Tag: bioconstruction

Celebrating the Atlantic Forest and Mountain Culture in the Heart of Nova Friburgo: Agroforestry, Environmental Education, Volunteering and Adventure Sports
[vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1739379399395{margin-right: 30px !important;margin-left: 30px !important;}”][vc_column][gap size=”30px” id=”” class=”” style=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1740408802641{margin-right: 30px !important;margin-left: 30px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/2″][swmsc_text_block id=”” class=”” style=””]Is it possible to connect Agroforestry, Environmental Education, Volunteering and Adventure Sports? Read this article and find out if so!

The month of May invites us to take a closer look at one of Brazil’s greatest natural treasures: the Atlantic Forest. On May 27, we celebrate National Atlantic Forest Day — more than just a tribute, this date is a call for awareness and collective action for the preservation and regeneration of nature that still survives among the mountains of southeastern Brazil.

And if there’s one place where this call is taken seriously, it’s at Eco Caminhos, our ecofarm located in the mountainous region of Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro.

🌿 A Living Forest That Needs Care

The Atlantic Forest is home to around 72% of Brazil’s population and has already lost over 85% of its original vegetation. Even so, it remains one of the most biodiverse biomes in the world, with unique species of fauna and flora. Nova Friburgo is part of this ecosystem and therefore demands special attention.

Preserving what’s left and restoring what’s been lost requires practical action, ecological education, and a new perspective on how we produce, consume, and live. At Eco Caminhos, we practice active environmental regeneration through agroforestry systems that mimic the natural functioning of forests, eco-friendly bioconstruction using local materials, and permaculture as both a philosophy and a lifestyle.[/swmsc_text_block][gap size=”30px” id=”” class=”” style=””][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][swmsc_image_gallery border_radius=”0″ border_width=”0″ border_color=”#e6e6e6″ image_margin=”40px” image_size=”full” columns=”1″ grid_type=”masonry” image_text=”none” hover_icon_color=”#ffffff” hover_icon_bg_color=”#f8b54e” title_text_size=”20px” title_text_color=”#555555″ caption_text_size=”16px” caption_text_color=”#777777″ caption_border=”off” id=”” class=”” style=”” image_ids=”27340,27339″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1739379399395{margin-right: 30px !important;margin-left: 30px !important;}”][vc_column][swmsc_image_gallery border_radius=”5px” border_width=”0″ border_color=”#e6e6e6″ image_margin=”20px” image_size=”full” columns=”3″ grid_type=”none” image_text=”none” hover_icon_color=”#ffffff” hover_icon_bg_color=”#f8b54e” title_text_size=”20px” title_text_color=”#555555″ caption_text_size=”16px” caption_text_color=”#777777″ caption_border=”off” id=”” class=”” style=””][gap size=”30px” id=”” class=”” style=””][swmsc_text_block id=”” class=”” style=””]🌱 Eco Caminhos: Environmental Regeneration and Social Transformation

Caring for the Atlantic Forest is not a campaign — it’s our daily routine. At our farm, we don’t just admire the forest — we work daily to regenerate it.

