often. There is definitely a necessity to work on this aspect more profoundly. Oftentimes, during the meetings frustration can be felt amongst the group members as the efforts of participation in certain areas differ quite a lot from person to person. Sometimes ‘not having time’ tends to become an excuse for not meeting up with others. A certain kind of stagnation can be felt when it comes to participation and engagement in different projects within the reality of Terra Alta.

Leadership and Personal Empowerment

“What is leadership? And how can one lead groups, or projects without the preconceptions that we have from authority?”

11 https://www.rightattitudes.com/2008/02/20/sandwich-feedback-technique/

are just a few of the questions Terra Alta founder, Pedro, asks himself. Pedro’s personal experience shows that power can be not only encouraging and empowering but also destructive and can create separation. There is a great difference between the power over and the power with. Once we find our deepest calling and tap into our true power that comes from within, we become like a lighthouse for those looking for guidance. Life taught Pedro how to lead with humor, compassion and focus, how to lead by acknowledging the greatness in others and by empowering them. At the same time, this lesson came accompanied by a lot of reflection, frustration, achievements and illusion of expectations. As a guiding principle of leadership and a cornerstone of Terra Alta community, Pedro has chosen this beautiful metaphor:

‘I really like the concept of constellations of stars, to see groups like we see star constellations, where each one shines their brightness and all are important in that alignment. That is the power of functional community!’

This means that each individual in the community is a leader in his/her own way. Everybody is leading and everybody is being led. Everybody is a teacher as well as a student. The main challenge here is to overcome our traumas and blocks to allow that process to unfold. In any case, leadership skills can be trained and leadership can be shared.

Leadership Structure Even though in Terra Alta community everyone is open to lead and be led, there is one clear position of power resulting from the ownership structure. Power and ownership are for certain related to each other. Pedro is the founder as well as the main driving force of the project. Thus, he has more power than other community members who do not have a leadership function in terms of ownership position.

Additionally, this leading position carries a lot of responsibility. Whenever it comes to dealing with some issues or problems at Terra Alta, Pedro is always the one being called. He is the one in charge of the courses as well as the face of Terra Alta to the outside world. He is also president of the Waldorf Association, a legal entity. Therefore, automatically, together with the responsibility comes power. Nonetheless in his position he always leads and acts from creative power. One of Pedro’s biggest strengths and the reason people look up to him is his ability to really see into other people, offer them his full presence, empower and guide them. He is a living example of active and deep listening and knows the art of mentorship.

However, this does not mean that other community members have less power than him when it comes to everyday life situations in general. Whenever a community member comes up with an issue or proposal, he/she is listened to and respected the same way as Pedro. In terms of leadership in a group in general, the one who brings up a valuable argument, takes the leading part in that situation. All the members of Terra Alta community act out of the creative power that enhances life rather than the repressive power that comes from fear and creates separation.

Leadership Skills The leadership skills that are important for each community member to learn are the following:

‘I’ skills: The way a leader behaves in different situations, enabling him or her to choose or create the mood, attitude, inner state, etc. more appropriate to each case. High self-esteem, self-confidence, emotional intelligence, and the ability to respond to a changing environment are some of the personal qualities a leader needs to develop and integrate.

Relationship skills: The capacity to understand, to communicate with, and to motivate other people, acknowledging and honouring differences. At a more general level, it refers to the capacity to recognise the different elements of the group culture – norms, assumptions, power and rank issues, etc. – being aware of the influence they have on people’s behaviour and attitudes, and intervening in a way that brings more awareness to the group.

Strategic thinking skills: The capacity to define and achieve specific objectives and goals. Initially, it is useful to define a common vision everybody can support. Strategic thinking skills also refer to the capacity to find or develop the resources needed to support the group work and achieve its goals. Creativity and strategic thinking are crucial to the success of any endeavour.

Systemic thinking skills: They refer to the capacity to identify and understand the general context wherein the group develops their activities, from the most immediate environment to the greater social systems. They are also a capacity to understand and create the appropriate structures to help the group achieve their goals and realise their vision.

Community Celebration

Celebration for Terra Alta means coming together, connecting with each other and celebrate life.

Celebrations The biggest celebration at Terra Alta takes place on the last day of the permaculture course period. A festival consists of sharing all the individual and group designs in a little exhibition with a collective dinner at the end and a fireplace with live music. Apart from this celebration also Solstice and Equinox are celebrated at Terra Alta by coming together by a fireplace with local friends.

Furthermore, Terra Alta has a beautiful way of celebrating food. Course participants are guided on how to harvest, wash, cut and prepare food. A lot of focus is put on food preservation that is based on fermentation as well as other techniques. Students become responsible for the food preparation and are organized in groups and shifts. This process is used to serve the community in a family oriented atmosphere. Terra Alta strongly believes that a healthy body and mind support its journey towards a healthier world for all of us.

Art and Creativity Art and music are a fundamental part of the Terra Alta project as Rita and Maria are bringing Art through their Waldorf teaching into the project and Pedro has a little studio using Terra Alta as a creative space for working on his different Music projects. There is quite a big network of talented musicians in their bioregion. Also many students of permaculture courses play some instruments therefore spontaneous music sessions by the fireplace, in the community kitchen or in Pedro’s studio are quite common.

Social Bioregional Analysis

Alongside Permaculture, Terra Alta is committed to bioregionalism, evidenced by the involvement and education of local people through community-led regenerative design projects, and by the Waldorf school, "Escola da Terra", founded by Pedro Valdjiu and his life partner, educator Rita Seixas. Escola da Terra is a Waldorf School that brings a love based, holistic and permaculture inspired education to children in the local community.

Terra Alta as a permaculture design education center and community of people committed to cultural regeneration, knows how important experiences are in engaging people in any movement. That is why they have opened their home to empower others seeking alternative ways of life by showing them how the commitment of one community-oriented permaculture center has brought about positive change to the bioregion and beyond. The abundant, healing land is host to various educational events, teaching cultural and land regeneration.

Terra Alta and the Bio-region Terra Alta recognizes itself very close to what their partner community ‘Tamera’ (an intentional community in Portugal) calls a healing biotope:

“Healing Biotopes are experimental research and learning centers that model a new culture where these two worlds have come together. When we align with the universal patterns of life, healing happens “by itself. Healing Biotopes establish a social, ecological and economic framework that allows life’s self-healing powers to unfold and shape human culture. Cooperation and trust are fundamental. Healing Biotopes are futuristic centers for humanity to see and embody a new vision for inhabiting this planet. Through lived examples they demonstrate how decentralized, autonomous communities can emerge around the world as the foundation for a new planetary culture. Like all living organisms, Healing Biotopes are open systems, responding to the needs of and integrating knowledge from the region and the world around them. So they always keep evolving.”12

Terra Alta strongly believes that through their work the impact is much greater than the direct one that regards the local area and community, the bioregion and the students that participate in permaculture courses. Most of the times the impact we create through our deeds reaches much further and usually is unknown to us.

The whole region in which Terra Alta was founded is situated in a highly protected area, a natural reserve and also The World’s Heritage of UNESCO. When the land was purchased and the project was about to start, it was not even allowed to build a tent in this area. Initially, their legal structure was on a very thin ice, especially regarding infrastructure and building. The land was very overgrown with a high risk of fires in that area. They did a lot of cleaning there and took care of the land while at the same time tried already, from the very beginning, connecting with the local people.

