Join the co-creation of an off-grid conscious community in Sarzades, Central Portugal

Details

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  Description

  ✅ Choose the skills that interest you - eco-building, food forests, reforestation, wildfire resilience, companion planting, and more.
  
  ✅ Get in touch to align your needs with ours. Test out whether a life in conscious care for nature and each other is for you.
  
  ✅ Help to co-create a multi-generational community that embodies what life in genuine connection could be.
  
  🌱🪻🌿🌳🐦
  
  Olá folks, Adam here 😊 I’m writing this from a serene river at the bottom of my four acre (1.5 hectare) off-grid plot, nestled in a central Portuguese valley. The sun is shining, I’m glad to be here.
  
  Ten years ago, my life was very different. I was in the UK, feeling crises of loneliness, polarisation, disconnection from nature and more. I felt the passion to show what it looks like to restore the roots of community in the here and now. A healthy work-life balance, multiple generations sharing wisdom and support with each other daily, each one of us constantly helping the others to grow, recognising the beauty in all of us, everyone committed to passing on something better to those who come after us.
  This is the essence that grounds this project.
  
  In three years, the land has transformed from a neglected dense undergrowth to an open oasis, with a small stone house and superadobe kitchen, two caravans, a young food forest, chickens and two cats. We’re heading towards a conscious and caring community entangled with nature, and I’d love you to be a part of co-creating it.
  
  🌿 How you can be a part of this community
  
  That co-creation can take many forms. During the months of April to October, I can host volunteers interested in shorter (2 weeks minimum) and longer stays. From November to March I want to prioritise people will to stay long term. In any case, I will do all I can to help you develop skills that matter to you, and offer a taste of what a life in conscious connection to people and planet feels like.
  
  Key current areas of activity include:
  • Building passive-functioning homes made of stone and earth;
  • Growing a food forest and raising chickens and ducks for eggs;
  • Reforesting the local area while managing against wildfires;
  • Hosting seasonal fundraising events to help finance project development.
  
  I also want to offer a long-term haven for those that don’t have the means for their own land, but do have the dream to live in conscious connection with nature and each other. I want to create a thriving home for several families, where we can live and prosper together. After some time integrating, we could build a dwelling for you, and look after the land together.
  
  ✨ Uniting values ✨
  
  The community is founded on a few principles that help us live in harmony with each other and the abundance of life around us:
  
  • Conscious communication:
  We foster an environment of openness, where we speak and listen with presence, and express our truths with kindness and respect. From this we create a foundation of trust and understanding, allowing us to navigate challenges together with compassion and clarity. This shared commitment strengthens our bonds and supports the growth of each individual, as well as the community as a whole.
  
  • Ecological Living:
  We build homes sustainably, in harmony with the land, and grow our own organic food.
  
  • Mutual Support:
  We support one another through the ups and downs, sharing skills, knowledge, and care.
  
  • Living in Truth:
  Our community strives to live with honesty, openness, and respect for each other’s journey.
  
  • Active Participation:
  Everyone leans in to contributing to the whole. If we all proactively participate in meeting the needs of the project and each other, we all thrive.
  
  🐈 Life on the land 🐔
  
  Life here has a light-hearted community vibe, throughout the day. Working hours are peppered with laughter, and healthy meals are shared with love and rich conversation. People are free to take space when needed, and a sharing circle every morning gives us a safe space to be tender and show up for each other as best we can.
  
  In the spirit of conscious connection, we typically share in laughter, play, music, conversation etc without the support of alcohol/drugs. However, we do occasionally organise small gatherings and go out to join in with other locals at the vineyard a short walk away, as well as markets and parties.
  
  This is a place with spiritual connection but without dogma. For me, this project is about simplifying the way that I live to remove distractions and reveal the things that cage me. For others, it might be something different. I find joy in learning from and finding beauty in each others’ perspectives, and invite others to enter into that spirit too.
  Some of the ways you’ll find us passing time include…
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  • Campfires, outdoor cinema, live music.
  • Space for meditation, tai chi or yoga practice - I’ve taught yoga and thai massage across the world, and you’re welcome to book a massage with me.
  • Lounging in the river on my land, or at one of three river beaches within a 5km distance.
  • Hanging out at friends’ projects and in local villages - visit Barry and his chaotic animal friends, or take a trip to the city for Saturday’s market. Pizza night at my friends Sarah and Cedric's place.
  • A day trip to the Garduhna and Estrella mountain ranges an hour north, or the historic village of Monsanto and the Spanish border a little further.
  
