NOVALIS CULTURA - Creating Regenerative Culture VOL.2

Novalis Cultura is an ESC long-term volunteering of 8 months for 4 international participants.
Novalis Cultura vol.2 is our methodology for creating tools on the symbiotic unity of nature and culture. Through our ecofootprint reduction, the assumption of our personal and social responsibility, the self/community management of food waste and energy supplies and the regeneration of our environmental, social and personal impact we are aiming to rebuild our lives and communities towards resilience.

Through the Rethink Project we aim at developing:

- the framework and infrastructure of our organisation including accommodation and other necessary constructions that will help us to facilitate and raise the quality and multidisciplinarity of our workshops, trainings and events;

- the establishment of the farm as an exemplary urban permaculture hub that promotes the sifting to ecologically restorative forms of agriculture while supporting the enhancement and distribution of high quality local produce and urban biodiversity conservation;

- a permanent 'School In Nature' that will include: a) structured educational programs complementary to the public school's environmental education; b) workshops of permaculture community & school gardens that will regenerate the green public space, cure youth's nature deficit disorder and enhance their ecological awareness; c) a permanent group of educators that will function through democratic, inclusive and ecocentric orientation;

- the dissemination of the Community Compost Network by: a) spreading new networks through national and international collaborations with various stakeholders; b) creating a professional local CC network, enhancing the city's organic waste management while distributing free compost to the community; c) developing relative dissemination tools like educational workshops, awareness events and complete packages of overall technical support and supervision;

- the Farmafifa Playground, a space for educational activities, social and cultural events with a clear eco-friendly and zero waste character, hosting ecocentric, intergenerational and intercultural events that can boost local economy by proposing a sustainable alternative of green entrepreneurship;

- the first outdoor Museum of Agricultural History which can highlight the rich, sustainable agricultural heritage of the region, restoring data, tools and items of the old rural station found inside our farm as well as of an old pottery working on water power. The old station had a significant impact on the local communities since it was applying natural farming techniques and exploited open seed propagating material, exporting its produce to other countries;

- the ReThink Gaia Festival as an inclusive, multi stakeholder and interdisciplinary event will contain a series of workshops, collaborations, presentations, and performances regarding all the Rethink thematics and will be characterised by interculturalism and inclusion, adapted to the needs of people with disabilities and fewer opportunities while highlighting issues of gender equality and justice.

In the long term, though these processes we want to promote solidarity, active citizenship, mutual understanding and tolerance among participants and the local community, strengthening their competencies and employability while enhancing social cohesion, conserving the natural environment and boosting green, cultural and social economical activities that will nurture our collective intelligence towards sustainable growth and climate justice.