Serra da Estrela Designs & Mentoring

Portugal

The Brief

Garden Juju Collective advised property owners on fire management, water systems, orchard rejuvenation, and offered Adapt Design facilitator training sessions.

Since 2018 we’ve been regular visitors to communities and projects here. Many progressive friends from the UK moved as the UK Brexited, housing costs ballooned and other social changes made life in Portugal increasingly attractive. 

And so our adventures here led to land-based consultations and many life-design sessions with our Adapt Design process. The latter because people in this context are facing life-shaping moments. Where to live? What to do? How to live? What to let go of? What to grow? How to manage land? Not easy choices often, but easier if you have mentoring, advice, framework, philosophy, and a systemic approach. 

And with these life changes often comes land and desires for some form of sustainability, regeneration, and healing. Our experiences in sustainable landscaping, but also working in landscapes similar to Portugal (i.e. Australia where heat, fire, Eucalypts, Mediterranean tree crops) are all familiar. 

Our brief in short- to support these life-changes and dreams - aiming for high levels of success! This is for friends, clients, and for ourselves. A place we’re truly in love with. 

Challenges

• Working with real-life situations 
• Getting to know this place
• Run-down landscapes
• Fire risk and management
• Eucalyptus dominated landscapes
• Respecting yet grounding people’s dreams

Design & Implementation

At several properties, mostly in the Serra Da Estrela area, we stay, teach workshops, run Adapt & Design Workshops, offer consultations and sometimes do some practical gardening and fruit tree work. We stay with new and old friends, at several Quintas, soaking up the history and the dreams of a good life. 

In our consulting, mentoring, and teaching we talk and listen. This role is often one of clarification - clarifying design questions, aims, and dreams. We listen some more, observe, and feel our way into the landscapes, places, farms and gardens too. What is happening here? What has happened here? If this place had a voice what would it ask for? Walking the land and doing some practical projects helps reflection and insight. Playing with the Adapt Design Deck guides and stimulates this process to a deeper level again. 

And then based on our experiences of past similar projects, and projects in the area, we come to a sense of what is realistic and possible in each situation. Water, weeds, fire and orchard management predominate - oh, and people wanting, and courageously moving towards, living the good life.

Ideas in Action

• Water management 
• Fire management 
• Food production
• Life design

• Weed management & bush regeneration 
• Permaculture in action 
• Healing people & place
• Regenerating run-down places
• Places as sanctuary

Outcomes

Connecting with community, people, and places by exploring their dreams and desired projects.

Helping to co-design real-life projects and life-choices and planning more time and visits to this highly regenerative and inspiring place.

“We can't recommend Charlie & Bridget enough. From permaculture, to land management, to gardening. And, of course, we are the Adapt game and tool's biggest advocates. Such a powerful and life-affirming process. Adapt or die!”

Stewart & Marie-Helene

Property Owners, Colleagues & Co-adventurers

Leiria, Portugal

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