We are an ecofarm founded on permaculture principles, nestled in the mountains of Nova Friburgo. Here, we live and promote an integrated approach to sustainability that includes:
- 🌳 Agroforestry: farming systems that mimic the natural behavior of forests, combining food production with soil and biodiversity regeneration.
  Learn more: https://zieplay.com/en/agroforestry-syntropic-farming/
- 🛖 Bioconstruction: low-impact, ecological techniques to build functional, comfortable homes in harmony with the environment.
  Check out our bioconstruction projects: https://zieplay.com/en/bioconstruction-sustainable-construction-brazil/
- 🤝 Community Integration and International Volunteering: we welcome people from around the world to experience, learn, and share this knowledge.
  See our volunteer opportunities: https://zieplay.com/en/volunteer-opportunities/
Our work goes beyond the land: we positively impact the local community, promoting social inclusion, environmental education, and offering opportunities for youth and adults to reconnect with nature in a practical and transformative way.[/swmsc_text_block][swmsc_image_gallery border_radius=”0px” border_width=”0″ border_color=”#e6e6e6″ image_margin=”20px” image_size=”full” columns=”2″ grid_type=”masonry” image_text=”none” hover_icon_color=”#ffffff” hover_icon_bg_color=”#f8b54e” title_text_size=”20px” title_text_color=”#555555″ caption_text_size=”16px” caption_text_color=”#777777″ caption_border=”off” id=”” class=”” style=”” image_ids=”27341,27343,27344,26962″][gap size=”30px” id=”” class=”” style=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1739379399395{margin-right: 30px !important;margin-left: 30px !important;}”][vc_column][swmsc_image_gallery border_radius=”5px” border_width=”0″ border_color=”#e6e6e6″ image_margin=”20px” image_size=”full” columns=”3″ grid_type=”none” image_text=”none” hover_icon_color=”#ffffff” hover_icon_bg_color=”#f8b54e” title_text_size=”20px” title_text_color=”#555555″ caption_text_size=”16px” caption_text_color=”#777777″ caption_border=”off” id=”” class=”” style=””][gap size=”30px” id=”” class=”” style=””][swmsc_text_block id=”” class=”” style=””]🏔️ Free Mountain Festival: Sports, Culture, and Nature in Harmony

This year, the Free Mountain Festival added even more meaning to May. Held at Espaço ARP and in the mountains of Nova Friburgo, the event celebrates outdoor life and mountain culture with activities like trekking, climbing, trail running, along with environmental talks, cultural exhibitions, and open-air cinema.

More than a sporting event, the Free Mountain Festival proved that it’s possible to combine adventure, art, culture, and environmental responsibility — creating experiences that both inspire and raise awareness.

Eco Caminhos strongly believes in this type of initiative. Seeing so many people connect with nature and exchange knowledge reinforces our belief that change is already underway — and can gain even more strength through unity and purpose.

Check out the event website: https://freemountain.com.br/[/swmsc_text_block][swmsc_image_gallery border_radius=”0px” border_width=”0″ border_color=”#e6e6e6″ image_margin=”20px” image_size=”full” columns=”2″ grid_type=”masonry” image_text=”none” hover_icon_color=”#ffffff” hover_icon_bg_color=”#f8b54e” title_text_size=”20px” title_text_color=”#555555″ caption_text_size=”16px” caption_text_color=”#777777″ caption_border=”off” id=”” class=”” style=”” image_ids=”27345,27346″][gap size=”30px” id=”” class=”” style=””][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1740408854358{margin-right: 30px !important;margin-left: 30px !important;}”][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1740579636539{margin-right: 100px !important;padding-right: 50px !important;}”][gap size=”30px” id=”” class=”” style=””][gap size=”30px” id=”” class=”” style=””][swmsc_image link=”#” lightbox=”true” target=”_self” lightbox_type=”image” align=”left” alt=”” title=”” border_radius=”0px” id=”” class=”” style=”” src=”27342″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][gap size=”30px” id=”” class=”” style=””][swmsc_text_block id=”” class=”” style=””]🌍 Sustainability in Practice: Our Local and Global Role

Eco Caminhos is a space for ecological and social transformation. We welcome volunteers, apprentices, and tourists from all over the world who come to learn, teach, and live a new way of connecting with the Earth. By regenerating the soil, planting trees, building homes with earth, and living in community, we are writing a new narrative for the planet — and it starts here, in the Atlantic Forest.

We believe that preservation doesn’t happen alone. It takes partnerships, events, education, and the active presence of the community. That’s why we celebrate every movement that values our mountains, our forest, and our mountain culture.[/swmsc_text_block][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1731520578623{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column][gap size=”30px” id=”” class=”” style=””][swmsc_text_block id=”” class=”” style=””]🤝 The Future Depends on Our Choices

The Atlantic Forest needs more than protection — it needs engaged, connected people willing to change the way they live. That’s what we seek at Eco Caminhos. And that’s why every visit, every festival, every volunteer, and every tree planted matters.

