Together, we are creating a space submerged in pristine nature, a place where we live from sustainable production and consumption, a place that allows for developing our natural essence as humans.

Vision

I once heard that “if you don’t know where you’re going, you will probably get to the wrong place”. This phrase is probably boring by now, but I still repeat it to myself often, because I believe it contains one of those truths that determine the totality of life. At this point in my life, I’m afraid I don’t have much time for mistakes or distractions: I want to move forward. Where to?

To be completely honest, I have to admit that although the ideas had been dancing around inside me for as long as I can remember, I had not been able to pin it down clearly and cleanly until relatively recently. Perhaps it is because my thoughts were not in this. I was into other things, chasing other goals… but yes, the ideas have always been there. So, now that I’m finally in it, in body and soul, one of my daughters made me realise that I wasn’t inventing gunpowder. She showed me Mrs Brundtland’s work for the United Nations in 1987, framed around the search for guidelines for sustainable development.

In essence, the concept is valid for humanity as a whole, but also for a nation, a city, and even a small community. In other words, the concept is scalable, and she defined it, more or less, as follows: “The existence of a community will be sustainable if it meets three sets of conditions simultaneously: social, environmental, and economic”. That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Surprisingly and beautifully simple.

Well, that is exactly where we are heading, let’s say in a way nuanced from a minimalist and individual perspective. What size of community are we looking for? One that offers a minimum of variety, but not so much that it collapses. If you’re reading this, you know what I mean. So, intuitively, I’d say we’re aiming for a community of between 10 and 30 people.

Next, the term “sustainable” deserves a comment. Sustainable implies prudence and intelligence because it bets on a comfortable, even viable, future. But, above all, I like the term “sustainable” because it points to justice: why should I do it and my great-granddaughter not? Intelligence and Justice are cardinal values that I respect, and among which I want to live immersed. It could also be said the other way around: a person who does not recognise sustainability as a primary objective is either an imbecile, unjust, or both at the same time.

And then we come to the groups of conditions. I start with the one I like the most: environmental. From my individual scale, it encapsulates love and passion, for plants and animals in their pure natural state. I think I could talk for hours about this, but instead I will sum it up with one final and definitive answer: humans need nature; nature does not need humans. In my case, this means I prioritise nature. Full stop.

I trust we will not be faced with such a dramatic dilemma. Therefore, I dream of enjoying both humans and nature. In fact, I am also deeply sociable, I would say in all positive and uplifting human activities: at work, in eating, in sport, in art, in study, in debate, in play… and I would add that in my life experience, social enjoyment has been inversely proportional to the size of the community. In the largest cities, I have felt the saddest and loneliest. In smaller, even remote groups, I have felt most deeply accompanied.

Finally, if it is not economically sustainable, it is not sustainable. Very pragmatic. But again, grounding the concept to a personal reality, I will say that I am passionate about producing and building. I don’t mean this in the sense of the fulfilment of the alleged “duty”, because then we call it “work” and it takes on a certain stinky smell. No, I mean it literally: I am passionate about producing and building. I deeply enjoy it. It is perhaps the main reason why I get up with enthusiasm every day of my life. Then it is relatively easy to connect the result of that passion, in economic terms. If I produce fruit, vegetables, eggs, cheese… and build huts, bridges, dams and trails… the connection is immediate.

In short, our dream is to create a sustainable farming community. We have been looking for such a place, and now believe we have found it. It has few realities, but is full of possibilities.

Jorge – 11/08/2021