Biovilla - a cooperative for sustainable development from Portugal

This blog entree is about Biovilla, a cooperative for sustainable development in Portugal, responsible for 55 hectares in Arrábida Natural Park. This project have three main bases: Environment (planting a food forest), Learning ship (school, workshops for sustainable development) and Nature Tourism (sustainable tourism).

I will talk about my project, I´ve been part of Biovilla since 2006, at the time, our project was just a dream to “save the world”. Our multidisciplinary team gets together when we didn’t know what really want to do, but for what we already knew: there is an option to make a better world, the world already has the solutions to make the right thinks for a sustainable development. Our founders were from Economics, Marketing/administration, Physics and Biologists, engineers of energy, environment arrived, accountant, architects but mostly people with different know how that wish to work together, learn with each other and make a better word. We fell in love with the design for sustainable development, called Permaculture. Considering three main ethics: People Care, Earth Care and Fair Share, we dreamed for a project that everything was connected, closing the cycle between all the people, environment and energy. We really believe that is the solution for most of the problems in this world, we have already enough knowledge for make things right, so our main target is to show and make the example for everyone, we want to influence all the people to live with a different kind of conscience and making real sustainable choices for the future.

When we started Biovilla, we get some help of many organizations and cooperatives. We were a completely new project, so we had our first time of a life, spreading our believes and showing what we were dreaming were a real better, sustainable and efficient way of project. To making things different you’ll need more patience and time than to repeat all the same method and mistakes. We need to learn different skills, bureaucrat tools, marketing, presentations skills, lots of things that you at the beginning you didn’t know that you needed.

For the future, we want to finish all projects in Biovilla, food forest, workshop center for sustainable development, and a place where people can experience the sustainable life style. After finished our actual dream project, we want to go to other part of our country and spread our example and influence other projects and after that, go to developing countries, where this kind of project make a really difference in the real life of needed people. We want to go to Africa, South America and Asia and make a food forest, construct green buildings with local materials and techniques, and show how to produce their own energy – heat, cooling and electric. We really want to make a different in the world, we want to show how everybody can life with the most comfortable way but also in a sustainable way.

One thing you need to know is that nothing is what we dream, there is a really need to adapt the structure, ideas and the way you think to develop your own project. With time and creation, nothing is equal from the starting point, different it’s good, even if at the beginning it’s not easy to accept, on the future you will that was for the best. Changes is a evolution of you project, but never letting go you proposals and ideals. All entrepreneurs need to know that there is no impossible ways. If you really have a dream project don’t give up at the first obstacle, you will find others solutions, others possibilities to realize your project. We “fought” and dreamed for three years before we official began our cooperative, if it’s not so fast ´how you dreamed, be patience, if you really believe you can realize any kind of project.

Eco-agro tourism in Turkey

Eco-agro tourism is an activity that attracts the visitors and volunteers to construct a natural farm and to create an awareness about how natural farming was done before technology. Some volunteers from Turkey started to disseminate this activity. They first started this activity that they were in a eco-life project in Austria. They shared this idea with local authorities. So they were supported by local and found the energy and dynamic to go on for eco-agro tourism.

The Green Basket of Casas Blancas, Spain

“In the past, there was a school with 40 forty children in Casas Blancas, now there are just old people living here”. This is one of the reasons why Susana Romero began her project of ecological farming in Casas Blancas, Murcia (Southeast of Spain). 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Cesta-Verde-de-Casas-Blancas/243009779124382

She worked for several years for the Chamber of Commerce of Murcia, living abroad in South Africa, Kenya, Cuba… and travelling to a lot to other countries she was sent. Those experiences gave her the opportunity to get in touch with other ways of life and different ways of thinking. The result of adding this knowledge to her worries and likes “Consumption, recycling, integration, sharing, learning…” was the beginning of that project in 2009.

Let´s be ecological and ride donkeys in Sardinia!

TOUR-DONKEY PROJECT

The TourDonkey project is a perfect eco-way to know an discover the territory.

This was a great idea of a young entrepreneur from Sardinia, Valeria Manca.

Her goal is to show her region and make know the Sardinian Donkeys.

Her activity started in 2006, when Valeria and her husband opened a breeding farm for the Protection of the Sardinian Donkey.  She achieved her specialization in Asti, at the training institution: "Donkeys are born... And I was born it", where she obtained the patents for the activities with donkeys.
In 2011, she took part in a competition announcement called PROMUOVIDEA promoted by Sardinia Region and, thanks to it, she realized her dream .

THE DONKEYS

Sardinian Donkey: Mantle "Sorcino", is a small, cross muled line donkey with dark edge around the ears, square head, straight profile, short neck, short and straight shoulder, little pronounced withers, slightly lying back, loins strong and well attached, short and slightly tilted back. Its chest is tight and low, limbs are sturdy, joints - thick and wide, its height is between 80 and 110 cm, chest circumference 100 cm, shank circumference 11-13 cm.

This species is threatened with extinction but there are associations that help us live and grow.

Create a value from a so called “worthless activity”: ADEPT Organization from Romania

A sustainable vision (It all started with a vision!)

ADEPT’s mission is to protect the nature-rich, farmed landscapes of the Târnava Mare area of Transylvania, working with and supporting the small-scale farming communities that created them over centuries and who maintain them today. ADEPT aims to give these landscapes and communities an economic future in the 21st century without sacrificing their sustainability and productivity, which are in fact a model of wider significance in Europe.

Do you know that this habitat of wildflowers- rich grassland is almost completely lost in Western Europe?!

ADEPT’s vision is to give landscapes and communities an economic future through sustainable land use that increase long-term productivity and "the essential” innovation in technology as well as in holistic thinking (for instance creating new brands from local products, developing many tourism branches including scientific tourism and biking).

 Let’s have a look on their work and brands http://www.fundatia-adept.org/

Eulothia park in Cyprus

Eleouthkia Park is the first thematic Traditional and Botanical Park in Cyprus that officially opened its doors on the 1^st of March 2009. The Park is situated in Anarita village, near the Limassol-Pafos highway. The Park was named ‘’Eleouthkia’’ which means small olive trees due to the fact that throughout the years the specific location in Anarita village has always been full of olive groves. Eleouthkia Park is the only thematic park in Cyprus that focuses on the combination of tradition and nature. The Park which is 20.000 sq.m. features almost 50000 plants and flowers and is accessible especially for old and disabled people.