If you believe in this path, come visit us. Join us as a volunteer, apprentice, or guest. Help regenerate the forest and build a fairer, more sustainable, and nature-connected future.
🌐 www.zieplay.com[/swmsc_text_block][vc_single_image image=”27074″ img_size=”large” css=””][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Wednesday June 4th, 2025
Evapotranspiration Basin – What is it?
What is an evapotranspiration basin? It is a wastewater treatment system that uses plants and soil to remove impurities and purify water. Also known as constructed wetland or floating root zone, however, it mimics the natural water filtration and purification processes that occur in swamps and wetlands.

Evapotranspiration is the sum of the processes of evaporation and transpiration.

How does Evapotranspiration occur in the basin?

It occurs when water is transferred to the atmosphere from surface water movements, processes known as evaporation and transpiration. Evapotranspiration depends on these two distinct processes, as they occur simultaneously on the Earth’s surface.

In general, it can be measured in millimeters per day (mm/day) with vegetated water tanks. One millimeter means transferring one liter of water available from the soil into the atmosphere for each square meter of the surface.

In short, evapotranspiration depends on several factors, such as soil management, use and humidity, climatic conditions, due to the incidence of solar radiation and temperature, and characteristics of the vegetation in question. It can be divided into actual, potential, reference evapotranspiration and crop evapotranspiration.

Processes that make up an evapotranspiration basin

Evaporation and Transpiration

Evaporation is a physical process of phase change, which occurs from the liquid state to the gaseous state of water.

It occurs in oceans, lakes, rivers, soils and vegetation. It is worth mentioning that evaporation is an endothermic transformation. This means that it absorbs heat during its occurrence.

Transpiration is a biophysical process in which a plant expels excess water through its leaves. The process of transferring the water used in the plant’s metabolism to the atmosphere occurs through the stomata and the cuticle.

Stomata are located in the epidermis of the leaves, generally in their lower part. These structures have the ability to open and close, allowing the exchange of gases with the environment and the escape of steam.

On the other hand, the cuticle that covers the leaves can be considered waterproof. Thus, there is only a small loss of water into the atmosphere.

Evapotranspiration in arid environments

In arid environments it can be a challenging process due to the lack of humidity and the scarcity of available water. However, even in arid environments, evapotranspiration still occurs, albeit at lower rates than in wetter areas.

Evapotranspiration is the combination of evaporation of water from the soil and transpiration from plants. In arid environments, evaporation is more significant than transpiration, due to the lack of vegetation and low soil moisture.

Evaporation occurs when water in the ground turns to vapor due to solar energy and heat. In arid environments, lack of soil moisture and high temperature can result in faster evaporation.

In arid environments, plant transpiration also occurs, although on a smaller scale due to the lack of vegetation. Plants in arid environments often have special adaptations to conserve water, to reduce water loss through transpiration.

Understanding these processes in arid environments is fundamental to the sustainable management of water resources in these areas.

What are the types of evapotranspiration?

Actual or current (ET): The amount of water that is brought into the atmosphere by evaporation and transpiration, considering actual conditions, including the amount of water available in the soil and the atmospheric factors in effect.

Potential (ETp): Measure of the amount of water that is released into the atmosphere through the combined processes of evaporation and transpiration in a wide region covered by vegetation.

Reference (ETo): is a measure of the amount of water delivered to the atmosphere when there is high availability of water in the soil.

Oasis (ETO): is the process of evaporation and transpiration that occurs in a region of irrigated vegetation, delimited by a vast area of aridity.

Of the crop (ETc): refers to the evapotranspiration of a crop under ideal development conditions, without water restrictions.

What is the role of Evapotranspiration in Permaculture?

In permaculture, the role of evapotranspiration is crucial to the functioning of the system. Through the combined process of evaporation of water from the soil and transpiration of plants.

