Tamera A Model for the Future by joana tamera

TAMERA A MODEL FOR THE FUTURE

Leila Dregger Translated from the German by Anna Bandini and Douglas Baillie VERLAG MEIGA

© 2010 V E R L A G M E I G A First Edition, September 2010 Printed in Portugal Original German Title: Tamera - ein Modell für die Zukunft Author: Leila Dregger Translation: Anna Bandini and Douglas Baillie Proofreading: Jeff Anderson Layout and typesetting: Armin Riemann, Raphael Buenaventura Cover design: Nuno Moreira, NMDesign Cover photography: Nigel Dickinson Photography: Elias Barrasch, Birger Bumb, Nigel Dickinson (P 14-15, 17, 51 t. r., 70, 71 t. r., 76-77, 91 t. l., 110 b. l., 111 t. r., 113 t.r.), Leila Dregger, Dieter Duhm, Achim Ecker, Lasse Ehrich, Martin Funk, Angelika Gander, Georg Lohmann, Lucia Maccagnola, Jan Oelker (p. 45, 61 b., 72 l., 82 l., 83 t., 117 m. r. + b.), David Osthoff, Florian Raffel, Mark Schlote, Volker Schneidereit, Sonja Schulze-Braucks, Maria João Soares, Simon du Vinage, Delia Wöhlert and others. Printer: Printer Portuguesa

V E R L A G M E I G A GbR

Proprietors: Monika Berghoff, Saskia Breithardt Waldsiedlung 15 D-14806 Belzig Germany Tel: +49 (0) 33841-30538 Fax: +49 (0) 1805 4002 218 202 Email: info@verlag-meiga.org Net: www.verlag-meiga.org ISBN: 978-3-927266-27-8

Printed on FSC-certified paper from recognized sustainable sources

Contents 4 9 21 30

Thank-You from Tamera, Forewords and Preface Chapter 1: Tamera – A Model for the Future

32 34 36 38 40 42

Chapter 2: Water Is Life. How Desertification Can Be Prevented Building a Model for Landscape Healing - for Southern Europe and Worldwide Who Is Sepp Holzer? Sepp Holzer: Tamera at the Lake Bernd Müller: My Dream. A New Water Management Model for the World Building Water Retention Spaces Edible Landscapes Mixed Species Reforestation

45 52 56 59 62 63 64 70 72

Chapter 3: The SolarVillage. Solar Intelligence for the Twenty-First Century In the SolarVillage Test Field Jürgen Kleinwächter: Energy Autonomy in Place of Border Security The Energy Modules of the Solar Power Village The Scheffler Mirror An Experimental Biogas Plant Interview from the Near Future Earth, Straw and Grass. The Rediscovery of Ecological Building Materials The Multi-Zone Architecture of Martin Pietsch

75 80 83

Chapter 4: Tamera – Education Centre for the Future Monte Cerro Peace Education School of the Future

85 90 91 94 96 98 99

Chapter 5: The Global Campus The Search for a New Way of Life The IGP and Its Cooperation Partners Sami Awad: Learning What It Could Mean To Be A Human Being Eduar Lanchero: Respecting Life Pilgrimages in the Name of Grace Global Grace Day

103 106 108 110 112 116 118

Chapter 6: Living in Tamera Dieter Duhm: Community as a Research Issue Art The Stone Circle of Tamera The Place of the Children and the Youth School of Global Learning Aldeia da Luz Friendship with Animals

121 131

Chapter 7: The Story of Tamera. How It All Started Further Information: Invest in Peace, Statements about the SolarVillage

A THANK-YOU FROM TAMERA We thank all those who have helped and who are currently helping to build Tamera and its futurological network. We thank all members of the Support Circle and all who have supported Tamera financially. We thank our cooperation partners and friends worldwide and want to name some: Sepp Holzer from Austria; Jürgen Kleinwächter from Germany; Sami Awad and all co-workers of the Holy Land Trust in Palestine; Professor of Clay Building Gernot Minke; Hans de Boer from Germany; Eva and Felix Maria Woschek; Vassamalli Kurtaz from the Toda tribe in India; the clown, doctor and activist Patch Adams from the USA; the Earth-healer Marko Pogačnik from Slovenia; the human rights activists Gloria Cuartas and Padre Javier Giraldo from Bogotá, Colombia; the members of the peace community San José de Apartadó in Colombia; the founders of the Lassalle-Institute, Pia Gyger and Father Niklaus Brantschen from Switzerland; Evi Guggenheim from the peace village Neve Shalom/Wahat al Salaam, the musician Yair Dalal, David Lisbona, Shmuel Shaul, the co-workers of the Arava Institute and all our other friends in Israel; our friends in Switzerland including Sundar Dreyfus of the Schweibenalb Centre of Unity, Kurt Eicher, Elisabeth and Hans Jecklin, the sufi teacher Annette Kaiser, Gregor Reinhart, Chlous Dettwyler, Francois Wiesmann, the Gnägi family and Fredy Kradolfer and all members of the Monte-Cerro-Club and the '1000 Women for Peace' Initiative; Richard Weixler of SOS Regenwald in Austria; Jorge Caneda from the USA; Arun Gandhi from the USA; Srinivasan Soundara Rajan (Vasu) from the BarefootCollege in India; Gigi Coyle and the Beyond Boundaries group from the USA; Philip Munyasia from Kenya; Hildur and Ross Jackson, the 'elders' of the Global Ecovillage Network; Claudio Miranda and his band Poesia Samba Soul from São Paulo, Brazil; Lama Jampal from Dharamsala, India. We thank all of our friends and supporters here in Portugal: the current and former municipal administrations of Odemira, especially the president Eng. José Alberto Candeias Guerreiro and the former president Dr. António Manuel Camilo Coelho; the current and former parish administrations of Relíquias, their president Idálio Manuel Gonçalves Guerreiro and their ex-president José Guerreiro; the 'Taipa' local development cooperative in Odemira, their president Dr.ª Telma Guerreiro and their ex-president Helder Guerreiro; our cooperation partners in the universities, Dr.ª Ana Firmino of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Dr.ª Maria Teresa Pinto Correia of the Universidade de Évora and Eng. Celestino Ruivo of the Universidade do Algarve, Dr. Luís Manuel Costa Moreno of the Universidade de Lisboa; the Portuguese Association for Local Development 'Animar'; our advisors and friends Gabriel Dias, José Amorim, the nature warden Pedro Portela, Eng. Alfredo Cunhal, Dr.ª Fátima Teixeira and Eng. Diogo Ruivo. We thank Lourenço da Costa Pinela, our loyal shepherd and his wife, who have made us welcome from the first day; the Cooperative of Relíquias; all of our neighbours; the owners of the cafés in the surrounding villages for their hospitality, especially Café Marco, Café O Taxi, Barreirinho Restaurant in Relíquias and Café Paula in Ribeira do Salto.

