I would really like to tell something about the visit to LiberTerra that we made a couple of weeks ago! Until this point, Ecodorp Bergen was the only ecovillage I’d ever visited, and now I got the opportunity to see another one.
The eco-community LiberTerra is located in the nature reserve Geestmerambacht in Koedijk, about seven kilometers away from Ecodorp Bergen. On a gloomy Monday, we went there in Petra’s camper van. It felt almost like we were going on an autumny road trip, all of us in the Youth house.
My first impression of the community was that it looked much more finished than Ecodorp Bergen, perhaps because of the fact that it is significantly smaller. We went to the Knowledge center, where Mieke met us with a warm, welcoming smile. Mieke is the initiator of LiberTerra and describes herself as a social entrepreneur. In fact, she was the one who picked me up in Wageningen before I started my volunteer project in Bergen.
The Knowledge center is a bright rectangular building with a kitchenette, conference table, and chairs. Here, the villagers meet to share experiences and thoughts with each other, but also to hold courses and workshops for the public. Apparently, most of the building is made from bio-based, recycled materials, and the insulation consists of wood, straw, and a layer of air. It’s so cool that it is really possible to build sustainably! In addition to the Knowledge center, there are ten movable tiny houses in the community where the villagers live, including Mieke herself.
“One of the keys to success was to show the municipality what they could offer them, rather than asking for grants.”
We brought pumpkin soup (of course) and bread that we ate together while Mieke talked about the project. One might think that LiberTerra took a long time to build, but it was completed in just two years and three months! I was so surprised when she said that. How was that possible? According to Mieke herself, one of the keys to success was to show the municipality what they could offer them, rather than asking for grants. A food forest was one example of what they could offer and which the municipality liked. It was inspiring to hear about this approach even though I could hardly have done something similar myself, haha.
After the presentation, we got to see how Mieke lived, an exciting example of compact living where the space was utilized well. I have long thought that I want to live minimally, and use creative solutions to fit my things. After the house tour, Mieke needed to continue working, but the rest of us went for a walk in the food forest. For those who don’t know what a food forest is, it is a cultivation where you try to mimic ecosystems with layers of vegetation and a diversity of species. Unlike a regular forest, a food forest is dominated by plants that are edible and/or that improve the soil. The goal is for it to take care of itself, with as little human intervention as possible.
I enjoyed our little trip to LiberTerra. Mieke told us that she might be moving out from the community at some point, since she thinks she wants to pass the project on to someone else. It’s up to her of course, but if I were her I would have been sad to leave. Such a cute place.
Next week we will visit Ecodorp Boekel, I am looking forward to that!