In permaculture, evapotranspiration plays several important roles:
- Water cycle:
  
  When water evaporates from the surface of the soil and plants, forming clouds and eventually returning to the earth as rain, this helps maintain the water balance of the permaculture system.
- Temperature regulation:
  
  When water evaporates from plants and soil, it removes heat from the environment, cooling it. This is especially important in hot climates, where evapotranspiration can help reduce temperatures and create a more comfortable environment for plants and living things.
- Air humidity:
  
  Increased by releasing water vapor into the atmosphere. This is beneficial for plants as it helps prevent drying out and dehydration. Furthermore, air humidity can attract pollinators and benefit biodiversity in the permaculture system.
- Nutrients and water cycling:
  
  It also facilitates nutrient cycling in the permaculture system. As water evaporates, nutrients dissolved in the water are transported to plants, where they are used for growth and development. When plants transpire, these nutrients are returned to the soil, enriching it and promoting fertility.
In summary…

Evapotranspiration plays a transformative role in permaculture, for the water cycle, regulating temperature, increasing air humidity and facilitating nutrient cycling. Understanding and harnessing this process is fundamental to the success of a sustainable permaculture system.

Research Source: https://www.saude.pr.gov.br/sites/default/arquivos_restritos/files/documento/2020-04/baciadeevotranspiracaobet.pdf
Wednesday December 13th, 2023
Apprentice Program

Eco Caminhos permaculture farm since its foundation has received people from Brazil and across the globe to share experiences and teach people about agroforestry, bioconstruction and Eco Tourism.

Since the beginning we also gave room to receive those we lack opportunities and resources to invest in learning opportunities. In fact our main mission is to make the world just a tiny bit more sustainable and just for everyone. We like to give you an inside of how our apprenticeship program works and give you an update about the development of our apprentices this year.

How do we attract and select apprentices?

We promote the apprenticeship program on our media channels and in our personal network. People can candidate themselves online. After a first screening where we check mindset, willingness to put their hands in the dirt,mental and physical health we invite them for 2 interviews. In the interview we verify first the expectations of the candidate. We want to check if the candidate understands the real conditions at the farm. A simple environment, hard work, healthy food and being outside most of the time. Also we emphasize the fact that we are in the mountains requires good physical preparation and mental preparation. We also explain the simple conditions of the farm to not set false expectation. For us motivation and simplicity is more important than a beautiful CV. With all the information thales (responsible for communication), Bart (managing director) and Dutra (general coordinator) decide which apprentice should come.

Older apprentices and more woman in our apprenticeship program

Until 2023 we called the program our young apprenticeship program and had a maximum age of 26. But we realized in 2022 that people above 26 were excluded from this opportunity. Sometimes a more mature person who has tried the job market and did not succeed to find happiness or financial stability is eagerly searching for opportunities like these. Another aspect we have worked on intensively this year is to bring more female candidates to the farm. In Brazil there is still a resistance for woman to work in the agriculture or construction sector. We believe this a shame as woman often fulfill crucial roles at our farm. And this year we succeeded to receive 3 female apprentices. 2 are currently active at the farm and 1 is on the way.

Length of the apprenticeship program and test period

The minimum commitment for an apprenticeship program is 3 months. We have a test period of a month. After 1 week we do a first evaluation. We check basic things such as working hours punctuality, work motivation, colleagues respect, cleaning and integration with the team. Also we have a zero drug and alcohol policy at the farm. Providing orientation at first week with several workshops, trainings and meetings we make sure the apprentice can integrate well in the program. After one month there is a crucial evaluation. 25% of candidates step out before the first month. For the 75% that stay there is a possibility to extend for another 9 months. For apprentices who conclude a 1 year program successfully we help them to get a job. And in case of Rodrigo and Wallace we contract them ourselves. Rodrigo already works with us for 3 years and has become a respected employee at the farm. We foresee the same path for Wallace who is contracted this week.

What can apprentices learn?

Our apprenticeship programs offer people the opportunity to learn about permaculture, agroforestry, bioconstruction and ecotourism. This is not just working in this areas but we offer theoretical training, we frequent give instruction session during the work periods. We do reflections on the things will build and grow to stimulate people to observe and react which is a crucial aspect of permaculture. Now possibly the biggest learning opportunity is that the people grow as human beings. In our individual world people can hide their flaws easily hidden in an apartment in big cities. We can run away from all our problems. At the farm not. We have no other choice than to face our flaws. Our community members, roommates or fellow residents will show us a mirror.

