PROJECTS
FLOWER POWER
Our vision is to bring as many perennial plants as possible to Terra Alta's forest gardens, enhancing colorful diversity by planting flowers, companion plants, herbs, and trees as well as designing flowerbeds with stone walls.
NATURAL BUILDING
Our new kitchen walls will be done by your Hands! You will be introduced to different natural building techniques and given a tour of our structures which are very diverse in their building approach. Cob, lightly strawed clay, plastering and timber framing are among some of our best features.
PROJECT DESIGN
Permaculture Design Methodology will be introduced by either designing individual projects (Apprenticeship) or by design group projects (PDC). Students will be guided to manifest designs that include a vision and mission statement, holistic context, land mapping, elements design, analysis tools and more.
ZERO WASTE
Students will be introduced to different Zero Waste practices like making organic soap and natural toothpaste as well as natural care cosmetics and medicinal remedies.
GUERRILLA GARDENING
We will prepare seed bombs made from multiple seeds harvested from the wild, mixed with our seeds, veggies, trees, and flowers in order to bring more diversity to our surroundings. Diversity equals life!
KEYHOLE MANDALA GARDEN
We are building a Keyhole Garden to bring Terra Alta's composting system directly into our kitchen garden beds. it features a vermicompost system, companion planting, lasagna garden beds and ollas all arranged in a mandala form to create a relaxing environment.
FARM PRACTICES
BIO INTENSIVEÂ KITCHEN GARDEN
Terra Alta's food production serves the needs of the families that live in our small scale community and the summer courses. It is our mission to have access to clean and vital food as well as use our gardens for experiential learning and as an initiation to gardening. Our methods are biointensive and biodynamic.
FOOD PREPARATION
Inês Barros will guide students on how to harvest, wash, cut and prepare food. There will be a focus on food preservation based on fermentation and other techniques. Students, organized in groups, will be responsible for all food preparation, taking turns in shifts, using this process for serving the community in a family oriented atmosphere.
BIODYNAMIC WINE PRODUCTION
Terra Alta's Winefield enables students to be introduced to wine production and Biodynamic practices. The workflow will be guided according to the needs of the season.
NATURAL BEEKEEPING
Bees are Vital BEEings on our planet and in our valley. With students, we will share what's inside a beehive, the annual cycle, and some beekeeping practices that are aligned with our ethics.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
Students are introduced to and will manage different waste management approaches that lead to a reduction of pollution, in some cases turning waste into biogas and soil humus.
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KITCHEN MANAGEMENT
As our kitchen is often in use by cooking teams - we cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner for dozens of students daily, individual use of the kitchen stove for personal meal preparation is not appreciated, instead we have a small gas stove in our glass house for you! The same goes for storage of personal food - we have a small cupboard in the glass house for your snacks (please note we have no fridge on the land).
ROUTINES
TIME FORÂ REFLECTION AND JOURNALING
By Each Student
Every day we invite you to reflect and journal what you have been doing during the course. There will be a time where this process can be shared among the group, bringing your insights to the collective intelligence.
DATA COLLECTION
By Each Student and Working Groups
Data collection is crucial for improving design systems. Be it about the number of plants transplanted, amount of fertilization, or collecting data on food quantities in the kitchen process. It's all about reducing waste and being efficient.
CELEBRATION, PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL WELLBEING
Everybody
We trust that a healthy body and mind will support the journey we will embark on together. There will be time to celebrate around the fire, the table, watching the sunset, on night walks and during yoga and meditation. Terra Alta doesn't follow any cult, religion, or spiritual practice. The group power will tailor the practice in an atmosphere of sharing.
KEEP IT CLEANÂ AND BEAUTIFUL
By Students
We also call it Karma Yoga, i.e. in order to ensure a healthy experience is lived every day, students are responsible for cleaning the facilities. Spaces are reset so that the course program can flow in harmony.