MEET THE TEAM
MEET THE TEAM
PEDRO VALDJIU
Founder, Host and Lead Facilitator
Meet Pedro, host and lead facilitator at Terra Alta. Pedro is an artist, musician and permaculture designer dedicated to continual growth and education. Being a natural storyteller he designs the Permaculture Design Courses to be unique and dynamic, offering courses where one is never quite the same as the other.
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He is a certified Permaculture teacher of the UK Permaculture Association and deeply committed to the teachings of Permaculture pioneer David Holmgren.
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Founding Terra Alta in 2008 was part of his dream to build a model for regenerative culture. Another part of this dream manifested in co-founding Escola da Terra - a Waldorf School in the community of Sintra.
RITA SEIXAS
Co-founder and Guest Teacher
Rita Seixas is a dedicated educator and community leader who helps to bring about transformation by nurturing children through a renewed educational context and hosting visitors at Terra Alta with her attention to detail. Founder of Terra Alta and Escola da Terra -a Waldorf school near Terra Alta, she is highly connected to Anthroposophy, a spiritual science created by Rudolf Steiner and the belief system underlying Waldorf education. She is also a skilled artist in the areas of crafting, painting, and drawing--talent that translates into the ability to retrofit spaces to improve both function and aesthetics.
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Devoted mother of 2 girls, she is on the cutting edge of education in Portugal, leading a school of 50 children with her full heart and soul
HENRIK ELLERBROCK
Guest Teacher
Henrik Ellerbrock spent years as a social activist before shifting his energy to growing social change from the ground up. He moved to Portugal in 2010, met Pedro and his family and joined the Terra Alta project, purchasing the neighbouring land where he resides today. Aside being a guest teacher for Market Gardening at Terra Alta, Henrik runs a successful biointensive market garden in the area using Permaculture techniques.
JENNY READY
Community Engagement Coordinator
Committed to constant growth and education, Jenny's journey has led her to permaculture into which she incorporates her passion for music, arts and interconnectedness.
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She took her PDC at Terra Alta in 2021 after which she became a perennial crew-member. Since then, she has become a certified permaculture teacher through the UK Permaculture Association, and has co-facilitated and co-hosted 21 permaculture design courses at Terra Alta as well as coordinated the project together with Pedro.
She is now taking a step back from facilitating at Terra Alta, but continues to coordinate the project.
JEAN PACE
Co-host and co-facilitator
Jean is an ecologist by training and a lifelong student of the natural world, balancing academic training with real world experiences. He believes that the value of knowledge and experience increases exponentially when it is shared, and Permaculture is a wonderful multiplier!
Jean is passionately curious about all things living - plants, soils, and humans.This curiosity brought him to Terra Alta as a student and volunteer back in 2013. Since then he has worked on various farms, gardens, and research projects. We are happy to welcome Jean back this year as co-facilitator of the permaculture design courses.
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MICHÈLE LYSENS
Guest Teacher
Michèle is a permaculture teacher and environmental activist, with a degree in Permaculture & Sustainable Horticulture.
She has a seasoned relationship with Terra Alta, having completed an apprenticeship in June of 2019 and co-hosted six courses in the summer of 2020.
Since then we have welcomed Michele as a guest teacher to share her knowledge about soil during the Permaculture Design Courses.
INÊS BARROS
Guest Teacher
Inês Barros is a friend, community member and educator working at the intersection of food science and permaculture. We are thrilled to have her as a guest teacher hosting sessions on fermentation and nutrient dense food.
Ines completed a Permaculture Teacher Training with Rosemary Morrow as well as being a certified Health and Nutrition Coach, having studied with Paul Pitchford (Healing with Whole Foods) and under the mentorship of Tomio Kikuchi (George Oshawa disciple).
VALENTINA DELCONTE
Co-host
Valentina is an enthusiastic nature lover with a background in conservation ecology, and several years of experience in science communication and environmental education—her dream is to set up a thriving permaculture project in Italy. In her freetime, she’s probably helping in the garden or looking for the next events about sustainability to help out with.
At Terra Alta, Valentina co-hosted the PDCs with love and passion, shared her knowledge gathered throughout her several years of volunteering in farms, and currently supports the organization of the Teacher Training.