The bioregion of Sintra is the most well situated region in Portugal as it has a nice and mild climate. It has a very good microclimate and therefore is very green. In general it is quite a wealthy area. Land prices are quite high and have risen at least 4 times in the last more or less 10 years. During the last few years the government of Portugal is subsidising projects that bring tourism to the country. With that comes also the land speculation for these projects. It affects

12 https://www.tamera.org/healing-biotopes-plan/

local people who are less wealthy as it is difficult to find affordable rents that have risen significantly together with the land prices. While, on the other hand, for the wealthy people it is quite profitable to rent out their houses and apartments to tourists during the summer season.

In the local area there can be still felt an overall competitive energy. There is a general subtle denial towards the other and especially towards the collaboration. People have a hard time to go deeper. The scarcity mindset is still ruling in most people’s minds. Even though Terra Alta was considered by many a pioneer of bringing permaculture courses to this area, there was a time when permaculture courses were proposed in the area by somebody else and at that time a competitive energy could be felt also at Terra Alta.

Conventional farming is still very present in the area as there is not much awareness in this field. The area is affected by the coastal climate and naturally has quite a big pest pressure. Therefore, when it comes to fighting these, most of the local people rely on herbicides and pesticides. In a local slang they call it a medicine for the plants. Chão Rico project created by Henrik and his partner is a living example to local farmers that it is possible to create a profitable enterprise with farming without using pesticides and herbicides.

Local and Bioregional Networks For Terra Alta connections are made especially through the permaculture network on all levels. Connections with neighbouring projects in the bioregion are created by organizing common dinners and/or events by the fireplace on special occasions.

Pedro is very good at creating connections with people. When they were about to legalise the school "Escola da Terra", notwithstanding the fact that everybody was saying that he has no chance, he managed to dig through the bureaucracy and get the support from the local municipality. During its 10 years of existence, Terra Alta has created a lot of deep rooted connections within the local community. Sometimes municipality is contacting Pedro in order to get advice when it comes to projects regarding land and ecology. There is a collaboration in both directions.

Terra Alta projects and courses definitely do have an influence on the local community. In the nearby village there is a local cafe/bar and its owner is a good friend of the founders of Terra Alta. When they are planning their schedule for the year with all the different courses and events, they inform their friend about it so that he can plan his holidays during the time when there are no courses at Terra Alta. It does have an economic influence, of course, but also a cross cultural one. Because of the permaculture courses held at Terra Alta, many international students visit the village and interact with local people. The local cafe owned by their friend is a place where usually everybody meets to chat and exchange news. Not all the local people speak good English but nevertheless they enjoy this interaction and exchange with people that come from other cultures. This and other local bars are quite powerful places as it is where all the interaction and information exchange happens.

The local area has still maintained a culture of traditional family businesses, small enterprises, little shops, grocery stores, tool shops and mini mercados. The intention of the local community is to keep it this way by sustaining the local economy. Terra Alta tries to buy locally from these little businesses as much as they can, interact and collaborate with them. For example, the owner of the tool shop helps them out when they need to fix something at Terra Alta so he offers his help and services to them. Additionally, in the second closest village there is an organic cooperative that is also a family business. Members of Terra Alta buy most of their groceries from them. Even though, most of the material and food that is not produced on site, is being sourced locally, there is still a space where to grow by aiming towards purchasing 100% local and zero kilometer.

Henrik’s enterprise Chão Rico provides Terra Alta with vegetables as well as teaches a class on market gardening as a part of the PDC courses. Chão Rico is still a new project and most probably would not exist the way it is today without Terra Alta. Terra Alta was an inspiration to Henrik and based on the knowledge and ideas gained while living at Terra Alta, together with his partner, he gave birth to this new project.

Also, recently introduced, are the farm-to-table events as an opportunity for Terra Alta to get to know its wider community while serving educational meals. The ability to feed people wholesome, tasty meals, and then show them the garden in which it came from, is a privilege and responsibility they have taken on as they know how important experiences are in engaging people and promoting a sustainable consciousness.

Starting from the year 2018 Terra Alta started to organize summer youth camps for teenagers from the bioregion with activities and input related to permaculture.

In order to strengthen resilience and vitality of the bioregion, Terra Alta tries to hire more and more local facilitators for the courses they organize to give people in their bioregion the chance to share their individual knowledge on an international stage were they can make connections

and eventually create other job perspectives for the future. In order to implement this change the course format was changed drastically. Instead of the old way of having only 1-2 facilitators per session, teaching the common permaculture design, 10-15 facilitators have been introduced into the course format using their own skill sets and designing the schedule of the course accordingly.

Three years ago Terra Alta designed a bioregional event called “ToGather Colares” (Colares is the name of the bioregion). Many individuals and initiatives from the bioregion were invited to take part during the three day event. Every day was dedicated to a different dimension, looking at the global, bioregional and local, and finally the individual horizon with different guest speakers, activities and exchange. The event covered different interesting topics such as creating alternate trade systems (similar to LETs), creating a bioregional community as well as topics about love, sexuality, intimacy and others. It had a great resonance but due to lack of time and some personal controversies, between the organising members no actual follow up has been done.

Regarding the permaculture courses, during the 10 years Terra Alta exists, most of the students have been international as initially the main teacher was American and courses were and are taught only in English. For the people of the bioregion that are interested to participate in the courses, Terra Alta offers a little discount or a possibility of a service exchange. For those who are supporting the project courses are for free. During these years a kind of a silent ‘agreement’ has been created that Terra Alta works with international students (courses in English) and other projects that offer permaculture courses – with national students (courses in Portuguese).

How could Terra Alta be a solution? In 2010, when Henrik just arrived in Portugal, he remembers that there was an initiative to create a transition town in the area but it failed due to a lack of meeting culture, too big egos and an over present field of scarcity. Unfortunately, today there are still some wounds that have not been healed since then and some projects are not communicating amongst themselves. The ToGather Colares event Terra Alta organized was an attempt to heal some of the wounds that are still present in many people and to overcome this competing energy between different projects that unfortunately in many cases are still present. This event was a great success. People could really start to see themselves and see each other while participating in different exercises proposed. Terra Alta could work more on organizing these kind of events in the future involving people from the local area and the bioregion. The greatest challenge for being able to do that is the lack of time. They feel the need to work on their time management and look for solutions on how to get out of the scarcity mindset that oftentimes takes over.

There are already some ideas that Henrik together with Chão Rico is planning to put into practice, such as organizing cultural events in the local restaurants with music and exchange, movie nights showing movies or documentaries on a specific subject (ex. holistic management, regenerative practices, forest gardening etc.) with subtitles in portuguese.

In the local area there are many subcultures and strong alternative movements that started approximately 12 years ago. There is already a kind of a network locally including people who are aware of many things and looking for alternatives to ‘business as usual’. However, there is still this missing link to connect more on a local level. Chão Rico and Terra Alta want to close this loop and create this missing link.

There is an idea to expand the project run by Henrik and his partner which at the moment is an enterprise focused on market gardening called Chão Rico. In addition to growing vegetables they would like to integrate also animals in the system and take up more land in collaboration with Terra Alta. So they are preparing a new project to propose to the local municipality.

National and International Networks On a National level there is quite a lot of support from the government for all the projects and activities that bring tourism to Portugal. Even though Terra Alta project is not directly tourist related they are still bringing international people to the country. Therefore, they are in line with this concept and do not experience any difficulties or obstacles from the government. There is also a lot of interest in trying to find ecological alternatives to business as usual, as most of the times it leads to destruction. Two years ago, half of the Portugal burnt because of the wild fires, especially the northern part of it. The cause was the monoculture eucalyptus plantations. Since then, more awareness can be felt amongst people regarding these issues, a kind of a paradigm shift on a national scale. People in general have become more receptive and open towards ecological concepts.