Conditions for apprentices

All apprentices are offered accommodation, food (mainly organic from own production), and a stipend. This all with the help of a number of generous sponsors. We want to make sure that everyone is able to have all the basic needs. Health care in Brazil is free. Still often the healthcare system offers very limited services. Eco Caminhos makes sure that we use all means, network to offer the best health care services for all our workers. In the future we hope to be able to offer health care insurance. But that is still a bit too expensive for us. Apprentices also get 2 months per year holidays to recover from the hard work and to be able to visit family and friends.

Lets present our apprentices to you.

Sarah, 37 years, Fortaleza, Ceara

Sarah has been an incredible input to our farm. With an incredible mindset and work ethic. Always giving it her best. Sarah wanted to come to the farm as she learned a lot about agroforestry but wanted more practical experience. At the farm she works in agroforestry, taking care of the caddle and milking the cows, composting and general maintance. Sarah committed for 3 months as she has to go back to Ceara for commitments that has made. We already offered her a job opportunity for 2024.

Natalia, 38 years, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Argentina is a big economic crisis, many Argentinians are coming to Brazil to seach for opportunities. Natalia has been travelling for 4 years and thinks it was time to settle somewhere. Natalia has little experience with farming or bioconstruction. She has adapted really well. Natalia main jobs on the farm are cooking the lunch 3 days per week for the entire crew, she takes care of the caddle and milks the cows and she also likes to work in bioconstruction. As Sarah Natalia also has committed for 3 months.

Wallace, 33 years, Xerem, Rio de Janeiro Brazil

As mentioned before Wallace is being contracted this week thanks to his great contribution to the farm. We know Wallace from the time that Bart (founding director) was running an orphanage in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. Wallace announced his interest in the apprenticeship opportunity. He’s at Eco Caminho since December of 2022. Working in bioconstruction, maintance, Taking care of the cadle and milking the cows, gardening, driving and irrigation. We are very happy with Wallace at the farm. He is always ready to help wherever we need him and for this reason has become an important member of the crew. Wallace will be after Rodrigo the 2^nd apprentice that we will contracting. He is very happy with his promotion and motivated to stay.

Amadeus, 18 years, Germany/Brazil

Amadeus is a Brazilian German who worked with us as a volunteer for 1 year. We have been very impressed by the progress he has made during one year. Amadeus worked mainly in agroforestry and his skills and motivation have developed impressively. He matured a lot, created work ethics and also socially developed incredibly. Became friends with the entire crew. Asked us before his year was over if he could come back in the apprenticeship program and stay for a few years at the farm. We were very happy. Although he does not have the profile of being in need we believe his presence is very important also for other apprentices. For this reason the Eco Farm will pay for his stipend. We expect him to become an agroforestry specialist in time. He is coming back in the beginning of 2024.

Leandro 19 & João 17 years, Xerem, Rio de Janeiro

João & Leandro stayed with us for a month. Both also lived as small children in the orphanage Casa do Caminho where Bart was the manager. Both are special and have a learning disorder. They contacted us and asked for help as both where homeless. We were very motivated to help them and the entire crew gave it their best to make them feel at home and to train them. It required a lot of patience of the team. After 6 weeks we had to end the apprenticeships of the boys. This because basic rules as the boys did not respect the basic rules of the farm and lacked motivation to learn all the techniques on the farm. It fell us very hard to let them go but we simply lack the human infrastructure to help these boys further. We like to share not only the success stories but also the difficulties we face.

Julio, 45 years, Esperanza, Argentina

Julio arrived yestersay from Argentina. He has experience in gardening and used to have his own vegetable garden. He also came to Brazil to find a better future and to learn more about permaculture, agroforestry and bioconstruction. We wish him an incredible apprenticeship experience with us.

