mistakes are the germ cells of solutions Martin
focal points
Reduce – Reuse – Recycle
Outlook 2024:
To build up a 10 cm layer of Terra Preta around all our olive trees. It will be a step by step, tree by tree approach.
Purchase of a mobile Kontiki to produce bio-char directly in the olive groves.
Free workshops for the children of the primary and secondary school in Koroni.
Sharing our experience in the form of short introductions and in-depth workshops. 25 years in Koroni has taught us how to deal better with water shortages, heat waves and heavy rainfall. We have learnt how to strengthen the soil, the biodiversity and the beautiful, beloved nature of Koroni.
Want to do your bit? Get in touch with us!
Review 2023:
Our free composting service “Compost Culture” has grown! Anyone who wants to take part brings their organic waste to us. Some holidaymakers are already taking part!
Tziziki is the first snack and coffee bar in Koroni to join: instead of being dumped, we turn the coffee grounds into healthy soil.
BOKASHI expands our composting possibilities and enriches our Terra Preta.
We bought 3 tonnes of goat dung to activate our bio-char and made around 5 m³ of Terra Preta.
We are now able to produce our annual requirement of EMa (effective micro-organisms) ourselves.
Our new, improved earth pit Kontiki will be available from November: instead of burning the olive branches after harvesting or pruning and polluting the environment with CO², anyone can turn their prunings into bio-char in our earth pit Kontiki. No money is paid, instead we receive a quarter of the charcoal produced.
There are many donation-based taster sessions and workshops on the different types of composting. We also run a 3.5 hour workshop for schools.
We have hosted many interested holidaymakers, some with their own caravans, and shared our experiences. It has been mutually enriching!
Review 2022:
We have built a road to the property so that our project can grow!
That’s why we were able to
Launch the ‘Compost Culture Project’ as a free service in Koroni.
Design new terraces to minimize surface water run-off during heavy rainfall.
Build a dry stone wall as a permanent insect hotel. Our green lizards and other small animals now have another permanent home. Wild bees have colonized the property.
A chicken coop has been built.
A large earth pit Kontiki has been built. Bio-char instead of ashes: the olive branches will be transformed into first quality bio-char after the harvest or after pruning.
Review 2021:
In spring, 700 herbs, flowers and vegetables were planted to create a bee oasis and improve biodiversity. 10,000 compost worms have been distributed around the estate. Our compost worm system has been expanded and the compost and worm tea produced is used for Terra Preta production. We produce our own EM1 effective micro-organisms for the first time.
Review 2020:
Our “Terra Preta Production” project went well. We planted 14 fruit trees and improved the soil quality.
Our compost worm system has been in operation since February.
Review 2019:
We produced bio-char for the Terra Preta project in a first earth pit Kontiki! As a first step in the production of Terra Preta, we mixed the bio-char with finely chopped fig wood and soil.
We compost also processing HUMANURE and grey water. This is how we take responsibility for our own waste.
We do not use chemical fertilizers or pesticides (ΟΧΙ PΑΝΤΙΣΜΑ).
We make our own reef friendly sunscreen to Australian standards.
How it all started
When visiting Koroni (South-Peloponnese, Greece) for the first time in 1999, Tania has been amazed by its nature and simplicity of life. Instantly she felt that this is the place to put down roots. Thus she started learning the traditional Greek art of caring for olive trees and how to achieve the best quality in the production of extra-virgin organic Olive-oil. Besides she realized that nature offered her a deeper encounter with herself and that is what she is sharing in workshops and classes such as relaxation techniques, meditative dance and mindfulness meditation in nature.
Koroni is the Greek representative of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity : Mediterranean diet (2013)
In 2008 a beautiful piece of land “bought her” and that’s how she became its caretaker and servant. Obviously working organically was for her the only respectful way to interact with Mother Nature. In those years Tania planted more than 130 trees. She has been the first to practice the Humanure thermophilic composting in Koroni initiated in 1979 by J. Jenkins in the USA and currently used in more than 60 countries around the world. Since 2011 we are using this ingenious system successfully.
Due to the Greek crisis, Tanias clients choose other destinations for their vacation and she decided to live and work in Munich, Germany. Therefore since 2013 we concentrate our efforts on organic Olive-oil.
But we do really miss living and working on our land and so we are about to take the “quantum leap” and return from the city to this paradisaical countryside on the shores of the Mediterranean!
Here is, what we already do:
- NEW: 2021 Starting in March we want to plant 700 herbs and flowers to create a Bee Oasis and improve biodiversity. Would you like to help us in the garden 3 hrs a day and take a vacation the rest of the time? Feel free to get in touch!
- December 2020. Our project „production of Terra Preta“ has succeeded well. We use it for planting 14 fruit trees and improve the soil-quality of our organic-farm
- February 2020. Our Vermicomposting system is in operation!
- December 2019. We made bio-char in an earth pit kiln to be used in the Terra Preta project. Together with fine chopped fig wood and soil we set up a pile as a first step in producing Terra Preta.
- running the compost-system including HUMANURE and grey-water usage, that way we take responsibility in dealing with our own waste
- using absolutely no chemical fertilizers or pesticides (ΟΧΙ ΡΑΝΤΙΣΜΑ)
- creating reptile-, insect- and bee-friendly areas
- clearing the remainings of the demolished old farmhouse
- renewing and extending the food-garden
- manufacturing our own 100% biodegradable soap and using soap nuts for our laundry
- making our own reef-safe sunscreen meeting the Australian standard
Step by step we will develop our small farm:
- Build a small farmhouse, where we can live in simplicity. Ancient techniques will help us cooling the living area without air conditioning. On the flat roof there will be a place to dry figs, vine, tomatoes, etc. In the cellar, tempered by the surrounding earth, we will have place to store our products and tools. In the future a “repair-café” is possible
- Turn the farm into an edible forest by syntropical farming. Planting native shrubs and herbs to increase biodiversity. Inviting Ernst Götsch, expert and founder of syntropical farming, for seminars. Sharing our experiences with our neighbours and woofers from all over the world
- expanding the insect- and bee-friendly areas
- Integrate and develop traditional knowledge and know-how. Building a traditional oven for baking bread, Pittas and Pizza
- Some goats, chicken and a mule enriching our syntropic farm would be tremendous!
- Developing consciousness for the interaction of human habits with life-cycles and environment. Reduce – reuse – recycle
- Introduce a system to collect organic material for composting and redistributing the resulting humus
- build a small greenhouse to grow vegetables in winter to get 90% self-sustaining all year round
keep it simple and eco!