  🪻My relationship with nature 🐦
  
  Through time and a never-ending flow of challenges, the natural world has become a valued teacher and companion. This relationship is entirely unique, like nothing else out there, a dynamic balance of ever-changing states of being, birth, growth and death. By living here, present and conscious, I am guided to understand the nature of who I am and how I can serve a greater purpose. I have a feeling that in this cycle of life there is a great opportunity, one that revolves around a very simple relationship between us and the great Mother Nature. For if we protect her, then she will look after us. My invitation for you, is to come here and experience it for yourself.
  
  🌳 A potential path to becoming resident 🌳
  
  This vision is constantly evolving and I invite people who resonate with these words to co-create with me as they integrate into the community.
  
  I have spent some time talking to elders of other successful communities. Their advice on starting a community is to begin by spending a decent amount of quality time together, to see how living, learning, and working with the land feels together, across the seasonal rhythms of off-grid life. If it feels right, we can explore what becoming a long-term resident would look like. I envisage the community as a whole funding and building a home for you, through organising an event where we teach people the skills to build with earth or stone as we go.
  
  ✨ A long-term vision ✨
  
  Some friends are in the process of buying neighbouring plots of land in the valley to start their own project. We could collaborate with neighboring projects, each specialising in producing different trade-value goods and skills, to build a strong sense of community resilience and community-sufficiency.
  
  As we all gain more experience and trust in each other, we could begin forming a council of stewards, making community decisions with greater insight and wisdom. With a stable council of stewards in place, I imagine myself signing over ownership of this land into trust of the council.
  
  I dream that our collective labour of love will create a thriving oasis of abundance and harmony flowing within nature. I wish that our shared commitment to conscious communication and loving will give rise to the co-creation of something magical. That one day we will stand back from our creation and say "we did it".
  
  🤙 Get in touch
  
  If you feel called to live a life more connected to nature, community, and conscious living, I encourage you to reach out and learn more. Together, we can create a space of shared growth, resilience, and harmony.
  
  Happily, this project is turning out to be very popular. To help me see your interest, Please include your answers in your contact message:
  
  • What interests you about this project?
  • What does being in nature mean to you?
  • What skills and qualities are you keen to bring to this project?
  • What would you like to learn about whilst here? Permaculture, eco-building, etc?
  • How long would you like to stay for?
  • And lastly, what is your email or contact number for Telegram or WhatsApp?
  
  Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this profile and applying to volunteer. I do my best to reply to workaway requests within a couple of days.
  
  With love,
  Adam
  
  
  Types of help and learning opportunities
  Language practice
  Help with Eco Projects
  Gardening
  DIY and building projects
  Farmstay help
  Creating/ Cooking family meals
  General Maintenance
  Social media and marketing
  
  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
  See above!
  By the way, if you are a bodyworker like me, treatment exchanges would be most welcome.
  
  Help 👍
  We ask people to work for three hours a day here instead of the usual five, to reflect the fact that we share food costs. These are small - usually around 20-30 euros a week each.
  
  Living so closely with nature, experience has taught me that life works best when we shift the course of our days with the seasons. For example, an earlier start to beat the heat in summer, compared to a slower beginning in the winter. I have also found that leaning into a co-created routine helps us to work harmoniously and spend as much time carefree as possible - though the structure flexes to meet people’s needs, and we create space for people to express those needs.
  
  Here is a rough guide to a typical day in September last year:
  
  0800-0830 Breakfast
  0830-0900 Sharing circle, team orientation, and daily tasks
  0900-1200 Help
  1200 onwards: Whatever!
  We usually share lunch and dinner. River swimming and relaxation. Getting lost in nature. Sometimes people choose to carry on with a project they’re enjoying - that’s welcome but not at all expected of course.
  
  Just like being at home, cooking breakfast and dinner plus doing the dishes and cleaning are not included in the hours of help.
  
  
  Accommodation
  There are options to stay in a van, caravan, bell tent, or tent. You'll have a single bed in either one. Of course, you can bring your own tent, van or camping hammock if you wish to.
  
  In summer, I can host many people. In winter, it's restricted to two people in my accommodations due to the weather. People who bring their own campervan can also stay in winter.
  
  Our off-grid style is basic with compost toilets, washing in the river or in our outdoor shower. We also cook our food in our open air kitchen.
  
  Children are welcome - just be aware that this is a project still in its infancy and care will be needed to make sure they know how to keep safe.
  Dogs that get on well with cats, chickens, and people are also welcome.
  
  
  What else …
  🌎 LOCATION
  The project is in a very secluded area with both a river and a seasonal stream along it's border. In India, the place where two bodies of water meet is said to be a very special place. It's also got both flat and sloped sections of land with existing fruit trees. It all needs a lot of love and attention. 3kms away is the municipal village, Sarzedas and Castelo Branco is 25kms away.
  