Apprentices to come…

We have Jessika coming form Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro in the next month. She will be working in the kitchen, bioconstruction, agroforestry, maintenance and animal care.

Want to support our apprenticeship program?

We are already generating sufficient income to cover its operational costs. However the expenses for our apprenticeship program are not covered by our income. Over the passed years several individual donors have helped us to finance this program and transform the life of individuals who just need an opportunity in life. Would you like to support someone?

Would you like to support an Apprentice?

Please contact us if you want more information what it cost to sponsor an apprentice and where you can make your donation.

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Tuesday September 5th, 2023
Canadian students build a park in Nova Friburgo school.

Coming from Canada direct to the neighborhood of Cordoeira – participate in an action in local school, build park and participate in bioconstruction and agroforestry project in partnership with ‘Eco Caminhos’.

In partnership with the social program OFFGRID we are pleased to welcome a group of students from sainteanne school in Canada to help us build a playground in a school in Nova Friburgo – Padre Rafael Municipal School, in the Cordoeira neighborhood.

They came to help us with a lot of love, passion, enthusiasm and happiness spreading throughout our community and also giving us a hand in the mass in our permaculture project at Eco Caminhos.

They are from many parts of the globe we have Hungarians, Russians, Spanish, Indians, Chinese, Italians, English and French all together on a mission that began on Monday, 6, where they will remain until March 22.

This is a great opportunity for them to learn a new language like Portuguese and also about different cultures and customs.

Bart points out that the experience is rich for both students coming from other countries and young Brazilians:

“Here they have the opportunity to know a foreign language and understand that young people on the other side of the world are equal, are only from another culture, with different race and language, but have many similar things and make us believe that the world is much smaller than we imagine”.

The financial resources for the construction of the School Park were part of a donation from the students and they are acting as volunteers. It’s a wonderful gesture!

The OFFGRID project is a bilingual project that follows the vision of development of children and young people through humanized sustainable habits and skills.

João Guilherme Wermelinger, dentist who participates in the ‘Off Grid’ project at Padre Rafael school said he is full of expectations:

“I’m sure it will be days of discovery, hope, diversity and inclusions, served by altruism and also empathy”.

The seven young students from different corners of the world are accompanied by a teacher and will also produce a documentary on sustainable tourism, which is part of the completion of their school program.

In addition to the interventions and benefits of the school in Cordoeira, students will have agroforestry experiences, will learn about Bioconstruction, as well as leisure activities such as trails, and walks in waterfalls of the city.

Opportunities like this are extremely important both for young foreigners who come to make an exchange in Brazilian lands and for the young people here, who start to see more possibilities for a better future, the importance of taking care of our environment using sustainable practices for the greater good of the community and the planet in which we live. It is a fact that this immersion will provide a new worldview to these young people and we believe that we are following the right path in search of a better future.

Tuesday March 14th, 2023
Young Apprentice Program

We believe we are all connected to one another, including plants and animals. Therefore, the main purpose of EcoCaminhos is being a self-sustainable reality where people can develop themselves in a safe, respectful and inspiring environment while growing in harmony and mutual respect with nature.

From this idea, the Young Apprentice Program emerged.

We co-live and co-work in an international community and we offer local underprivileged but motivated teenagers the chance of living and learning in a safe and multicultural environment as we believe education is one of the most important keys to fight discrimination and inequalities.

Here they have the opportunity to develop themselves meaningfully, learning about sustainability, social interactions, foreign languages and organization, while deepening their skills through theoretical workshops and practical work, and building their own goals in life.

At the moment, our Young Apprentice Program includes four people: Rodrigo, Vinicius, Sebastian and Cleiton.

Rodrigo, 27, Xerém – Brazil

Rodrigo and Vinicius, both from Brazil, have successfully almost completed their program.

Rodrigo has been part of the farm for one year and a half now and will become an employee starting from next year. He had the opportunity to learn about both bioconstruction and agroforestry until he decided to focus on and master agroforestry.