We especially thank all those who we have not mentioned here personally. The Community of Tamera

FOREWORDS The Municipality of Odemira has known Tamera since it was founded, and greatly appreciates its work, especially in experimental ecology and the sustainable use of the soil, plants, energy and water. The education work for peace and social sustainability that Tamera undertakes is one of the most important key steps for a better world. With its continuous work, Tamera shows how structurally poor regions such as the Alentejo can be revitalized. Southern Europe, which is heavily threatened by desertification and depopulation needs these kinds of alternatives. The Municipal Council of Odemira has always supported innovative projects that are able to involve local people and support their development. The co-workers and visitors of Tamera, who come from many countries and continents, bring new cultural and social impulses, and important ecological input to the Municipality of Odemira. We congratulate you on the publication of this book, and above all for the existence of Tamera, and we hope for a lasting cooperation. President of the Municipal Council of Odemira José Alberto Guerreiro

It was with great pleasure that I received your invitation to contribute to the book that you intend to publish about the work of Tamera. Since its establishment in the parish of Relíquias around 12 years ago, the Tamera community has stood by her (laudable) aim to live in harmonious coexistence with the surrounding environment and the people who already live here. In all these years spent together both parties can be proud that we are keeping alive (and increasingly strong and close) a real relationship of mutual respect and cooperation. This relationship, in addition to keeping the Tamera community alive and thriving, is also an important element in the struggle against the depopulation of this inland parish. Tamera is, without any doubt, a dynamic influence for the parish. We sincerely hope that in a few years we will give thanks to Tamera for having been at the side of Relíquias and for the support given in this difficult stage of its history, when the young are leaving and only the old are staying and growing lonely. I am glad to hear that the Tamera community is growing and expanding, knowing that it is not only a great happiness and pride for our neighbours, but also represents a huge opportunity for the future of Relíquias, which needs Tamera as much as Tamera needs Relíquias. With my best regards, President of the Parish of Relíquias Idálio Guerreiro Manuel Gonçalves

“In today's global situation a convincing perspective for non-violent cohabitation of our planet is no longer visible. To create more favourable preconditions, centres would have to emerge in which non-violent cohabitation of the human being with all co-creatures could be thought through and developed in practice. Tamera exists to establish such centres.” From Project Declaration 1, by Dr. Dieter Duhm, sociologist, psychoanalyst, co-founder of Tamera

Author's Preface All over the world, projects and individuals are preparing a new future with great commitment in the face of global threats. As a journalist I have the privilege of getting to know these initiatives. It is my deep wish that my work will contribute to these groups recognizing each other ever more as an arising planetary community with the power to bring about global peace. One of these initiatives is Tamera. It became clear to me through this writing that it is impossible to do justice to Tamera in a single book. As every aspect mentioned could be deepened, I have concentrated on those aspects in which the model nature of the work is already becoming visible. The special characteristic of Tamera is that all undertakings are based on the deep peace and community research that has been carried out by the members over the decades. This book is also a community undertaking. Many people have been involved, and I want to give my deep thanks: The photographers who donated their images; Dr Amélie Weimar, who between consultation hours and emergency calls, took on the editorial work, and whose sober and humorous spirit I greatly appreciate; Armin Riemann for his patience, speed and creativity in the layout, and for the friendship which deepened through this shared task; Raphael Buenaventura for his design support.

A special thank to Diogo Ruivo who with his dedicated work and network of contacts produced this book under environmentally sound conditions; to the translators Anna Bandini and Douglas Baillie, Rita Miranda, António Hall, Petra Finkernagel and all proofreaders. A huge thank-you to the publisher Monika Berghoff. They all produced excellent work under very tight deadlines. I wish all readers inspiration.

Leila Dregger, born 1959, freelance journalist, was the publisher of the journal Die Weibliche Stimme – für eine Politik des Herzens ('The Female Voice - for a Politics of the Heart' not available in English) and she is the author of the book Ich bin noch nicht in Frieden – Perspektiven für ein neues Frauenbewusstsein ('I Am Not Yet in Peace – Perspectives for a New Female Consciousness' not available in English). She lives mainly in Tamera.

Translators' Note: The German noun Geist (adj. geistig) is used throughout this book, as there is no simple adequate English equivalent for the concept "intellect, spirit, mind and soul" that the term expresses.

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Chapter I

Tamera A Model for the Future

They dreamt ideas and established will. They brought the horses, birds and so many other beings. But I never understood how they brought that star in the shape of a white bird. It's so big. (But now there is one here.) They came in balloons and zeppelins of many colours. They built coloured tents and filled them with air. And also houses of wood and earth. And heaven liked it. They built lakes and the plants came back. They talked to the clouds and said, “Rain!” And the lakes were filled with water and fish. Some swam, others were looking at each other, but all had a different light. Afterwards, they sowed flowers, and they blossomed, they threw ideas into the rivers and the rivers started to flow. And they said to the sun, “Stay!” And it stayed. Poem by Pedro Portela, nature warden, Relíquias

On the way to the future: Vasco da Gama Bridge in Lisbon

WHY PORTUGAL? We thank the host country of this project. Why did we choose Portugal? The most evident advantage is Portugal's wealth of sunlight, which makes it a perfect location in which to research energy autonomy. The climate and geography lend themselves to the evolution of a water landscape for the healing of nature. Even more convincing is the human climate – the openness of the people, the cooperativeness of the authorities and the endless hospitality of our neighbours are deeply touching. Portugal is Europe's 'face towards the ocean' – the long history of colonization confirms this – and it has always welcomed refugees, minorities and people who think differently. Global networking and tolerance are long-standing traditions here. The problems of the country are also evident. It is not only the world on the other side of the ocean that is in urgent need of solutions, but also the world right outside our door.

Can Portugal's Alentejo still be saved? The young people are leaving the region, the villages are being abandoned, the forests are disappearing and the desert is advancing throughout Southern Europe. This cannot be allowed to continue. There are also many encouraging signs. The people of this country have remained strong through the vicissitudes of history. They ended a dictatorship with a non-violent revolution. In many places one can see the traces of a much older wisdom. Signs of femaleoriented religious forms and the stone witnesses of an ancient matriarchal culture transport the impression that this land has a dream – the dream of peace and solidarity, of connection with all beings. Let us awaken together and make this dream reality.

A Model for the Future

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A new idea developed out of the first years of our project in Germany. We needed a place in the world where people from all cultures could come together to develop perspectives outside of their familiar structures. Impulses from India and Africa, from Buddhism and other cultures were also to be included. We saw that the situation of our planet forces us to prepare pilot models for questions of survival. The character of a model was necessary, as new biotopes where people can live together without violence are needed everywhere on Earth. The systems developed in this first model were intended to be generally applicable, so that they could be adopted and developed further in other centres. I was starting to lead desert camps at the time, and I was sure that within three years, with their help, we would find a location where a city of the future could be prepared. The last desert camps took place in Portugal. The land touched me deeply and it is no coincidence that three years later, Tamera found its place here.â&#x20AC;? Sabine Lichtenfels, theologist, ambassador for peace, co-founder of Tamera.

Grace Pilgrimage through Portugal, 2009

Model

for the Future

What does the future of humankind look like? Can we imagine a world in which humans live in peace with each other and with nature? Is a different life really possible? Current global development is not encouraging. To be able to imagine a different world with a positive future, we need places where we create such a world in real life â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at first on a small scale. This is the most basic purpose of a model. Tamera is developing such a model for the future.

Aerial photograph of Tamera, summer 2009

A MODEL FOR THE FUTURE Let us journey to the far south-west of Europe: to Southern Portugal. We leave the Atlantic coast, with its scenic cliffs and dunes behind us, and travel the dusty road inland. It is quiet here. Occasionally we pass through the villages typical of this country, with their carefully whitewashed houses. Cork oaks and eucalyptus trees shimmer in the heat upon the low hills. Sheep and goats graze between old farmhouses. Those familiar with the Alentejo know that this view will change little over the next few hundred kilometres. But now the road rises gently, curving to the left, and suddenly a different world lies before us. A lake glitters in the sunlight. The terraces by its shore are green and abundant with vegetables, fruit trees and sunflowers. We see the curved shapes of tents, gleaming solar installations and an assembly hall. And we see people of different colours and cultures, working and sitting together, talking and reading. We have arrived: this is the FutureWorkshop Tamera. About 200 people are working, studying and living here, building a model for the future. With its test field for a SolarVillage, its experiment to heal the land by creating a water landscape, and its internationally networked peaceeducation program, Tamera is a highly complex centre for living futurology. “The Silicon Valley of Peace” was one name given to Tamera by journalists. Others chose “Paradise under Construction”. And it really is under construction. Many things are still unfinished, improvized, pioneer-style, and visitors are asked to bring good shoes because of the bad roads. Undeveloped areas of the site, covered with blackberries and rock roses, are a reminder of the time before the project was founded. At the same time, one senses paradise everywhere. One feels the unusual, the utopian, the orientation towards joy and contact with all that lives, the courage for the unconventional and the longing for what is to come. The goal is as high as everyday life is consciously simple and the material facilities basic: Tamera was founded to develop suggestions for solutions to global issues.

