Archive

  1. Sporos Regeneration Institute

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    Sporos Regeneration Institute was founded in 2019 by four activists and operates on the island of Lesvos, the main gateway of refugees into Europe.

    It aims to act as a bridge between the two worlds, bringing locals and refugees together, helping people to understand and respect each other by facilitating integration and hosting activities that bring disparate communities together in an effort to create lasting social change. Its mission is the regeneration of the environment, culture, and human relations.

    Its offering includes:

    • Free permaculture design courses (PDC) for refugees.
    • Forest schools for children to reconnect with nature and develop their environmental identity.
    • Courses on regenerative farming, organic gardening, natural building and more.
    • Internships and vocational training in permaculture, agroforestry and regenerative agriculture.
    • Building school gardens.
    • Teaching relevant courses in local schools.
    • Conducting outreach work (such as project consultations, guest lectures, practical and theoretical support, and local and global networking).

    Highlight achievements to date include how it has:

    • Regenerated 11 acres of land
    • Worked with 150 school children
    • Had 80 permaculture design course graduates
    • Produced thousands of kilos of fresh produce free to people in need
    • Provided seeds, seedlings & training to dozens of local growers.

  2. Mycorama

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    The idea for the Mycorama project emerged at a community group meeting at the ‘Re-Green Permaculture Farm and EcoCulture Centre’ in Seliána, Greece. Community members had gathered to discuss ways to support food sovereignty and diversify income streams.

    The project’s work centres on “the infinite potential of fungi to restore our damaged earth systems, reduce animal suffering and support human health”. It perceives mushrooms to be the nutrient recyclers of our planet, which have a lot to teach us about regeneration and how to live in circles.

    The project began by growing oyster and shiitake mushrooms on logs, and soon expanded to Lion’s Mane and Reishi. It is exploring opportunities mycelium provides for degrading plastic cigarette butts (a big pollution problem in the local area). It has also explored ways to create regenerative, fully circular products out of Reishi – so far, a lampshade prototype has been made.

    Mycorama plans to:

    • Have a fit for purpose mycological lab with the right inoculation and growing equipment (within a year)- Invest in training and knowledge sharing with other citizen scientists in the field and grow the fungi culture and industry in Greece.
    • Further explore possibilities for full circularity through use of mycelium.
    • Explore opportunities for designing mycelium household products that could replace the fossil fuel-intensive plastic that is the norm in Greece.
    • Consider the potential of mushrooms as meat alternatives in Greece, where meat consumption per capita is the 5th highest in the world.

  3. School of the Earth

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    Based on a productive farm just outside of Athens, Greece, School of the Earth acts as a test site for Permaculture design applications and techniques that are adapted to the Mediterranean climate.

    After a four-year design and establishment process, the farm has also developed into an educational center on Mediterranean Permaculture. The School currently collaborates with ten Permaculture teachers from across Greece and is actively engaged in developing the Greek Permaculture network.

    Since January 2018, and as part of the ‘Mediterranean Permaschool’, it has trained 80 young people and supported many of them in applying what they have learnt to their own projects. The School also organises awareness raising events and festivals and coordinates work exchange programs that support the application of Permaculture principles in the Mediterranean context.

    School of the Earth’s ultimate goal is to facilitate the emergence of a new local culture based on solidarity and respect for life as a whole. It aims to empower participants and enhance synergies that benefit local communities and their surrounding ecosystems.

  4. The Bee Camp

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    The Bee Camp’s vision is a future with cities in which people and nature co-exist in harmony. Its mission is to inspire and empower communities to make cities a better place for pollinators through education, awareness raising and a holistic approach to social change.

    The mission starts with two challenges: 1. people living in the cities are disconnected from nature, and 2. the population of native pollinators is decreasing dramatically. Nearly one in ten wild bee species face extinction in Europe. More than 1,200 species of bees are found in Greece and The Bee Camp is committed to their conservation.

    The project focuses on the future by providing hands-on workshops for children. At the same time, it creates city havens, or “Bee Spots”, consisting of bee-friendly flowers and insect-hotels, providing safe habitat for the pollinators. It is about to launch the “Athens Bee Path”, a safe pathway for the protection of urban pollinators, with the installation of a series of Bee Spots.

  5. Compostopía

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    The organisation was established by a group of permaculturists and transitioners who joined forces to communicate, and inspire people about, the message of regeneration in Greece. Compostopía is a co-created and interactive theatrical event about composting and upcycling.

    Before each event, it gets to know the bioregion and establish a dynamic Bioregional directory. This is a community database that captures the wealth of each bioregion in terms of the: people (skills, needs, offers), surplus (products, services, tools, machinery), resources (waste materials) and community issues that can be addressed by pooling resources.

    It integrates this information into a performance, which is delivered in conjunction with local communities. It engages and trains local youth in designing, organising and executing Compostop?a. It utilises wasted resources to make the stage/costumes. It integrates local organic farmers and producers by serving meals with their ingredients.

    After the performance, it brings participants together to kickstart or present projects, all based on reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, sharing resources, utilising waste and covering our needs with what it already has.

  6. AGROECOPOLIS

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    Established in February 2017, AGROECOPOLIS is the first Greek grassroots NGO to focus on food sovereignty, access to land and agroecology, and is the product of many years of collaboration.

    It’s work involves: supporting networking and skill-sharing amongst agroecological practitioners; participating in research projects with CAWR, FIAN, TNI; helping establish practical land-based projects in Greece.

    For example, it has supported a solidarity exports initiative whereby citrus fruits and olive oil are exported to food initiatives in the EU; supporting small agroecological Greek farmers.

    AGROECOPOLIS is currently in the process of setting up a Greek Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Association, and hopes to create an agroecology training centre and revive the Permaculture Caravan.

  7. One Planet Productions

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    One Planet Productions is a think and do tank based in rural Greece.

    We’re on a mission to transform a fertile bioregion of Evia into a leading European hub for regenerative agriculture and applied social and solidarity economics. We do this by sparking the creativity of local Greek communities with support from a global talent network. Working together, we can demonstrate that a new regenerative economy is possible.

    Active startups include a destination marketing organisation called Transform Evia and a collaborative trade network called Origin Club. We’re currently developing a distributed research farm called Elysion Fields, launching in 2018.

  8. Oakmeal

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    The Oakmeal Acorn Initiative is a multifaceted project that encompasses resource regeneration, food sovereignty, community cohesion and agroecology.

    We are helping farmers to rekindle the collection of acorn caps for exportation as well as establishing acorn flour based products in the local cuisine. Our activities have led to new hope and a shift in thinking that empowers farm families to save a natural resource and create sustainable income from the ancient Oak forest on Kea Island.

    All ages and genders have the opportunity to benefit from the initiative, further fostering resilience and optimism at a particularly difficult time in Greece.

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