Among working and taking care of all the farm SAFs (AgroForestry Systems), he is now leading the plantation team, introducing volunteers and tourists to the agroforestry concepts and work, and organizing the vegetable garden from the plantation to the sale of the vegetable boxes.

Besides that, the experience with a multicultural community and the opportunity to continuously interact with new people helped him a lot with his shyness and communication skills. When he first arrived at EcoCaminhos it was really difficult for him to express himself and take part in social events. He has been working harder and harder to step out of his comfort zone and now Rodrigo is way more talkative even when he doesn’t know the language.

Find out Rodrigo’s experience on our YouTube channel.

Vinicius, 34, Xerém – Brazil

Vinicius has also been on the farm for over one year.

After growing up with Rodrigo and Claiton in an orphanage of Rio de Janeiro, he has been working for a while in the civil construction field. His focus here at the farm has been learning about bioconstruction to master his skills and learn pros and cons of different construction methods. He quickly became an important leading figure for the bioconstruction team and for those who come visiting the farm and experience bioconstruction for the first time.

During his stay he also took the advantage to learn English and practice other foreign languages with the international community of volunteers who come here from all over the world.

Now that the last big project of bioconstruction (EcoLodge) is finished, he is balancing his work schedule between the maintenance of the other bioconstructed houses and agroforestry, in order to acquire knowledge in this sector as well to better combine the two.

Find out Vinicius’s experience on our YouTube channel.

Sebastian, 27, Venezuela

Sebastian left Venezuela several years ago because of the current hard reality of his country.

He left with the idea of looking for a safe place to live, to grow and find opportunities to then reconnect with his family. He firstly spent one year in Colombia to then moved another year in the Amazon where he witnessed hard moments and difficult situations after which he ended up living in the streets of Rio de Janeiro. There he was when he found out the opportunity to live and work at EcoCaminhos.

Sebastian is a professional chef and used to work in restaurants where food was frequent. Here at the farm he found the opportunity to have a better understanding of what he cooks by learning how to produce food and how to compost it. Indeed, his work schedule is divided between taking care of the agroforestry, vegetable garden and compost and cooking lunches for the team.

He became part of the farm six months ago as a volunteer and quickly gained a position after 3 months on the Apprenticeship program, thanks to his positive and hard-working attitude.

So far, he considers himself to be in the same pathway of EcoCaminhos because both work in order to preserve and take care of the planet by learning how to produce and use just what is necessary. Excitingly, one of the next projects of the farm (Ecolibrium) will see, among other goals, the realization of a restaurant that will give him the possibility to establish and professionally develop.

Cleiton, 24, Xerém – Brazil

Finally, Cleiton.

This is Cleiton’s third time to take part in the farm programs.

He comes from the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro and experienced a tough life throughout drug environments. During his first stay here he took part in the Rehabilitation program but, despite some improvements, he couldn’t succeed.

As we always say, our aim is to give underprivileged people the opportunity to redeem themselves in life, but we are aware that changes are only possible for those who have a strong motivation and mindset to really overcome their habits and troubles and improve their life conditions.

Cleiton is an example of this.

After leaving EcoCaminhos for the second time, he got involved again in bad habits and drug environments. However, he also had the chance to think about his life and realized how much he could improve it. Those considerations made him request to come back to the farm and seriously take advantage of his opportunity this time. Changes take time for everyone, especially for the long term, but he’s trying his best and people who know him for many years can recognize his efforts and how much he is improving.

When he came back to the farm he started attending the Rehabilitation program again for the first three months, to then move to the Apprentice program thanks to his behavior and results.

Now he is currently on his fifth month.

Find out about Cleiton’s first experience in our article.

If you would like to know more about this program, here you can find all the details.

There is no need to build a big ecofarm or cross the world to make a social and environment impact. Starting from our personal reality and habits is already more than enough.

We believe the best way to make a change in the world is to firstly change and improve ourselves, and we are sure that if we keep striving to learn and do our best, even our small actions will have a big positive impact in the world.

If you feel you would like to contribute with our Young Apprentice Program, feel free to contact us.

Monday October 24th, 2022