Peccei believed that the future of humankind would not be decided at a desk, but rather demanded decentralized models. The problems of these times are too complex and too interlinked to be solved in isolation from each other by specialists, no matter how well educated and equipped they might be. The problems require deeper changes than can be envisioned from within the current systems of economy and science, as it is these very systems which have led to the current crisis. In the interest of the whole of humankind and all co-creatures, different and novel paths must be found. When faced with a large challenge, evolution also works experimentally with models. For example, the transition of the original water-bound inhabitants of this planet to land-dwelling beings: a seemingly unsolvable problem 400 million years ago. How could they survive on land? How would they breathe and move? It seemed impossible. But evolution created the essentials, as life wanted to expand, overcome borders and create something new. So nature started its creative work. Innumerable beaches, riverbeds and lake shores became laboratories of the future. Solutions were developed, tested, abandoned, corrected and tested again, until IT worked. Once the first beings had primitive lungs instead of gills, and rudimentary feet instead of fins, everything changed. Suddenly the system contained new information about the solution. It spread rapidly – in the time-scale of evolution. All over the Earth, on the ocean shores and in freshwater, amphibians developed. All leaps of evolution have taken place based on this principle. It is the principle of frontier-crossing and fieldbuilding. Biologists cannot yet say with certainty how the information spreads so quickly, but as soon as the solution is found in one part of the system, it is accessible in the whole, because the Earth and all that lives are one whole. From the processes of evolution, the biologist Lynn Margulis drew a conclusion for the challenges of humankind:

Evolution as a Role Model

“If we want to survive the ecological and social crises we have caused we will probably be forced to give ourselves into completely new dramatic community undertakings.”

Aurelio Peccei may have imagined something like this. The Nobel laureate and co-founder of the Club of Rome was already saying in the 1970s that research settlements should be developed worldwide to solve the basic problems of humankind.

The community undertakings considered necessary by Lynn Margulis are taking place all over the world. Outside of the huge central laboratories, universities and cities, researchers of the future are practically applying their developments in places like Tamera.

A Model for the Future Tamera´s Campus in Summer

The 'Political Theory' Why Can One Believe That a Local Model Can Have a Global Effect? The answer results from the specifics of holistic, all-encompassing systems. Together with all life on Earth, humankind forms a holistic system. The whole acts in every detail, and vice versa: whatever happens in a part has an effect on the whole. This effect can be minimal but increases with the significance that the local change has for the whole. In the case of a high significance, a process develops in the whole that can be described by the terms 'resonance', 'iteration' or 'morphogenetic field building'. This is the decisive process by which peace can spread worldwide. When a piece of information that is sufficiently complex, sufficiently important and sufficiently compatible with the whole enters into an organism, this information has an effect in all cells. When a piece of information that is important for the non-violent cohabitation of all creatures is entered into the informational body of the Earth, the geistig layer of the Earth (the mental-spiritual layer or noosphere) comes into a 'stimulated state' in which the new information works latently in all creatures. When the information is introduced through really living it in a healing biotope, a global field of probability for the emergence of similar ways of living arises at many places on Earth. The decisive factor for the success of such peace projects is not how big and strong they are compared to the existing apparatuses of violence, but how comprehensive and complex they are: how many elements of life they combine and unite in themselves in a positive way. Evolutionary fields do not follow the laws of “survival of the fittest”, but rather “the success of the more comprehensive.” From Project Declaration 1 by Dieter Duhm, 2004

The Power of Models What is a model? A model is a part of the whole which is big enough to represent all significant aspects, and small enough that one can quickly notice mistakes, correct them and continue in new directions. A model can be used as a feedback system in which the effects of actions which are too complex to analyse in the whole system can be tracked and corrected. The more varied the composition of the model and the greater the ability of its members to reflect and communicate, the better the questions of the whole can be perceived and answered. Tamera is on its way to becoming such a model for the future. Problems and challenges which arise are perceived as issues of humankind. The questions for the experiment, to be solved on the large as well as the small scale, develop in everyday life. What makes communities ecologically and socially sustainable? How can people live together in such a way that rather than developing competition and aggression, they find joy in each others' company and develop the ability to solve conflicts without violence? How can the abundance of energy from the sun be used sustainably without destroying nature or polluting the environment? How can we deal with water in such a way that every being has enough to drink, and the land regains its fertility? How can enough healthy food be grown, even on impoverished land, without exploiting nature, animals or other humans? What kind of architecture supports community and the solar age? How can this be accessible and easily built in the poorer regions of the world? How can the economy be managed within a society so that instead of creating painful separation between poor and rich, it creates balance and lively exchange? How can children be raised in freedom and security? How can young people use their enormous power and intelligence in a meaningful way? How can the difficulties in the contact between the genders be dissolved, and how can lastingly fulfilling love relationships be developed? How do we end the pain and the exploitation of animals? How can we appreciate the sacred aspect of life free from dogma? And which kinds of ritual or prayer are appropriate in a modern multicultural society?

Sabine Lichtenfels and Dr. Dieter Duhm

How does a community communicate effectively? How does trust arise? And how does real grassroots democracy come about? In a comprehensive model, such questions, and many more, are connected with each other and are solved by perceiving the whole, as it was specifically the fragmentation of life into separate areas which led the whole system into the state it is in today. Dieter Duhm, co-founder of Tamera: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The crisis inside of us and the crisis in the environment are two parts of the same whole and can only be solved from that perspective.â&#x20AC;? Since industrialization took hold, centralization and specialization have separated important aspects of life from each other. Production has been separated from consumption, theory from practice, the human being from nature, and especially humans from each other. Actions which used to take place naturally in an organically functioning community, which lived from self-organization, mutual support and common sense, now need specialists. Ever-new efforts to treat isolated symptoms have led to ever-new problems, producing a chain of reactive solutions which could never have a lasting effect. A comprehensive model which reconnects separated areas with each other activates the little-researched powers of self-organization, synergy and the resilience of biotopes. These powers are needed to lift the whole system to a higher level of order. A living model which succeeds in making it possible for all beings to live together in a healing way will generate a field which adds this information of success to the overall organism, and has the potential to influence the whole in a healing direction. These connections are explained in more detail in the section 'Political Theory' by Dieter Duhm (page 17).

A walk through Tamera today takes one through cascades of lakes and ponds, on the shores of which grow the permaculture gardens used for both teaching and food supply. In the coming years the water landscape will be expanded and completed, so that the trees on the hills will also be able to grow again and return to health. The summer kitchen of the for a SolarVillage test field demonstrates techniques for cooking with solar energy and biogas, electricity generation, food preservation, and water pumping. Almost all of the systems were built in Tameras own workshops. In the research greenhouse new technologies are tested which are intended to free settlements of the future from dependence on centralized energy supply systems. On the building sites, simple traditional construction techniques are combined with modern architectural concepts. Participants of the peace-education programs study in seminar rooms and the auditorium. Theatre and music groups rehearse for their performances on the stages of the Aonda and the Aula. The participants of the Youth School for Global Learning are being taught by young adults who were themselves students here a few years ago. Men and women from different countries and cultures are working together, supporting the development of the new systems. They contribute their knowledge and experience and gain insights which they will use for the creation of autonomous settlements in their home countries. They benefit from the presence of international experts in the various research areas. The joy of experimentation is as important as the finished solutions.

In addition to specialist knowledge, participants bring back home the joy of experimentation, greater selfesteem and experience of community. Research, education and participation unite in all areas â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ecology, technology, social competence and political networking. Through this combination, a worldwide network of different groups and initiatives has developed, all connected with Tamera to bring its knowledge to their projects, or to create new projects based on similar principles. Young people love to invest their whole power and joy into such a planetary perspective. Let us now take a look at the world. We direct our attention not towards today's densely populated areas, but to the places where new centres for peace are developing. If we look closely, we discover the signs of a global renaissance. Gentle yet unstoppable, a powerful movement is forming, a movement for reconnection with nature and reconciliation with each other in the certainty of a different future â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a movement for a free Earth.