Permaculture courses bring people to Terra Alta from all over the world and create a space for people where they can interact, share and learn in an international environment. Terra Alta sees its courses more like a small festival during which people of all kinds come together and create a temporary culture by exchanging knowledge and experience with each other, and by using permaculture design as a common language.

"Escola da Terra" is a part of a greater national and international network of Waldorf schools in Portugal and R. Steiner Foundation in Lisbon, and they are also organizing different events in the schools inviting teachers/speakers from other cities or countries.

Terra Alta has many connections also on a national level but anyhow it is still something that is evolving. There is not yet a strong and concrete network. It has not been so much a priority for Terra Alta to work on creating a national network.

National and international partners of Terra Alta: Tamera, GEN Portugal, GEN Europe, GEN, UK Permaculture Association, Nu Mundo.

Ecological

Climate Change Resiliency The Terra Alta valley is part of the Sintra National Park and therefore influenced by its unique coastal climate. The history books show that this favourable location was already appreciated by the Moors and that in addition to sophisticated irrigation systems they were able to carry out advanced earthworks such as the construction of stone terraces on steep slopes. Evidence is still visible on sites and their surroundings, which provides the valley with a unique charm.

At the beginning of the 19th century the valley was used for farming. A fruit orchard was established with different varieties of apples, pears and plums but also strawberry trees, cork oaks and pine trees. The produce was transported on a donkey path that went through the valley to the next village to the market. Due to a generally reductionistic knowledge of soil and soil health, there was a massive use of tillage, usage of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers which ultimately led to the soil being largely compacted, degraded and eventually eroded. During the 1974 Revolution, the land was abandoned because it was no longer economically viable and was wild for almost 40 years before Pedro bought it. During this period a dense plant cover of giant reed, blackberries, fern and isolated perennial grasses has spread. The only trees that found their way in the environment were cork oaks that had spread in many areas. A large part of the fruit trees died or died down to their rootstock. This meant that many quinces appeared when an apple or pear tree died back. A first intervention at Terra Alta was a clearing of the total area to support the still living trees and to reduce the risk of wildfires.

One of the main concerns which unites the members of Terra Alta is the environmental impact of climate change. These concerns play a crucial role in the design approach and development of Terra Alta's systems and site and are the subject of regular general meetings. Terra Alta strives to be part of the solution to develop stable systems for a climate resilient design. Concrete approaches to solutions are reflected in projects such as the overall offgrid design of the site, the versatile water management, the consideration of building materials and Natural construction, the energy systems, landscape design, food production and agriculture which will be described in the following in more detail.

Part of the vision of Terra Alta is to regenerate soil. Improving soil health, increasing the soil organic matter and drawing down of atmospheric carbon levels are at the root of climate change. Working on strategies to combat drought and flooding, to reduce soil erosion and excessive water consumption for food production is an important design incentive to withstand extreme weather conditions.The use of a variety of soil health practices such as cover crops, crop rotation, the integration of diversified perennials and plant guilds to increase biodiversity and the impact of beneficial insects, a minimal tillage approach and enhanced wildlife habitat are key principles in building a climate change resilient ecosystem in Terra Alta.

Water Water not only surrounds us but is inside of all living beings. All living tissues on earth contain a majority of water and all physiological processes in it take place in an environment made up primarily of water. Already more than 2000 years ago the ancient greek philosopher Thales of Milhet considered water as the prime matter of the world. We know that much of our universe’s water is a by-product of star formation and has been around since not long after the Big Bang.

Water has the greatest influence on the earth's climate. In the form of vapor, water, along with carbon dioxide, is a major component of Earth’s temperature buffer in the atmosphere. As the most widespread greenhouse gas in our atmosphere, the design of functioning water systems plays a fundamental role in combating climate change. The more water there is in the atmosphere, the greater its mitigating effect on temperature and the smaller variations in weather. The less water there is in the atmosphere, the weaker its mitigating effect on temperatures and the more extreme the weather fluctuations. Where there is no water in the soil or in the atmosphere, extreme thermal conditions usually prevail. Without water in fact, both respiration and photosynthesis could not occur in life’s organisms.

Portugal as a country is heavily affected by a wrongly managed hydrologic system. Large areas, especially in the south, are depleted and impacted by desertification. The North, where large eucalyptus forests predominate (which have a disastrous effect on the water cycle), is experiencing devastating forest fires year after year. One reason for that is a disturbed full hydrological cycle. A hydrologically healthy country relies on regular and balanced full hydrological cycles. The hydrological cycle describes the continuous movement of water on, above and below the earth's surface. A distinction can be made between the large hydrological cycle, which describes the exchange of water between ocean and land, and the small, or local hydrological cycle, a closed circulation of water in which water evaporates on land and falls in the form of precipitation over this same terrestrial environment again.

Sintra as a bioregion is considered a successful example of how the predominating small water cycle has had a fundamental impact on the local climate and environment. Over a period of not more than a few hundred years through intensive planting of foliar rich vegetation, which eventually developed into huge and lush national parks, a particular microclimate was created that maintains a healthy and regularly balanced small water cycle. These microclimates have the effect that Sintra is often enclosed by a cloud cover, temperatures are much milder than in other parts of the country and the region is rich in water. Despite this, this cycle is in danger of being disturbed by damaging farming practices, forest clearing and monoculture plantings that deprive the soil of its natural water holding capacity.

Therefore the management of water and its systems has always played an important role in the planning of Terra Alta. After several years of trial and error, during which many self-regulating observations were made, a defined and rather complex water management system was

implemented. As a priority, the project identifies the constant maintenance of a regular and healthy, balanced small water cycle in order to make optimal use of the bioregional microclimate. Working with nature and not against it has been a key principle in the introduction of new systems related to water management ever since. From now on as a guiding maxim the project generally tries to avoid severe soil disturbances with a minimal tillage approach in order to obtain optimal water holding capacity and ensures that the soil is permanently densely planted with deep-rooted vegetation to guarantee minimal nutrient run-offs and soil erosion.

The valley of the project is fed by two water sources, one of which is extracted by a water mine and the other by a rock ledge. In the 50's a cement water tank was built in front of both of them, which served as a flood irrigation system for the fruit orchard. Both together comprise a total volume of 62 m3. Each gives an average of 5l water per minute which takes the tanks about 4 days to fill completely. The water quality is tested once a year and is suitable for drinking. The origin of the water mine is from the time of the Moors and is a testament of their advanced water design strategies.

Terra Alta is completely reliant on this water supply, both for the irrigation of the gardens and landscape as well as for the project facilities, which is a bottleneck in its design. If there were a shortage of water, for example by the drying out of the springs, its system including human facilities and garden irrigation would collapse within days. We therefore recommend the project to take preventive precautions in this case and possibly to build another water tank in the upper part of Terra Alta, where water can be filled with a solar pump for emergencies. Another option would be an unused underground water basement near Pedro's house where excess water from the road could be diverted in the event of heavy rainfall. This could then be used to irrigate the gardens temporarily.

Through the valley, on the other hand, flows a stream, which is fed by another spring above the valley and seasonally by rainwater. However, this stream is contaminated by the sewage treatment plant of the village above the valley. Here another permaculture design principle was applied - "The problem is the solution". Instead of seeking the way through the law, Terra Alta took the challenge of restoring the problem of water contamination through various approaches. The straight course of the stream was changed with the help of various gabions installed with stones, gravel and sand to a loop shape mimicking the natural flow pattern of water and help it to slow, spread and sink into the landscape. Plants were integrated into the system that help to clean the water, like water cress, water Lily, water celery and others. To avoid erosion and support the initial earthworks willow trees were planted on the edges. Further plans for integration of mycofiltration, i.e. with mycelium inoculated sacks containing straw and wood chips, have not yet been implemented.