  
  ☀️ WEATHER ☁️
  July to August are hot and dry with temperatures anywhere between 32-42⁰C. Cooler nights of around 18⁰C. Luckily, we have the river and nice shady trees. Spring and autumn are the most pleasant times for the manual work. During winter, night-time temperatures can drop below freezing (on clear nights) and then rise again to be between 11-20⁰C during the days. Don't worry dry spaces and plenty of firewood is already in place
  
  🧢 THINGS TO BRING
  
  For summer & autumn:
  • Long sleeved clothes and hat for sun protection;
  • Water bottle (fresh spring water will be provided);
  • your own hammock;
  • Clothes for swimming;
  • a good book;
  • towel;
  • Head torch;
  • A notepad and pen.
  
  For spring & winter:
  • A good waterproof jacket or poncho;
  • Good shoes or Wellington boots;
  • Warm clothes as the nights and early mornings can be freezing cold;
  • Water bottle (fresh spring water will be provided);
  • A towel;
  • Head torch;
  • A notepad and pen.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet

  House sitting
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You'll learn a great deal about permaculture. Plus also daily meditation. By the way, if you are also a bodyworker, treatment exchanges would be most welcome.

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  Living off-grid is about routine and more routine. Discipline around having the basics handled enables us to enjoy the fun bits of project work - the meditation, yoga, building and permaculture.
  
  With that in mind there is a list of daily tasks that we need help with including collecting and storing firewood, fetching water, cleaning communal spaces and handling food waste for compost.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Beginner
  Portuguese: Beginner

  This host offers a language exchange
  This host has indicated that they are interested in sharing their own language or learning a new language.
  You can contact them directly for more information.
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  Accommodation

  Accommodation included. Don't expect luxury here just yet. We're working towards it. For now our off-grid style is basic with compost toilets, washing in the river or in our outdoor shower. We also cook our food in our open air kitchen. In other words it's basic and we love it like that.
  
  There are options to stay in a van, caravan or tents. You'll have a single bed in either one. Of course, you can bring your own tent, van or camping hammock if you wish to.
  
  Please note, I am unable to provide an exchange including food. The hours are reduced from the usual five to three hours per day to reflect this. You are welcome to join me for the weekly shopping in Castelo Branco or catch the bus into town during time off.
  
  Until we make an off-grid alternative, I do my laundry in Castelo Branco when it is needed. If you want to join in, we share the cost.
  
  Unfortunately, due to the demands of the project, I am unable to offer exchanges involving children or dogs.

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  What else ...

  GETTING HERE:
  We're sited in the region of Castelo Branco. Val Chiquiero is the closest village which is about 25 minutes from Castelo Branco town. I can offer pick up and drop off in Castelo Branco for a contribution of €20 (must be arranged in advance). Alternatively, there is a bus from Castelo Branco via the N233 that passes by Val Chiquiero. From there the project is a 30 minute walk away or we can pick you up by prior arrangement (again with a fuel contribution).
  
  Sarzades is about 2h15 by car from Lisbon (via the toll roads). From Castelo Branco it's 25 minutes.
  
  The closest airport is also Lisbon Portela Airport. From there, there is the options of both buses and trains to get to Castelo Branco.
  
  By train from Lisbon Airport is real easy. Take the airport metro to Lisboa Santa Apolonia train station. You need to buy a metro card, it's simple and cheap. At the train station buy a train ticket for Castelo Branco (I've read that online systems are unreliable).
  
  If choosing bus, take the 509 bus (operated by Comboios de Portugal) from the airport to SETE RIOS STATION. Tickets for Castelo Branco can be bought from the ticket office. I understand that Citi Express is the bus company.
  
  Other ways may include car-sharing apps like BlaBlaCar, although I have not used this app in Portugal.
  
  THINGS TO DO
  As well as the river on my land, there are three 'river beaches' all within 5km distance. There are two small villages with local amenities, both 3kms away. For horse lovers, we collect manure from a friend's stable twice a week, where you can spend time around five beautiful horses and a pony. We'll also do a fortnightly trip to the city for Monday's market. The Garduhna and Estrella mountain ranges are to the north, about an hour drive away. The historic village of Monsanto and the Spanish border are a little bit further.
  
  There is the option to watch a movie on the solar powered cinema, campfire (in winter) and yoga practices. Plus, if you wish to have a traditional and professional Thai massage, you can book one with me.

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Space for parking camper vans

  At the moment, only families in summer (to sleep in a bell tent) or who have their own accommodation. The parking space is down a track on a flat terrace suitable for a medium-wheel base campervan.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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