A Model for the Future

Tamera Today

The children of the future will be able to build on the knowledge and experience of these centres. If one day our survival depends on choosing new ways; if the breakdown of large economic and supply systems comes close; if whole landscapes become uninhabitable or social unrest threatens a peaceful way of living together, then these centres will be catalysts for a new beginning. In this way Tamera wants to put itself into service for the world.

The most important aspect in all of this is the coming together. People who previously learned to perceive each other as enemies, for example those from Israel and Palestine, are working here hand-in-hand. Common work towards a higher goal, more important for the people of both 'sides' than the conflict, leaves no space for hostility. Compassion, responsibility for the whole and mutual support are the basic ethical guidelines for living together in Tamera.

Tamera Website

www.tamera.org Mara Vollmer and Juliane Eckmann

Chapter II

Water Is Life

How Desertification Can Be Prevented

There is no life without water. Global groundwater reserves are decreasing. To deal with this worldwide water crisis, we have to declare access to water to be a human right and therefore a public service which cannot be privatized. If water is privatized and marketed, we cannot guarantee water for all. We must also develop clean and ecological energy sources if we are to save the planet, humankind and life. We will work against the desecration of our Mother Earth and all of her creatures with the power of insight and our love of Creation. The Earth cannot be seen only as a resource. We respect nature, honour our Mother Earth and acknowledge the laws of nature as the highest laws. Evo Morales Ayma, President of Bolivia, paraphrased from Ten Commandments to Save the Planet, Humankind and Life. Address to the United Nations Forum on Indigenous Issues, 2008

Water Is Life A landscape without water: summer drought in the Alentejo

“Water is not a chemical formula, but a central organ in the biosphere that contains practically all the secrets of the universe. All living structures have come from the forms of motion of water. Water contains the patterns of all life possibilities that have been actualized, and maybe also of those that have not yet been actualized. Water constitutes a special state of universal life, within which the world of light and that of matter touch each other and connect. Water therefore has qualities that go against all physical rules, especially when it forms vortices, when it flows upward within subterranean channels, or when it produces unknown forces of levitation in the middle of waterfalls. The mysteries surrounding water have not been solved yet, and they are only now being recognized. But we already know that in a future world culture, the human being’s whole way of living will be connected to the laws of water in a new way. In all areas, cooperation with nature is at the same time cooperation with water.” From The Sacred Matrix by Dieter Duhm

The evolving water landscape of Tamera in spring 2010

Barbara Kovats, coordinator of the Tamera SolarVillage project:

Water Is Life

“The landscape of Tamera is typical of Portugal and Southern Europe, both in its beauty and the extent of ecological damage that has occurred here. Natural ecological regeneration on this site can and will give direction and inspiration for the whole of the region.”

Silke Paulick, coordinator of Tamera´s ecology team: “When I walk through Tamera today, I can already see the first glimpses of our vision taking shape: a landscape flourishing in its vitality, an abundant diversity of flora and fauna, a well-designed interplay of elements, a living space radiating health, a land whose abundance can nourish all of its inhabitants. I recognize the desire of many people today to actively participate in the development of our world. This is also part of the motivation for our work to create a place where one can see, sense and learn how life could be lived in harmony with nature, and how human intervention can create power and health in nature. The term 'sustainability' gains meaning through the experience of being able as a human to support life in all of its complexity.”

Sepp Holzer, permaculture expert: “Holzer's Permaculture is large-scale landscape design: correcting the mistakes of the past, enabling mutualistic symbioses, letting nature work, reconstructing cycles.”

Water Is Life

The waterlily pond in the Valley Garden

A model settlement of the future should be well-integrated into healthy natural surroundings. For this we need to interact and communicate well with our co-creatures. Ecology is the outer expression of a human settlement. It encompasses contact between humans, animals, plants and natural elements. A decisive aspect of a healthy ecology is water. Tamera is developing a model project for natural water management and the natural regeneration of damaged landscapes - for Southern Europe and worldwide.

WATER IS LIFE The human body is approximately 70% water, and approximately 70% of the surface of planet Earth is covered with water. No human being, no animal and no plant can survive without water. Just as the blood vessels in the human body supply every organ with blood, fine underground watercourses in the body of the earth supply every pore of the healthy soil with water. The earth body is a huge water reserve. A landscape whose natural water budget has been disturbed is suffering. If it fully dries out, it becomes a desert. “How silly – how distant from nature – can the human being become!” asks Sepp Holzer, concerning global water management. Rainwater is treated as waste. Huge dams and deep wells suck the water away from vast areas. Canalization and drainage systems, clearcutting and concrete channels rob the land of its water. Flora becomes impoverished through overgrazing and monoculture. The depleted vegetation can no longer shade the soil from exposure to the sun, and when the temperature of the soil is higher than that of falling rainwater, the rain is no longer absorbed. The rain washes off and the earth hardens. The earth can now no longer absorb the winter rains. The water flows into artificially straightened rivers and canals. It becomes 'angry', overflows its banks and causes floods and destruction. Sepp Holzer: “If there is too much water in winter and too little in summer, humans have made a mistake.” Socalled natural catastrophes are actually the result of human oversights. Riverbanks are built ever-higher, and attempts to control, imprison and canalize water become ever more desperate. These are all attempts to treat symptoms, postponing the problem but not solving it.

Water Is Becoming a Commodity Every human should have the right to water. But 1.1 billion people on this Earth do not have access to clean drinking water. This is indefensible. Changing this situation must become a political issue of the highest order. But the opposite is taking place: where supplies are low, brokers and traders appear. Water is becoming a commodity. Water rights are taken from farmers, wells

Since 2007, Tamera has been building a water landscape in conjunction with the Austrian hill-farmer and permaculture specialist Sepp Holzer. This water landscape will serve as a model that shows how severely damaged landscapes can be restored to their original, healthy, natural state. In place of the dusty road which was here a couple of years ago, there are now lakes, pools and retention ponds. Where there were gardens which were too wet in the spring and too dry in the summer, there is now an abundance of fruit and vegetables growing on the lakeside terraces throughout the year. And this is only the beginning. A complete water landscape is planned, including more than ten retention ponds for rainwater. By then it will imbue the soil with sufficient water to enable forest growth. Many visitors are already coming to see the current state of the permaculture water landscape. Specialists in water engineering, professors and conservationists from the whole of Portugal and further afield are following the developments attentively. Many of them see this as a viable recipe for the prevention of desertification.

Winter rain that cannot soak into the earth washes fertile soil into the valleys, rivers and oceans. All that is left is sand and stone. Trees die, forests burn and more and more farmers give up their farms. More than 80 percent of the population of Portugal lives in cities and on the coast; more than 80 percent of food is imported. This is happening in a fertile country, blessed with sun and water. We have to take action before it is too late. The time is now. It is still possible to take effective action to reverse desertification. Holzer: “Building retention ponds is the most important action one can take to heal sick trees, regenerate damaged landscapes and halt the advance of the desert. The body of the earth must fill with water. Then the springs will flow again and the biotopes will regain their fertility.”

Water Is Life

are nationalized, water rights are transferred to multinational companies, and water is chemically preserved, packaged and transported worldwide. This does not correspond to the actual being of water. A living being cannot be 'preserved'. “Only one of the characteristics that make water so valuable remains: it is wet,” says Holzer. In the Middle Ages, well-poisoning was a crime punishable by death. Present-day humankind poisons and contaminates water globally. Wars are already being fought over water. The question of water may be decisive for the future of humankind. When will we start to cooperate with water as the living being that it actually is?