Water is navigated by gravity to the various elements of the project, as the two water reservoirs are located in the higher part of the property. This has the advantage that no extra energy is needed for pumping, but it does have an effect on the water pressure which does not exceed one bar. Pedro therefore had to install a 12 volt pump in his house for his water boiler. Although the springs are of drinking water quality, the water contains a high percentage of organic material, which means that the water filters have to be cleaned regularly.

Especially in summer months, a precise irrigation plan is highly required in order to manage the water supplies effectively. Here the principle of self-regulation was applied once again. An ineffective rain garden design, the so called serpent garden because of its snake-like structure, which previously served to cultivate annual and perennial vegetables, was redesigned into a

more efficient bio-intensive kitchen garden. The serpent garden was a series of smaller ponds into which hugel beds were integrated, which proved to be very ineffective for irrigation during summer. The new vegetable garden system has the big advantage that a simple drip system and efficient sprinklers can be installed and therefore there are less run offs. But the forest garden is only about two meters below the tank and so far could only be irrigated with an open channel system. We recommend that a more sophisticated drip irrigation system be considered for a further extension of the forest garden in the future. On the slopes several swales have been implemented to control the seasonal heavy rainfall and to avoid erosion. However, these are not efficient enough due to the heavy, very compacted clay soil and only achieve local water uptake capabilities. A holistic keyline design could be considered, in which a series of furrows could be implemented parallel to the keyline over a longer period of time with a subsoiler to bring the waters back to the ridges. However, for space reasons this could only be driven by a walk behind tractor or alternatively the furrows could be installed with a broad fork.

For the drinking water supply a separate hose with its own carbon active filter system was installed and is located near the toilets. The toilets themselves are another testimony to the applied permaculture principle “the problem can be the solution”. Since the conventional dry compost toilets required a lot of maintenance, by emptying the toilets and turning the waste to eventually create compost, a less complex system was sought. The solution is a sophisticated vermicomposting system which works with flushing and requires little maintenance. The method was developed and pioneered by Anna Edey in the USA in the mid-1990s and modified 20 years later by Wendy Howard in Portugal. Unlike most other high-tech DIY processes for composting human waste, it allows the use of conventional flush toilets. This eliminates the basic objection that many people have to the composting of toilets. This design element is regarded as a showcase model in Terra Alta for public events and has the potential as an alternative to conventional Blackwater systems, a greater decentralization of wastewater treatment to conveyors. Congested municipal facilities could thus be relieved and human waste could be transformed from an environmental pollutant into a valuable resource.

In general it can be said that Terra Alta has given a lot of thought to the subject of water and over the years their systems have become more efficient. Terra Alta realized that the care for water on the level of local administration is a key to the health and safety of the environment and the survival of the project itself. In order to become even more resilient as a project, however, further water catchment features, especially for the heavy seasonal rainfall, should be taken into consideration. Here, for example, roof catchment elements could play an important role as well as a holistic keyline design consisting of amplified contour ripping to control better rain drainage.

Botanic and Food Production Terra Alta is embedded in a valley that is considered to be one of the last parts of the Monte da Lua mountain range. The northeasterly orientation protects it from the west wind from the coast and therefore develops a dense vegetation dominated by cork oaks. The ecological design interpretation of Terra Alta has always had the claim to preserve a forest-like vegetation and steadily increase biodiversity.

Until two years ago, the production of food and vegetables had only played a minor role within the design of Terra Alta. The predominant reason was the lack of knowledge about efficient vegetable growing and the belief that the location of the property was not ideal for this purpose.

There was the assumption that the topography was perceived as too sloping for an extensive vegetable garden to provide sufficient vegetables for the members of the project and the course operation. The main cultivation area was limited to a small 3x12m greenhouse and the raised beds in the serpent garden. Mainly leafy vegetables, salads, cabbage and in summer courgettes, pumpkins and tomatoes were planted. There was not really a crop succession plan and seedlings were planted spontaneously where there was space. This contribution of vegetables was therefore to be understood more as a supplement to the vegetables otherwise acquired locally on the farmers market or grocery shops. Added to this was the uncertainty of adequate irrigation, mostly manual irrigation, inadequate fertilisation and uncontrollable pest pressure, mainly through slugs and caterpillars. Due to the lack of design in this department, enthusiasm could not really emerge within the project for the self-sufficiency of home-grown food and thus emancipation from the food industry.

However, this changed with the visit of a neighbouring project in which two Market Gardeners presented their bio-intensive vegetable farm. On 800m² and with simple but appropriate tools they were able to produce food for at least 40 people. Inspired by their design, Terra Alta decided to redesign the main garden area, the serpent garden. Within a week, extensive earthworks were carried out in order to obtain the flattest possible cultivation area. Three terraces were created on which beds of the same size were laid out. The forty 10mx75cm beds were covered with compost and over wintered with a mix of cover crops. Also some market garden tools were bought and a first naive crop plan was created. In the following growing season, the members of the project and the course participants were mainly supplied by vegetables produced on site. The operation has become an integral part of the courses and serves both as inspiration and field example for the classroom. A large part of the further developing infrastructure such as a process kitchen, post harvest station, tool shed and an irrigation system was dedicated to this area of the project. There is no responsible person who

creates and maintains a seasonal crop plan and thus there is no guarantee of a controlled and regular production.

Even if the vegetable production was brought to a new level there are still many areas in which the operation can be optimised. The biggest deficit is that there is no garden manager who overlooks both the planning and the performance of the operation. As a result, many phases of implementation are not yet as efficient as they could be. For example, the crop target plan for the kitchen garden is not yet detailed enough so that its execution could not follow the demand of the kitchen during the permaculture courses so far. This had the consequence that during some courses the kitchen lacked essential vegetables which could be prevented if there had been a garden manager who had recognized this.

Further we believe that too little financial resources are made available for the garden department, especially at the beginning of the season, which means that efficient production can not be guaranteed. This refers in detail to fertilisation, such as compost and other organic fertilisers, which results in lower yields where heavy feeders in particular get too few nutrients and develop rather poorly. Also in order to operate successfully against pests the means are missing. An environment for pests favoured by the coastal climate and the lack of winter kill needs holistic strategies to produce healthy vegetables on an intensive scale. This includes, in addition to a healthy and balanced soil, alternating crop rotation, diversity to attract beneficial insects and preventive measures such as insect netting. Terra Alta could also think about its

policy of rejecting plastic tarps in general. We believe that in their context the use of silage tarps would be of great benefit as it would both keep weeds in check and kill cover crops.

We advise a precise amendment plan which would include both versatile summer and winter cover crops between crop rotations as well as a regular soil test. Here it might be advisable to work with a university that is interested in a long-term study on soil regeneration or the like to reduce costs. The acquisition of a shredder would be potentially advantageous to accelerate succession and convert the vast amount of biomass into a valuable addition, to serve both the kitchen garden as well as the forest garden.

As design team we highly advise Terra Alta to dedicate more time and means in this department and to advertise a position for a garden manager to further optimize this area so that in the future the majority of the vegetables will not only continue to be produced within Terra Alta and a feeling of abundance is produced, but that also a sufficient surplus can be processed for storage and value added produce processed to sell. We see a great potential in creating a brand for products being made in a place that works in so many different areas of regenerating culture. This could not only fund the garden department and generate more financial resilience but also increase the public interest of the project as well as its credibility as an alternative method of small scale agriculture.

