Arterra Bizimodu: a school for the ecological transition in Spain

Arterra Bizimodu is a community in northern Spain that, since 2012, has been putting the ecological transition into practise and hopes to spread it on a larger scale.

Situated 30 minutes from Lakabé in the mountains of the Basque country, Arterra benefits from a 17-acre site composed of 2 large green spaces used for permaculture as well as an old secondary school, used today as the residence of the community, with communal as well as private living.

An experiment in entrepreneurial ecology

50 permanent residents live on site all year round and profit from the space to lead their own professional projects.

Fanny and her partner distribute baskets of vegetables that they have grown there for example.

There’s a studio for musicians, artisanal beers and cosmetics are created here and there’s even a bakery.

Rediscover the world of business

Arterra is also home to numerous associations, such as the network of ecovillages European GEN Europe or even the Ecohabitar journal. They both aim to spread the word of new, alternative and sustainable ways of living.

The workshops provided at Arterra cover various themes from collaborative economies to culinary courses as well as renewable energies and sociocracy. Sociocracy is a form of governance without a leader that encourages cooperation and self-sufficiency. Power therefore resides in the hands of the many when decision making.

Arterra is equipped to host European volunteers via the Erasmus + programme.

See Arterra in the photo gallery

To find out more, visit the official website.