Creating Tamera´s water landscape: a measure to prevent desertification

Encroaching Drama: Desertification in Southern Europe Southern Europe is one focal point of a global process. Every year it becomes clearer that the region is becoming a desert. Why is there no collective outcry over this message? Wake up! Take care! Our land, our Mother Earth is dying! What will we eat in the future? Where will we find water? But there is no wake-up call. The changes in Southern Europe are taking place too gradually to alarm most people. And so the drama runs its course: Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece suffer worsening summer droughts.

HOW DESERTIFICATION CAN BE PREVENTED

Planting the Valley-Garden Lake with reeds and waterlilies

“No, a water landscape is not the same as a reservoir. It is precisely the opposite. The water is not taken out of the earth body and collected centrally, but instead retained in a decentralized way so that the earth body can recharge with water.” Sepp Holzer has answered this question many times. The resolute hill-farmer has gained the title 'The Rebel Farmer' by insisting on his unusual methods. Success has proved him right. Starting with his own farm in the Austrian Alps, he has restored huge areas to their natural vitality in Scotland, Russia, Spain, South America and, in recent years, Portugal. “The drought in this country is no natural catastrophe,” he says, “it is the result of wrong agricultural techniques. Mismanagement of water, deforestation, overgrazing and monocultures lead to desertification.”

When the Austrian is driving through the Alentejo, there are many things that he can hardly bear: “What I see here, hurts. The landscape has been destroyed and the soil and the plants are exposed to the sun and wind. No animal feels well here. And as a farmer I would also feel totally lost here. The soil has been washed away as a result of overgrazing, and only inferior grasses still grow. The farmers give up, the children go to the cities, and the most beautiful farms fall into ruin. The land falls into the hands of speculators and is finally abandoned completely. But Portugal could be a rich country if people relearn how to read the book of nature.” Holzer knows an alternative. He has designed and implemented it many times, in many places. Water is always at the core of his work. Where there is rain only at specific times of the year, the landowner has to learn to

Portugal, with its varied landscape formations, its wealth of water and its warmth, is a perfect match for agriculture in harmony with nature. Tamera is developing its water landscape as a model to show this. Already, it amazes visitors. Lakes and ponds nestle into the hilly landscape. On the terraces around the shores are young fruit trees. Mixed cultures of vegetables, lettuces and corn grow in raised beds protected from the sun by sunflowers. After his first visit to Tamera in March 2007, Holzer drafted a plan: a model project for the natural regeneration of the landscape, for large-scale production of healthy food and for natural reforestation. An edible landscape with retention ponds, pools and lakes was to be created, in which wild animals would also find food and protection. Three years later, the lakeside terraces and raised beds supply the co-workers and guests of the community with healthy food. Tamera gardener Silke Klüver: “We are now harvesting more fruit and vegetables around the shores than we were previously able to harvest in the entire garden. And the summer interruption in the growing season is no longer necessary.” The many visitors have the feeling that the lakes have always been there. “When it looks natural, it has been done correctly,” Sepp Holzer emphasizes. “Square or round ponds are a mistake. Water is a living being. It has to be able to move to remain alive and healthy.” The forms of the lake – its flat thickly-vegetated shores, different depths and flowing forms – all support the water in its own movement and therefore its own power to cleanse itself. Dust and soil are washed by wind and waves into the shallow zones where they are used by aquatic plants as natural fertilizer. With its varied microclimate, the water landscape offers a new living space for wild animals and plants. The original flora and fauna return to the region: otters have been sighted, water birds use the new living spaces, and turtles and other amphibious animals find a home.

Water Is Life

keep it on the land. Not in giant reservoirs, but on the contrary across many decentralized retention ponds, following the pattern of nature. “Water is capital. Someone who works the land and lets the winter rain flow away is letting his wealth disappear unnoticed.”

Building the clay core of the dam

The permaculture teacher and peace-activist Starhawk, from the USA, was impressed during her visit: “Only someone who lives in a summer-dry climate can imagine the churning mixture of inspiration and sheer envy that filled me while walking the paths that meander between the beautiful series of lakes and ponds.” Visitors always want to know how the ponds are sealed to make them watertight. “Concrete or other lining materials are absolutely unnecessary,” Sepp Holzer answers. Only the dam must be waterproof, and that is done by using a dense core of clay. Bernd Müller, leading co-worker of the permaculture project: “The lake is not meant to be fully watertight. The water is meant to slowly soak into the soil.” The earth body has now absorbed enough water that he and his team can start mixed-species reforestation. Bernd Müller: “Imagine that one thousand landowners in the Alentejo decided to build such water landscapes. Not only nature would recover. Many people would find a new basis for their livelihoods. The Alentejo would be revitalized.”

WHO IS SEPP HOLZER? Sepp Holzer was born in 1942 in Austria, to a hill-farming family. From an early age he experienced the processes of nature with the wakeful curiosity of a child. And in his contact with animals and plants, by the water and in the biotopes he created, he found more coherent answers to his questions than he found in school. The paradise which he discovered there on a small scale, the interaction of living beings, the abundance, the variety of symbioses, have remained the measure for his cooperation with nature to this very day. Holzer became a scientist in the truest meaning of the word: he did not blindly believe what he was told, but researched until he found answers which really satisfied him. But the knowledge he found contradicted his parents and teachers. He took a radical decision and has remained faithful to it to this day: he decided to become a full cooperation partner with nature and to take on the lifetask of recreating an ecological paradise on Earth. Conflicts were unavoidable. In all areas – politics, agriculture, social life, science – the world created by mankind has taken an opposite line of development to that of nature. To remain faithful to himself and his knowledge, he became the 'Rebel Farmer'. Those who know Holzer experience his authentic compassion for all that lives. He cannot bear social injustice, cruelty to animals or destructive stupidity in dealings with nature. He cannot just ignore the global destruction of nature which he perceives in many countries, or the loss of humaneness, global starvation, poverty and suffering. He never hesitates to take a stand for life and to name injustices. He never shys away from a conflict, yet never remains stuck in mere accusation. Equipped with enormous energy, willpower and a wakeful intelligence, he is always looking for the alternative that benefits both humans and nature. He often receives these solutions in his dreams, when the spirit reconnects to original harmony and can access knowledge higher than the mind alone can perceive. Many of the principles which he discovers are so universal that they are applicable not only to growing healthy food, but also have a wider validity across many areas of life. At the youthful age of nineteen, Holzer took over his family farm, the Krameterhof, which today comprises 45 hectares of land, at an altitude of between 1100 and 1500 metres above sea level. Here he started to implement the knowledge he had gained through observing nature. Soon there were conflicts with neighbours, the authorities and the law. But he always found a way forward, supported by his wife Veronika. While other farmers

planted spruce monocultures, he planted fruit trees and mixed forest, and sowed ancient varieties of grain. When the authorities gave the order to poison pests, he tried to understand what would bring the system back into balance. Whereas others tried to channel water away from the land as quickly as possible, he created dozens of ponds to retain it. And all of this on precipitous slopes! When he built terraces over the whole of his land, his neighbours considered him to be insane. But Holzer was successful. People started to pay attention to his unusual methods. Increasing numbers of visitors arrived. University professors, journalists and experts asked how it was possible to achieve such success. How can it be possible to grow cherries, potatoes and even kiwi fruit in the Alps, while neighbouring farmers are giving up and the forests are dying? Television documentaries and books followed. Today, the Krameterhof is a living demonstration of cooperation between humans, animals, plants and nature which attracts thousands of visitors each year. With his public profile growing, Holzer's sphere of influence is also increasing. Since passing his farm on to his son, he now advises landowners and projects worldwide, across varied climate zones, and educates many people in his way of permaculture. Since 2007 he has accompanied Tamera in the creation of the water landscape and has held seminars here each year. The shared wish is that this cooperation will lead to the establishment of an institute in Tamera for Holzer-style permaculture.