Forest Garden One element that has been a focus from the beginning is the small scale forest garden design of Terra Alta. Due to its Mediterranean, moderate to subtropical climate and its already dense vegetation of various oaks and old fruit trees, there are ideal conditions for the integration of an edible forest garden. With the help of thematic courses, a design was developed and implemented which illustrates the different layers of the forest garden well and which is well adapted to the contextual climatic conditions of the region. With southeast orientation and protected from the north wind by cork oaks, the approx. 200m² "camino das Fadas" has an ideal location to accommodate a versatile vegetation in the rather subtropical microclimate.

Food Forest Mind map of Terra Alta

Although not necessarily a concentrated calorie resource for the project, it does produce a range of food crops as well as medicine, fiber, fun, fuel, feed and fertility. In addition, there are many other important ecosystem functions that it performs, such as building soil, promoting biodiversity, and completing the hydrological cycle. The anchor species, which mainly forms the canopy and sub canopy layer, is made up of one avocado, one white sapote, two cherimoya, two cherry, three strawberry trees, a few peaches and plums and two cherry trees. They are supported by two Italian alders for nitrogen fixing which are located northwest to avoid stealing the sun from the other plants. The underlayers are formed by dwarf trees such as tamarillos, elaeagnus and feijoa. They are accompanied by bushes mainly containing shade-tolerant shrubs and berries. Plant guilds are formed through jerusalem artichokes, cana lillies, comfrey

and several other woody plants serving different purposes such as pest repellent, beneficial insect attraction, providing biomass for building soil organic matter and pumping nutrients from subsoil level through dynamic accumulation. The groundcover is built by a few strawberries, white clover and a variety of medicinal herbs.

We believe that this well-established ecosystem serves both as an example of well-applied, small-scale, intensive permaculture design and as an additional food source. We can note that the project might consider adding an additional layer, like the vine layer, for example Kiwi, hops or passion fruit, which however also need more maintenance to not over dominate. Further consideration could be given to cultivating mushrooms to enhance the underground layer with mycelium and adds an additional food source, especially because of the favourable climatic conditions.

Other garden features Another consideration would be the integration of livestock to add another strategy to increase biodiversity. Due to the relative size of Terra Alta we propose a flock of chickens which can be moved with a small chicken tractor on the terraces above the kitchen. Between crop succession they could be used to graze the cover crops to reduce the need for tillage. We do not recommend other kinds of livestock because the management effort would be too big and the danger of overgrazing is too big. The only thing that would be imaginable in the foreseeable future to think about is forest raised pigs since the forest has many cork oaks and gives acorns

all year round. But also here it should be considered if there is enough capacity for tasks like proper fencing, etc.

Since the beginning, Pedro has had a great interest in the integration of beehives as he believes that they are great teachers for community life and a strong indicator of a balanced ecosystem. For a long period a lack of proper management and an appropriate space for them were the reason that the number of hives reduced down to only two. Recently a new idea occurred to introduce a proper space for them. The goal with the newly introduced bee apiary is to create a sanctuary for bees, for them to thrive in the bioregion by creating resilient colonies, as well as to educate students, both during the permaculture courses and to the young children from the local community, on how to practice natural beekeeping.

The latest ecological project is the collaboration with Aphros, a biodynamic wine producer from the north of Portugal. Terra Alta has two adjacent vineyards about 0.5h in size, which have been abandoned for the past two years. Together with friends from the neighborhood they were pruning the plants last winter and during the season weed trimmed it from time to time. They also applied some biodynamic preparations to balance soil nutrients. The yield was low for this year but we can see the potential to optimise the production protocol. The integrating of chicken to control weeds could be an interesting approach.

Permaculture Design "Without permanent agriculture, there is no possibility of a stable social order." Bill Mollison

Terra Alta and Permaculture The idea to be involved in shaping a permanent culture was from the beginning the initiating factor for the development of the project and since then the driving force for all further innovations and ideas. Inspired by the Waldorf project Escolar da Terra and collected impressions at Boom Festival 2008, especially by artwork of permaculture designer and natural builder Andre Soares, the idea was born to create a center for holistic learning in all walks of life.

In addition, there was a visit to the inspiring healing biotope Tamera where Pedro and his family visited a workshop of Sepp Holzer focusing on water retention design. Involved was the treeyo Permaculture collective, consisting of young american and french Permaculture Designers, namely Doug Crouch and Gautier Gras. After listening to a class on pattern design given on one of the evenings they decided to invite those fellows to Sintra. Here the idea was born to organize the first permaculture design course (PDC) to provide the bioregion with a concrete design tool for finding contextualised solutions as well as a way to support the school project, which had been self-financed until then. The course was a defining moment within Sintra and has established a network of people who have since shaped the project landscape in the bioregion. Permaculture became a bioregional hype and was from then on central content of many conversations within the local community. In the following years, the summer design

courses under the direction of Doug Crouch and later Pedro Vadjiu, in collaboration with many other international and local teachers, became the space to implement a large number of design elements in Terra Alta. It was also to become the main source of income for Pedro and his family. These courses are now inspiring and life-changing milestones for hundreds of international students and a constant driving force for Pedro to contribute to global structural change.

Terra Alta was not originally preceded by a comprehensive land-based design process, as knowledge has only consolidated over time. However, today the project is seen as a testimony to a practical design implementation that illustrates the design perspective of a small group that has been constantly expanded and refined over the years. What began as the naive idea of a Portuguese rock star, who was tired of the music industry and had little knowledge of holistic design, went through many ups and downs in its creation process and today has become an internationally recognised centre for holistic learning. It is above all this authentic development of a project that incorporates much of its mistakes into its teaching content that inspires its visitors and students and makes their stay in Terra Alta so memorable.

Flow, Sector and Zoning The design elements learned over the years have over time become effective tools for creating self-supporting systems in Terra Alta that do not require constant maintenance. However, this was not always the case and the inhabitants of Terra Altas also went through phases of design flaws. Short-term decisions and sometimes unfavourable priorities also led to errors that could have been assessed differently and possibly avoided with better design. Nevertheless, the reality is often different than theory and not every design process can be carried out precisely on paper in advance.

Flow/sector analysis and zoning have become important tools from the permaculture toolbox for Terra Alta. As can be seen from the graphs, some decisive factors from the Flow & Sector analysis have been taken into account in the zoning process. It was an important design incentive to develop frequently used areas as efficiently as possible in order to relieve the difficult conditions caused by the off-grid situation. Permanent elements like main access and waterways had to be taken into account and had a definite influence on the design of the different zones. The presence of a ruin was a deciding factor for the location of zone 1, even if it turns out later that Pedro's house may be too close to the main exit due to the noise and that he has difficulties with the water pressure due to the relative position to the water source. But the fact that the young project was still on thin legal ice has also played a significant role in the placement of certain infrastructure. It was important that from outside Terra Alta buildings and human interference were not visible and a modest, natural appearance was maintained.

The zoning graphic gives an overview of the different zones in Terra Alta. In the previous years, an infrastructure was built that meets the requirements of the flow during courses and the year-round coexistence of the inhabitants.

The sector analysis illustrates the natural and unnatural influences that Terra Alta is exposed to and that have had a significant impact on the placement of each zone.

Design Principles and Attitudes A further incentive for efficient design of elements in Terra Alta are the design principles and attitudes of Permaculture. In addition to the principle of Energy Efficiency, it is above all the principle of applying self-regulation & accept feedback that shapes the infrastructure of Terra Alta. It is a distinctive strength that the infrastructure of Terra Alta is used by so many different people and is therefore subject to constant constructive criticism. In this way, it can be regularly assessed whether elements are useful in their previous existence or whether they need to be improved. Another principle plays a considerable role, namely that each element performs several functions, especially considering the relative size of Terra Altas. This is of crucial importance as it guarantees a smooth coexistence.This applies in particular to the various buildings of Terra Alta, most of which serve different purposes. As an example, one could mention the kitchen, which, in addition to serving the cooking function, also serves as a process kitchen, food storage, dining and living room. The principle of no waste is already strongly internalized in the design of Terra Alta due to its off-grid situation. Soap and shampoo are

produced on site, which is also an integral part of the courses. There are different composting systems that convert the waste into a valuable resource. Particularly noteworthy here is the small bio-digester, which produces not only gas for cooking but also valuable fertiliser. To make the Terra Alta composting system even more effective, especially as a resource for its bio-intensive kitchen and the forest garden, and to ensure that it does not have to import compost from outside, we consider it once again as necessary to introduce a shredder that converts biomass into wood chips. This small detail would among others illustrate the principle of Energy Efficiency.

The Permaculture attitude the problem is the solution, which all too often can be found in Terra Alta's design process, should also be emphasized. It can be stated that phases of implementation, especially in the context of off-grid design, reach a point at which there is no model any more and must therefore be experimented with pioneering spirit in order to find out what proves to be functional in the given context. This is where the social added value of a project like Terra Alta comes into play: in addition to the strengths of innovation, it can also lead to truly replicable models. A new system is not only designed in theory, but also tested in practice under the critical eyes of many users. As Buckmister Fuller said: “You never change things by fighting against the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the old model obsolete.”

Ethics The 3 ethics of permaculture Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share are another integral part of the design in Terra Alta. When important decision-making processes are involved, they are tested for ethical substance to see whether a decision is justified. Its permanent members are in a constant exchange on topics of ethical relevance. For example, is it ethically acceptable to host volunteers during the off season when they are not embedded in a social context, or is it contrary to the ethics of human care? In this dialogue, a culture called the art of hosting was coined, which has become an essential component for the reception of guests and, above all, long-term volunteers. It is of particular importance that they are quickly placed in a larger context and that they themselves take on tasks and responsibilities to become co-hosts. This strategy ensures that guests and volunteers quickly become familiar with Terra Alta's systems, some of which are rather unusual for them. Past experience show that otherwise frustration can quickly occur and the sensation of not being integrated, exploited or superfluous may begin to emerge

The Seven Domains of Permaculture Another integral part of a stay in the project, be it as a volunteer, student or guest, is the introduction of the holistic core of Permaculture, in particular the concept of David Holmgren's idea of the seven domains of Permaculture. Each domain is like a petal for a flower, they rely on each other to form a coherent whole - according to the idea that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts". With this concept Terra Alta tries to bring the holistic aspect of permaculture closer, that it can not be reduced to a single area within but can only function integrated in a larger overall structure.

Energy

As an off grid project Terra Alta is completely dependent on the generation of energy for power supply and the collection of water for its own needs. This must be seen as both a challenge and an opportunity. On the one hand, Terra Alta has the opportunity, through creativity, innovation and community cohesion, to create a future model to cover its energy budget with renewable energy producing technologies is no longer so dependent on fossil fuel dependent energy sources. On the other hand, their ability to consume more energy is limited to the harvesting techniques available to them. This can lead to bottlenecks in the community flow as well as generate a feeling of scarcity.

Terra Alta currently has a photovoltaic system that can harvest 1000 watts per hour with four solar panels. They have a battery capacity of 740 amps and an inverter converts the current to 220 volts. This will supply the entire project with energy, creating a dependency on “good“ (sunny) weather. Since it can sometimes be cloudy for days even in summer, it can also lead to bottlenecks in the courses. Terra Alta is about to upgrade their solar system and install four more panels to increase harvesting capacity. We would advise the project to consider including a further energy system, possibly a micro hydro power system to harvest energy from the creek.

Terra Alta uses mostly gas for cooking. The common kitchen and the guest house have a Rocket Stove and can cook efficiently over the fire. There is also a large cob oven in which bread, pizza and other oven dishes are made. In addition, a small biodigester is connected to the communal kitchen, which produces 3 hours of gas for cooking at best times.

All facilities are heated with wood, which mostly comes from the surrounding forest. The guesthouse has a very efficient Rocket Mass Heater and therefore uses the least wood for heating. The design of the house by Maria and Henrik envisages to operate the underfloor heating through a stove in order to achieve the highest possible energy efficiency.

We believe that the heating model of Terra Alta is overall convincing. We advise to add wood storage to the infrastructure so that a larger wood supply can be stored and thus has more time to dry to develop its full heating capacity. Also, the insulation in some buildings, especially in the guest house can be improved so that less heating is required.

Most of the water in the land is heated with gas. However, there is a solar heated roof top shower in the guest showers installed. In the past, the project experimented with hot compost showers that worked great, but were too maintenance-intensive overall. We would advise to invest in more solar heated rooftop showers for Pedro and Henriks house to reduce the need for gas.

Building and Infrastructure

Since its founding Terra Alta has gained extensive experience in natural construction. It is a passion shared by Pedro and Henrik and has been an integral part of the project from the very beginning. It started with the need of Pedro and his family to restore and extend an old ruin so that they could move to Terra Alta in 2010. With the help of many volunteers and a wide range of construction techniques such as cob, wattle & daub, lime and clay plasters and various types of woodwork, the house became an illustrative piece of art. Since then a variety of other buildings with different construction techniques have been realized.

The house of Maria and Henrik deserves special mention, as it combines the knowledge gained over the years about bioregional climate-specific building techniques. It is a round house with reciprocal roof and frontage. The structural part is built with roundwood in a timber frame manner, while the walls are made with a light clay/straw infill and various clay plasters. It has a green roof and a stone floor with cork insulation and radiant floor heating. Most of the materials are either recycled, second hand bought or locally sourced. The poles for the structural part came from the nearby forest, where every winter storm blows over many trees and the clay is found on site.

The timber frame method proved to be very convincing so that further buildings followed, the toilets as well as an extension to Pedro's house which his daughters live in.Worth mentioning is also the guest house where the approach was to use entirely natural materials and no electric power tools. It is mainly built with cob and the roof shingles are made with a homemade froe over months of work. On site is also a bamboo dome with ferrocement cover that serves as a classroom. The common kitchen is built with lots of reclaimed wood, mainly old doors, as well as some wooden buildings for the dining area and tool shed.

Each construction process brought with it a number of new learning elements. Among other things it was understood more and more which building techniques are suitable for the climatic conditions in Sintra and which are rather unfavourable. It was recognised that a well-balanced relationship between thermal mass and insulation is crucial to guarantee an energy-efficient living experience. Light clay/ straw was chosen as a suitable insulation technique for the walls because it is both inexpensive and has a sufficient insulation value for the climate in Sintra. For roof and floor, on the other hand, cork has been found to be an appropriate resource, although a little more expensive, it is a locally produced material and less labour-intensive overall. The roofing technique found to be the most suitable is green roof, as it is relatively inexpensive and has less visual impact.

One concept that seems very convincing to us is the integration of a building project into a course. On the one hand, a building project is realised as both financial means to offset part of the material costs and sufficient manpower are available. On the other hand, jobs are created for experts to facilitate the various construction processes and it is an enrichment for the local economy in the local procurement of building materials. Further, the whole thing is put into an educational framework so that more people can be involved in the learning outcome. This creates a win win win situation for all participants and seem to be a suitable design for the context of an educational site.

However, we can also state that there are some weaknesses in the Department of Natural Building and Infrastructure. For example, some construction projects are not planned down to the last detail and bottlenecks are found that mess up the timetable. This requires not only

valuable time and energy but also money and resources. A longer planning phase with the involvement of the necessary experts could be advantageous in this context. This applies in particular to the preservation of infrastructure in which should be devoted more time and better design. We also see that in part there is too dogmatic an approach to construction techniques and materials which leads to bottlenecks in implementation. Here energy, manpower, time management and financial resources should be weighed against each other to assess the regenerative core of the project.