What Is Holzer's Permaculture? Holzer's methods resemble the permaculture developed in Australia by the biologists Bill Mollison and David Holmgern. Many people had the wish that he express this similarity by naming his techniques Holzer´s Permaculture. But differences also became evident, especially as Holzer also offers solutions for the challenges of larger areas and extreme situations, and uses excavators and other heavy machinery to implement them. “When you see that huge mistakes have been made over generations, such as land-clearance projects, river regulation, or drainage systems built with huge machines, then we should not think that we can repair the damage with a spade. Every day many thousands of people on this planet starve. A quarter of the global farmland is lost. Small steps are not enough anymore. We have to take big steps, but this time in cooperation with nature.” His guideline is applicable to all situations: “Put yourself in the place of the other, into the place of the cow, the pig,

Water Is Life Seminar in Tamera with Sepp Holzer

the earthworm, the sunflower. Yes, also into the place of the person in front of you. Would you feel good in their place, in their situation? If not, then find out what is not right, because then you have to change something. When all beings feel good, they work best for you and for the whole.â&#x20AC;?

Some Principles of Holzer's Permaculture: Together is better than alone: mutualistic symbioses Plants in monocultures are in competition for light, water and nutrients. This leads to permanent stress, making them prone to disease. Addiction to chemical fertilizer or chemical pest control are the results. In contrast, the highly productive areas of nature are biotopes with a wide variety of species, often found in fringe zones, on the edge of forests or on the shoreline. The same situation occurs when mixed cultures are planted. The greater the variety, the more stable the biotope. Symbioses, which have not yet been deeply researched scientifically, arise between the different plants and animals. These include the reciprocal supply of nutrients and mutual protection from sun, wind and herbivores.

Guiding, not fighting When an imbalance occurs, Holzer does not ask how to eradicate a pest, but rather what led to the overpopulation. Where did I make a mistake? Can I use the so-called pest? Do all receive enough, the beings of nature as well as the human being? Overpopulation is always an indicator of a mistake in the overall system. Often the living space of the organism has been destroyed, or it has been attacked by pesticides. Then it is the task of the gardener to recreate a natural living space for the organism. Economy and ecology: using nature without exploitation Holzer: â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you have land, you should fully use it, and not leave it lying fallow. It is our responsibility to do something with what has been given to us.â&#x20AC;? For Sepp Holzer, economy and ecology, agriculture and protection of nature do not contradict one another. All who know how to live from the abundance of nature will also nourish nature. They will maintain biotopes instead of destroying them.

Sepp Holzer

www.krameterhof.at

TAMERA AT THE LAKE By Sepp Holzer

In March 2007 I was invited to Tamera for a consultation. The question was whether it would be possible to create a model site for the production of healthy food for 300 people in an area of 130 hectares of dry landscape in Southern Portugal. In brief, my answer was “Yes, easily.” Such beautiful and fertile land should be able to produce more food than the inhabitants need, so that they can sell the surplus, or leave it for the wild animals. I immediately saw that the summer droughts suffered in Portugal are not a natural phenomenon, but rather the result of decades, if not centuries, of wrong agricultural practices. The annual rainfall is not much less than that of Germany, but it is concentrated in the winter.

Use Without Abuse In my consultations I always ask myself what I would do if I were the owner of this land. How would I intervene or act so that I could live well here as quickly as possible and so that I could use the resources of nature that are found here? I very consciously say use – not abuse, or overuse. You must not be greedy and overuse nature. Instead one must use it, and in all my consultations I try to show what is possible so that nature can work for me or for the owners.

Lake 1 after the first rain, 2007

In Tamera I walked over the whole site with a group of about thirty people. All of the important decision makers were part of that walk. During the walk I was already giving my suggestions. The most important thing is the water. Tamera was dry and dusty. The water was flowing down the creek, if it was flowing at all, which was only when it was raining. If not, the creek was dry and the surroundings were brown. The forest here was very sick. I had already seen that this was the case not only in Tamera. On the drive here I had seen that the forests, the cork oaks, holm oaks, and pines, were all in very poor condition. I have seen this in many different countries all around the world, including Portugal. I took the condition of the forest in Tamera and in the neighbourhood as a factor in my consultation. I also considered the steppe, the monocultures and the animal husbandry in Portugal, and I immediately had the idea that the Tamera Peace Community should create an exemplary pilot project. Its task would be to offer the neighbourhood and the whole country an example of a true alternative. But for that, they would have to take big steps.

At first my suggestions were considered to be too drastic. But I did not concede. Based on my experience in many other projects, including projects in other dry areas all over the world, I made it clear that for the work to be useful and meaningful it should be of exemplary quality. The suggested project of the water landscape, if it is really meant to work, must be implemented as a whole, according to the contours of the site. Anything less would create a landscape of small stagnant ponds, not a working natural design in the sense of landscape aesthetics. Water is a living being and must be able to move, otherwise it dies and festers. The majority of the decision makers were very positive, even enthusiastic, and after the summer high season, the project started. I had observed that a road led from the entrance to the grounds through the middle of the village. It was the lowest point of the site, and the public road was made from clay and earth. For most of the year, whenever a car passed by it raised a huge dust cloud. The exception was the rainy season, when there was so much mud it was almost impassible. I have seen this situation all over Europe. At the lowest point there is always this road, and next to it, houses are built. When the heavy rains come in the short rainy season, there is flood damaage to the street and houses.

Nature Shows Us How It Works Nature itself shows us how to do better. The lowest points of the landscape belong to the water. So my suggestion was to build natural dams, starting right at the entrance. Behind them, the rainwater can collect. Tamera has a huge water catchment area of several hundred hectares and 500 to 600 millimetres of rain per year.

You cannot imagine the amount of water that arrives here. You actually cannot call this land dry. I was sure that despite the apparent drought, the lake would fill. And not only the first lake, but several. That was my suggestion from the very beginning: a water landscape of at least ten retention ponds and lakes. The most important action one can take to protect drought-prone areas from desertification is to create enough retention spaces for the rainwater. When creating a water landscape one must take care that the curving dams are located at the naturally occurring narrow points on the site, to keep building costs low and to cooperate with nature instead of forcing lakes to develop in inappropriate places. The natural shape of the landscape is not changed. The lakes are not additionally excavated, except for the deep zones. The natural contours fill with water. Because the design of the water landscape corresponds to the contours, natural retention ponds and lakes develop and collect the rainwater.

Water Is Life

An Exemplary Project for Southern Europe

Decentralized water retention spaces raise the groundwater level so that neighbouring areas can regenerate. In this landscape of low hills, there is also no danger of landslides, so regulation of the water budget can take place from below and not from above with sprinklers. I also pointed out that water surfaces can be highly productive economic areas. Areas of water can be of higher value than agricultural land. They can be used for fishing, water plant cultivation, organic poultry farming, keeping water buffalo, and also for environmentally sensitive tourism and sports.

EditorÂ´s note: Tamera seeks ways to use the water landscape which are economically productive and serve the landscape and the biotope without killing animals.

One of Tamera's co-workers often gives visitors a beautiful calculation task: If the annual rainfall in Tamera were collected into containers of one cubic metre each, and arranged into a line, how far would the line reach? Until the next village, five kilometres away? To the next small town, Odemira? Or would it even reach across the whole Iberian peninsula, to Barcelona? The last answer is the correct one!

MY DREAM: A NEW WATER MANAGEMENT MODEL FOR THE WORLD By Bernd M端ller, project leader for the Tamera water landscape

systems in which rainwater is collected and kept in spaces that correspond to its being and support its forms of movement. Here it creates life and can further vitalize and mineralize. The form of our lakes is not arbitrary. We observed the water. How does this being want to move? Which forms of shoreline does it like? Which temperature and which differences in temperature does it like? Does it like waves? All of these aspects were part of our work. The water in this rainwater retention lake made from natural materials is in full contact with its surroundings and Mother Earth.

How Can Nature Be Healed? Tamera can no longer be imagined without its water landscape. Everyone who walks around the site enjoys the abundance of plants. Those who can imagine the pathways which will develop when the fruit trees have grown, or the coming carpets of water lilies that will grow here one day, already know the full beauty of the water landscape.