We can state that it does not seem easy to meet the living requirements in this particular off grid context, because the external conditions like access, climate, limited energy and the like do not seem ideal for many building projects. However, it is clear that Terra Alta has nevertheless found a way to overcome these challenges and build a functional infrastructure. With some design improvements in terms of time management, conservation strategies and a more pragmatic approach we see the potential to be a national model for regenerative building.

An overview of the infrastructure of Terra Alta.

Economic

Economics have played a secondary role in the thinking and development of Terra Alta since the projects creation. There has not yet been a large emphasis on developing economic models and systems to help Terra Alta thrive, instead the emphasis has been placed more in the realms of ecological and social development. As such, Terra Alta will benefit greatly from understanding and developing their economic systems more deeply.

Terra Alta derives most of its revenues from permaculture education and other related education programs. For administration and legal purposes, the center is encompassed by Escola da Terra, a local Waldorf school and association also founded by Pedro and Rita. There has not been a large emphasis placed on “business development”; i.e. business plan, business canvas, etc.

Partnerships Terra Alta has several partners regionally and globally:

● Escola da Terra - local Waldorf school ● Chão Rico - local market garden run by Henrik Ellerbrock and Andre Antunes ● Afros wine - a biodynamic wine enterprise in the Moinho bioregion ● NOS Escola - a nutrition school in Brazil ● UK Permaculture Association - certifier of Terra Alta as a permaculture education site ● Global Ecovillage Network - Terra Alta is a member

Several of these are more ‘active’ partners than others, such as the partnership with Chão Rico. During each permaculture course, Chão Rico gives an introduction into Market Gardening and presents their enterprise as a successful example for local small farm enterprise. In these partnerships, there is a spirit of collaborative advantage, where each group is helping to build each other up and the relationship is mutually advantageous.

Business Planning A basic and powerful tool could potentially transform the economics of Terra Alta, the business plan. We recommend that Terra Alta take advantage of one of the many resources13 available to develop their own business plan. While it may not reveal new information, it will help guide the development of the project going forward. It will bring the various financial and social information about the project into one central location, which will help the residents understand the project better, and thus make more informed decisions.

13 https://www.msbdc.org/semass/pub_files/pdfs/BP%20Guide_rev1-06.pdf

Economic Exploitation An analysis of the education programs illustrates several areas where Terra Alta contributes to exploitation in various forms of the environment. One key area is the mode of transportation of course participants to the site, whether that is long distance by plane, train or automobile. One imperfect solution offered is the placement of an optional ‘course fee’ that participants can purchase at the time of course enrollment that will be donated to an appropriate carbon offset program, used to pay for tree planting/nurturing, or another program that will reverse the damage of the travel. Another option offered is the creation of online course materials, though this will limit the educational potential of the more physical/hands-on course materials. An online course could allow students to learn the basic theory at home and spend the time on-site performing more hands-on learning, thus maximizing their educational potential.

There is also an issue currently that some products needed to run courses and host students are purchased from non-regenerative and non-sustainable sources. Some of these products have no current alternative to international purchase, but many are purchased because they are less expensive than more sustainable options. We have identified several potential solutions. The first is utilizing an existing piece of the Terra Alta education model, where facilitators seek to empower students in creating solutions to the problems they see in the world. Typically students take on teaching roles or work on more theoretical projects, but there is an entire untouched realm of encouraging students to create companies that produce sustainable products, which Terra Alta could then purchase from. This may be only a limited solution because students are typically international, and because sustainable products are often higher cost. To that second piece, we believe that by examining their economic model more closely and working to develop their economic dimension, Terra Alta will find more profits that can be allocated to adhering closer to their mission by purchasing more sustainable products.

Local Employment Many local people are employed at Terra Alta throughout the year, but primarily during permaculture courses. The entire kitchen is staffed with local residents, and for each course 10-15 teachers are hired from the local community, teaching between an hour long section to a whole day’s worth of instruction. There used to be more international teachers at Terra Alta, but they have moved to hiring primarily local teachers. There are several projects in the development stage, such as farm to table programs and a teaching kitchen program, that would hire more local people to help operate. As part of the student empowering piece of the education programs, many students stay at Terra Alta for an extended period of time to facilitate certain sections of the next permaculture course. There is an informal payment for this work, often being a reduced payment of what a more experienced teacher would receive, or a credit towards future courses. There are opportunities for work-trade for students, such as a student performing marketing duties during a course and receiving a course discount. Another very powerful form of local employment is referrals for consultations and work - when someone inquires at Terra Alta about hiring someone, such as a natural builder, they are referred to

previous students who have developed expertise in that area. One possibility to enhance this referral process is to create a “wiki” like infrastructure that catalogs the experiences and qualities of past students, which would make the referral process much easier.

Ecological Services As discussed in the Ecological Dimension, the ecological services at Terra Alta have been identified and are being heavily protected and regenerated (though this work has not been done from an economic viewpoint). Several of the major projects developed are the filtering of a polluted stream that runs through the property, biomass composting, use of on-site and local building materials, cork trees as a natural fire prevention system, and utilizing two sources of water for the site.

Quantitative vs. Qualitative Assessment The permaculture courses have over the years been slowly guided from quantitative assessment criteria to qualitative assessment criteria. This is primarily illustrated in the changes to class scheduling and amount of students per course. There are now fewer students allowed into each course after the facilitators noticed the reduction in course quality driven by student numbers. The facilitators also promote less, but higher quality classes. Additionally, there are other qualitative criteria that are being introduced, such as increasing the number of facilitators (mentioned above), promoting a balance of facilitator genders, and working towards a better quality food supply.

Regional Economic Initiatives Roughly ten years ago there was a Transition Town initiative taking place in the region around Terra Alta. That initiative collapsed due to a range of reasons, mainly from egos and social conflicts. The resulting enthusiasm and base support for such projects is still evident in the region though. We suggest that Terra Alta starts investigating alternative currencies and

reaching out to regional groups to build support for an alternative currency project. Many models throughout the world are in existence, such as LETS (Local Exchange Trading System)14, and complementary currencies (scrip), such as Ithaca HOURS15.

There are opportunities for community investment via crowdfunding campaigns or other means. Some opportunities identified include funding the purchase of the neighbor’s land, which is already being utilized by Terra Alta but may placed for sale in the near future, creation of a bee sanctuary, building of a teaching kitchen, a wood workshop or the development of online education courses.

Another initiative that would directly benefit the region is the creation of “Introduction to Permaculture” course in the local language, Portugeuse, designed specifically for locals. This course could be the start of a bio-regional revitalization effort and a shift in regional consciousness.

Another initiative could be the creation of a Terra Alta brand for the sale of locally produced crafts and goods. This would be an economic boom for Terra Alta, and could also be a vehicle for the creation of other local and regional businesses utilizing the common infrastructure of the Terra Alta brand.

Ownership Structure The ownership structure of Terra Alta is fairly simple. Pedro Valdjiu owns the “main campus” of the educational center, while Henrik Ellerbock owns an adjoining parcel of land, which is also used for some educational components. Decisions are made by the primary stakeholders, which includes a few other members than just Valdjiu and Ellerbock, but the primary decision making power rest with Valdjiu. This structure works well - it is clear and simple and this simple nature allows things to happen quickly when needed. One downside identified is that there is not a large potential for growth, because there is no ownership buy in of all community members. There is an opportunity to start new businesses, but not to have the commitment and safety of owning some of the land. We do not recommend a change to this structure at this time, but it may be a point for Valdjiu and the other community members to reflect upon.