Bernd M端ller working on the core of the dam

During my studies, I learned that water is H2O. But it has to be more than this. I feel the differences. Water from a mountain spring is not the same once I have led it through a system of pipes or trapped it in a cistern. So I came to know that water is a living being, with whom I first have to get into contact. What is the real nature of water? How do I interact with it in such a way that it remains in its full energy and vitality and can support me in a way that corresponds to its character? On this research journey, I got to know Sepp Holzer. He said that if water is a living being, then we have to treat it as such. We should no longer isolate it in plastic tanks or cisterns, where it loses its vitality. Instead we must recognize its being and treat it accordingly. Holzer has made this approach the basis of his work. This is visible in the example of our water landscape and its implementation. The aim is to create decentralized

And still, it is not just about creating one or two beautiful lakes. By making these first lakes we have learned how to deal with water. Now comes the next question: how can we heal nature? Portugal and the whole of the Iberian Peninsula are in a rapid process of desertification. Can we contribute something to preventing this, and to making paradise visible again? We can see the first glimpses of paradise here in Tamera, but if we look at the whole of the Alentejo, this is not enough. We have to go further, not by building one huge central reservoir, but by building an extensive water landscape to collect rainwater. Individual retention ponds can be somewhat larger or smaller. The most important aspect is that they do not isolate the water from the earth. It is important that they have the right forms so that the water can move and stay alive. And it is important that there are many, because then the earth body will become permeated with water and the goal is reached: nature comes back to life again, and the forests can regrow. When we built Lake 1, many people could not believe that it would ever fill with water. But over the winter of 2009 to 2010, we had enough rain to fill it five times over! The water continued to flow out of the lake into the creeks and channels, where still it led to floods. This is why we continue. We want to demonstrate with this model that by building water retention spaces it is

Desert or Rainforest: A Model for Many Climate Zones This model is valid not only in Southern Europe. The principle of decentralized water landscapes is valid across many climate zones. There are canyons and wadis in the desert which are dry for years, but when it rains once, a flood washes away the little soil that had developed, and life disappears again for years. The reason for this is also wrong water management. Even in the desert it is possible to collect rainwater so that it has time to slowly enter the earth body and create life. The same is true in the tropical rainforest, for example in South America. Recently I was in Colombia. Where the forest has been cleared, water rushes down the slopes taking roads with it. Then it is channelled into huge concrete drainage systems, which transfers the problem

to villages further downstream. The water carries a lot of soil with it and the rivers become muddy and dirty. When the rivers broaden out, the soil settles, leading to floods which kill many people year after year. Water retention ponds could also solve problems here. Floods, droughts, mudslides and canyons â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the problem exists worldwide. But there is a solution. And for that we are developing a model here, so that people can understand it and implement it according to their particular situations.

Water Is Life

possible to heal a landscape like the Alentejo, stop desertification and reawaken a paradise of abundance and variety.

A New Pioneer Project: Living Drinking Water through a Ring Duct System The ring duct system of Tamera is a project that will be a model for the supply of fresh living drinking water to communities. Sepp Holzer envisioned this system during a visit to Tamera, and its first implementation has been started here. The basic idea is that water which is in movement remains vital and alive. After a review by engineers and specialists, work on the ring duct project was started. From a first, gourd-shaped ceramic tank located under high ground, fresh high-quality spring water will flow downhill, passing by all places where it is needed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; houses, bathrooms and kitchens â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and onward to a second tank lying slightly lower. Whether water is taken from the system or not, it always remains in movement.

Diagram of the ring-duct planned for Tamera

From the second tank the water will be pumped back to the first. Within the ring system itself, the downward slope gives the necessary water pressure without the need for pumping. All water taps connected to the ring duct will supply clean living drinking water. Simple as it is, the ring duct may be a revolutionary innovation: a model for the supply of drinking water in peace villages and municipalities.

BUILDING WATER RETENTION SPACES

The model to naturally regenerate the landscape consists of three phases or levels: rainwater storage, the planting of food in the form of edible landscapes, and mixed-species reforestation.

Excavating the Valley-Garden Lake

“The valleys belong to the water,” says Sepp Holzer. In this he disagrees with many national reforestation programs. As many hilltops are already dry, trees are often planted in the valleys. But if the water budget is not corrected, the valleys will become as dry and infertile as the hills. If instead, retention ponds are located in the valleys, soaking the earth body with water, capillary action will raise the water table and bring fertility to the surrounding hills. Many factors must be taken into account when building a water landscape: annual rainfall, water catchment area, the geological strata of the area, the contour lines, prevailing wind direction, the necessary width of the terraces, and the planned access paths, roads and infrastructure. But the most important factor is the natural form of the landscape. Nature itself shows where the water retention ponds belong.

The construction site of Lake 1 in autumn 2007

Before the excavators started their work in Tamera, the animals were informed. Meditations and rituals were held to inform the land's existing natural inhabitants of the intended work. This practice is part of peacework with nature. The public road which had run through the valley was moved up the slope. Terraces were built around the future lake. A bridge was constructed and cables for electricity, internet and telephone were laid in tubes. An earth dam was built at the narrowest and lowest point of the valley in an organic curved form to integrate visually with the landscape. A ditch five metres deep was dug and filled with dense clay to make a waterproof core. At each end of the dam this waterproof core reaches into the slopes. The clay core is covered with sloping banks of soil with inclines not greater than 1:2, which are sown with plants. The material for the dam is removed from the area of the future lake, simultaneously creating a deep zone, which in the case of Lake 1 is 12.5 metres deep. The layers of soil which are removed are not mixed: the fertile topsoil is used for agriculture and the clay for the dam.

New Year´s Day 2010: The lake is full

Shaping the Retention Ponds To get a feeling for the life of the water one should sit overlooking the lake at different times of the day and observe the water surface. It is always in movement. It breathes like a marathon runner, and swirls of mist rise playfully. Then a breeze moves over the surface and creates a shiver. Schools of tiny fish raise ripples and bubbles by the shallow shores, and an occasional turtle raises its head out of the water. Water is a living being which loves to expand and stretch and roll over lazily in its bed, if its bed is shaped appropriately. A living being that cannot move, dies. Water that cannot move properly festers and starts to smell. But if it can move it remains fresh and clear and continually cleanses itself. The form of the lake should support the following three basic water movements: Waves: Waves bring oxygen into the lake. Oxygen is essential for the microorganisms which are responsible for the self-cleansing effect. Lakes should be built with their longest axis aligned with the wind to allow waves to form. The wind washes floating material to the downwind shore where it is received as nutrients by the water plants growing there and gradually used for their growth.

Meanders: The shores should not be straight but meandering to support the movement of the water. Recirculation: The third form of water movement occurs through recirculation caused by temperature differences: the so-called convection effect. Steep and shallow shores, different plant densities and deliberately placed stones create differences in temperature. The greater the variety of habitats, the greater the variety of flora and fauna. The greater the variety of fish, insects, snails and crustaceans, the more stable the ecological balance in and around the lake, and the more independent the whole system becomes from fertilizer or other additional needs.

Water Is Life

Work should always be finished by autumn. The winter and spring rain collects in the area behind the dam. At first the water sinks into the ground and fills unseen reservoirs in the earth body. Then the lake or pond starts to form and fills the landscape. Further sealing is not necessary.

The marble and granite rocks in and around the water landscape of Tamera are not only an aesthetic design feature but are intended to create microclimate zones. During the night they radiate the warmth of the day into their surroundings, helping plants which are sensitive to low temperatures to survive and flourish. The water level of the lake drops considerably during the first summers because of evaporation. But once there is enough water in the earth body it can return from there into the lake and the water level will become more constant through the year. A water landscape with many retention ponds holds water in the earth under and between the ponds. When the earth body is fully charged with water everything feels well â&#x20AC;&#x201C; plants, animals and the human being.