Plugging the Leaks - Reinvigorating the Local Economy Another powerful point of exploration is the idea of “Plugging the Leaks”16 - which entails rebuilding the local economy and keeping money circulating locally. Terra Alta already promotes this in a certain sense by hiring only local teachers and staff, and buying some products locally, but there is much work that can be done to build a stronger local economy. We recommend that

14 https://www.letslinkuk.net/ 15 http://www.ithacahours.com/ 16 https://neweconomics.org/2002/11/plugging-the-leaks

an exploratory community group be formed to discuss and act upon the ideas presented in the Plugging the Leaks report.

Economic Resilience Model The Economic Resilience model illustrates that for a truly resilient operation there needs to be diversified income opportunities in case one or several of the income streams fails. This is similar to the idea of diversifying crops on a farm every year in case some crops fail.17 At Terra Alta, there is already a robust educational system as the main economic driver, but this is one of the only income streams. Many opportunities exist to expand the economic resiliency of Terra Alta. Some that would be easy/quick to integrate are tourist accommodations, consulting services, food production and farm-to-table events. Farm-to-table events would be an easy first step, as there is high demand and it aligns with the goals of expanding the social dimension of the project as well. Regardless of what is chosen, it is suggested that at least two more income streams are developed to create an economic resiliency.

17 https://www.smallfarmcanada.ca/features/permaculture-comes-of-age/

Design Integration

The design integration is where the magic of this project begins to appear. From the “separate” dimensions of Ecological, Economic, Social and Worldview, we start to mesh a coherent and integrated analysis together. Because in reality, each of these components cannot exist in isolation. Just like an animal in an ecosystem, these components are defined by the other components of the system. Taking a bear out of the web of relationships it exists in removes all meaning from the bear and in a similar way the components we have discussed earlier in this report require the whole context of Terra Alta and its bioregion in order to have any meaning at all.

We have utilized the above framework (suggested by the GEDS coursework) to integrate the various dimensions together. It can be explained this way:

The ecological realities of the physical site inform the economic possibilities of the project, and from these economic possibilities the social context is formed. Based on these “drivers”, the worldview is developed.

It is important to note in the above graphic the white and brown arrows between each of the Dimension names. These indicate that this is not a unidirectional process and instead it is a constant flow of information and guidance in both directions.

Another way that we have visualized this integration process is with a circle consisting of the four dimensions. Each dimension is connected to the other 3 dimensions with arrows, indicating that each dimension informs the other 3 dimensions. We like this visualization because it indicates that the integration of all four dimensions is a circular process instead of a linear process.

Design Outcomes

The culmination of this report is the backcasting exercise, elaborated on earlier. From that team collaboration, we envisioned a future state for Terra Alta in 5 years:

Terra Alta is a regional hub for economic and social education and development. From its roots as a permaculture demonstration and education site, it has expanded to become a regional training center in the skills and arts of living sustainably and timelessly in the Sintra bioregion. Additionally, Terra Alta has developed several key economic drivers in the bioregion and has acted as a hub for other businesses to partner with.

We have concluded that in the Ecological and Worldview Dimensions, Terra Alta is already very developed. The land that they are based on has been significantly regenerated, the buildings are carbon sinks and built using mainly local resources, and many other ecological indicators prove that Terra Alta has placed great emphasis on the Ecological components. The same is true for the Worldview. The philosophies and reasoning for this project and the lives of the members is highly developed and sophisticated. Thus, the main components that Terra Alta needs to develop are in the Social and Economic dimensions.

The direction we envision for Terra Alta entwines the social and economic dimensions heavily; most of the proposals we lay out here involve integrating the local and bioregional community into the happenings of Terra Alta, and directly purchasing products from or developing alternative economic systems with the local and bioregional community. We have developed a possible timeline for the exploration of and integration of these proposals into the Terra Alta project. The aim of these proposals is to provide Terra Alta with suggested “best practice” ideas to move forward with the evolution of the project as they see fit; only the members can decide if these proposals are appropriate for their project and for their vision of Terra Alta’s evolution.

Greater details for most of the proposals can be found in the appropriate section of the “4 Dimensions Analysis” portion of this report.

Year 1 ● Develop business plan (Economic) ● Finish unfinished buildings (Ecological) ● Develop better time management skills (Social) ● Use Integral Life Practice Matrix to develop better personal/project time management (Worldview) ● Develop better meeting strategies (Social) ● Revisit/revise Vision Statement (Social) ● Improve energy infrastructure (Ecological)

● Create better farm systems - crop succession and harvest target plan (Ecological) ● Explore joining the ECOLISE network (Social) ● Form a group to explore ideas in the Plugging the Leaks report (Economic)

Year 2 ● Offer a carbon offset to course participants (Economic) ● Develop beginning of online educational course (Economic) ● Organize general events that involve the local community (Social) ● Organize community events focusing on communication skills, trauma, abandonment and scarcity thinking (Social) ● Develop “Terra Alta” brand to sell farm products and other goods (Economic) ● Place greater emphasis on networking on a bioregional and national scale (Social) ● Start sourcing course materials/food from renewable/regenerative sources (Economic) ● Explore a “Restoration of the Cultural Landscape” (Ecological, Economic, Social and Worldview) ● Develop ideas from Plugging the Leaks Report (Economic) ● Explore the Economic Resilience model (Economic)

Year 3 ● Develop Farm-to-Table events (Economic) ● Develop Introduction to Permaculture course in Portugeuse for locals (Social) ● Develop an online platform for past students to remain connected and network (Social) ● Develop “Referral Wiki” to highlight past students work and enhance the employment referral process for past students (Economic) ● Build/Install micro-hydro energy system (Ecological) ● Develop ideas from Plugging the Leaks report (Economic) ● Deepen networking on a bioregional and national scale (Social) ● Organize/refine events that involve the local community (Social) ● Organize/refine events focusing on communication skills, trauma, abandonment and scarcity thinking (Social) ● Build permanent guest huts (Ecological/Social)

Year 4 ● Integrate livestock into farm systems (Ecological) ● Deepen networking on a bioregional and national scale (Social) ● Refine events that involve the local community (social) ● Refine events focusing on communication skills, trauma, abandonment and scarcity thinking (social) ● Large scale evaluation/review of changes made at Terra Alta

Year 5 ● Deepen networking on a bioregional and national scale (Social) ● Refine events that involve the local community (Social) ● Refine events focusing on communication skills, trauma, abandonment and scarcity thinking (Social) ● Implement changes based on Year 4 evaluation/review sessions

We hope that the thrust of the suggestions here is evident. We believe Terra Alta needs to develop outwards into the community more, so as to make a greater impact from the incredible work that they are already doing.

Evaluating the list above, there are many items in years 1, 2, 3, while years 3 and 4 mainly involve deepening and refining previously created work. This is intentional, as we believe there are many processes that would greatly benefit Terra Alta if they are implemented sooner rather than later. We also view this process as one of small steps leading to big change. For example, when developing community events in year 2, this could be as little as one or two events in that first year as time and experience permit. Then we envision this growing in years 3 and beyond.

We believe that year 4 would be a great time to again evaluate the direction, health and outcomes of the Terra Alta project (possibly using the model employed in this report). That is enough time for changes to be made and to become habits in the Terra Alta community, and for information to be obtained about the efficacy of changes and new events that have been created.

These suggested next steps would lead to the development of a version of our 5 year vision for Terra Alta.

Appendices

Maps

Map of Portugal, with the sintra region pinpointed

Drone picture of Terra Alta

Design map with contour lines of Terra Alta