Sketch for the Valley-Garden Lake

EDIBLE LANDSCAPES The phrase 'edible landscape' sounds seductive – it suggests walks on which you can nibble left and right on an abundance of apples, apricots and radishes. But this is only one part of the concept. An edible landscape in this sense means that we create a biotope of intensive and extensive mixed cultures of trees, vegetables, fruit, flowers, medicinal plants and companion plants. Some elements of edible landscapes:

Creating a hill-bed with international seminar participants

Hill-Beds: A hill-bed is a steeply sloping high-bed without surrounding walls, and is part of the 'basic equipment' of Holzer's Permaculture, as it can support the cultivation of all kinds of vegetable in almost any climate. Hill-beds offer several advantages. They offer increased surface area with various microclimate zones. When the organic material from which they are built rots, heat is produced, as well as natural fertilizer, and particularly during the winter and spring when other areas are still too wet or cold, hill-beds can already provide a harvest. Terraces and Irrigation: The earth on the lakeside terraces is moist as it is close to the water, so the amount of irrigation can be reduced. If irrigation is necessary, living water can be taken from the next-highest lake. Layered Cultivation: Mixed cultures are meant to complement and protect each other. Plants of different sizes – for example radish and lettuce closest to the ground, then courgette, peas, beans and cabbages growing through and over them, then sweetcorn and sunflowers – form a plant community which uses the nutrients and sunlight to full advantage. Companion plants such as legumes and root vegetables to loosen the soil are always added. Poisonous plants such as foxglove improve the health of the soil.

Sunflower seed harvest

Medicinal garden as part of a comprehensive concept for medicinal autonomy for peace villages

Fruits: Some thousands of fruit trees and berry bushes have been planted around the lakeshores of Tamera. The first apples, mirabelle plums and cherries have already been harvested. Trees which were grown from seed are particularly robust. A tree nursery is an integral part of such a permaculture project as it is almost impossible to buy trees grown from seed. Seed Autonomy: Plants in edible landscapes should reproduce themselves naturally. Hybrid plants are not suitable for this. The ecology team has started to produce the seeds necessary for this themselves, through which they also contribute to the important global task of maintaining regional varieties. The seeds of selected plants are allowed to ripen in the seed garden and across the whole permaculture area, and are then collected, dried and stored. “The best plant from the worst soil gives the best seed,” says Holzer, based on his many years of experience. It is a wonderful opportunity to observe how nature works when you collect the seeds of cabbages, tomatoes or potatoes and sow them again: you will find yellow tomatoes, purple potatoes, green cauliflower and many other games of nature, all vital, tasty vegetables that do not correspond to our visual expectations.

Regional Food Autonomy as an Opportunity for the Future of Agriculture: Many farmers in Portugal simply give up, just as in many other countries. To find a sustainable future for agriculture, new concepts must be developed: ecological concepts for the healing of the landscape and water budget, and social and economic concepts in which farmers work directly with the regional community. For a healthy economy and healthy nature, more food should be produced at the places where it is needed. Tamera is developing a model for regional food self-sufficiency: In cooperation with neighbours, organic farms and small-scale producers of the Alentejo, a supply network for regionally produced food is developing. The farmers produce to order, so that their income is secured independently from market fluctuations; the surplus is sold. In this way communities and villages can become more economically independent.

Freedom from Complicity Almost all products from the supermarket are part of a system under which animals or humans suffer. Everything bought there makes one an accomplice of this system. Even though it is difficult to step out of this, Tamera as a community is deciding more and more to refrain from buying these products. This means that wherever possible, if not produced in Tamera's own garden, food is bought from regional farmers, organic agriculture, or ecological fair-trade sources. In compassion to animals and as an expression of nonviolence, Tamera has adopted a vegetarian, mainly vegan diet, usually not using cheese, eggs or milk. The cooks aim to prepare food in a way that nothing is missing. Only biodegradable toiletries are used in Tamera. A resident: “It is not about refraining from pleasure. It is about building a life in which one knows more and more what one is doing, without having to close one's heart.”

Water Is Life

Bees are an important and necessary element of every biotope. The production of honey is only one small part of their work. The children of Tamera love to support the honey harvest.

Holzer: “After some seasons one variety stabilizes from this process. This is the variety that is optimally adapted to your soil and climate.” Producing seeds has been a task specific to each region since the beginning of agriculture. Every region had its special rye, potatoes and herbs. This was lost with the rise of global agroindustry. It was not only a loss of variety, taste and originality, but also the loss of biological variety and genetic material for the food production of the future. A global movement to save seed varieties has started. Anyone can support it: peace villages, self-sufficient settlements, organic farms, and also owners of small gardens. Aquaculture is an ecologically necessary and economically worthwhile extension of gardening. Fish, crustaceans and water and shore plants are an essential part of the ecological balance. Many of these, such as water lilies, offer interesting and novel sales possibilities. The art of keeping fish is to find the balance between predatory and non-predatory fish. Shore plants and different depths of water provide a nursery and protected space for young fish. Tamera does not sell fish as food, but in the future could offer fish to the new water landscapes which will hopefully arise in the region.

weg

The cork oaks in the Alentejo are dying in great numbers

MIXED SPECIES REFORESTATION Every landscapes needs a self-sustaining cover of vegetation. If the forest dies, it triggers a chain reaction of ecological destruction: the rain stops falling, the hot soil changes the climate, and thermal changes lead to new wind phenomena, extreme weather and storms. The forest in Portugal, as in many other countries, has been decimated. In addition to forest clearances in the distant past and in more recent history, many oak and pine trees have died. Reforestation with monocultures, especially using the 'water-stealing' eucalyptus, has not helped. A healthy forest is a mixed forest: a forest with oaks, chestnuts, fruit trees, nut trees and some pines and other conifers can heal a landscape.

Sudden Oak Death: It Is Not the Trees Which Are Diseased, but Humans Why do the cork oaks die? Is it really because of a pathogen? Farmers in Spain and Portugal are advised, sometimes even ordered, to chemically treat trees to protect them from the symptoms. Holzer: “When I see that, I think: it's not the trees that are diseased, but humans. And the name of the disease is greed. What really causes the death of these trees? Firstly, monocultures which use the soil in an imbalanced

way. And then overgrazing which compacts the earth. The vegetation becomes poorer and the soil is washed away by the winter rains, exposing the roots of the trees ever more each year. The tree panics. The tips of its branches become dry and scrawny. This is its cry for help. A tree dies from the outside in. If the cork harvest is too hasty or too extensive it damages the cambium, the layer under the bark which transports water. Fungus enters the damaged areas. The tree's vitality is already low due to stress and it cannot defend itself against the fungus. How much should a tree have to put up with? It can't just leave. Then the beetles come, then the ants. And then it is too late. The large trees here are beyond saving, but one can and must use them as protection to grow new trees.”

Pigs as Co-Workers for Reforestation The water landscape in Tamera is starting to fill the earth body with water to the extent that the ecology team can start mixed-species reforestation, at first on experimental plots. New 'co-workers' are being employed for this: pigs. Their task is to do what they most love to do, to root through the soil, fertilizing it and opening it up. “Pigs have a built-in plough at the front, and produce fertilizer at the back,” says Holzer, smiling. “If I direct them well I do not have to plough an inaccessible stony field

Seeds in great variety can now be sown into the opened soil – companion plants, fodder plants and finally trees. Pigs are almost the only way to restore very large areas back to their original natural state. An experimental area in Tamera is currently being worked by pigs. To support them to become effective co-workers, the pigs are not fed in troughs. Their food, ideally Jerusalem artichoke, corn, peas, lentils and lupins soaked in milk products or fat, is strewn widely over the area which should be ploughed. Blackberry and other bushes are no obstacle for pigs. When searching for their enticing food, they will plough any soil to a depth of 20 to 30 centimetres. If the intention is reforestation, one mixes the seeds of the trees which are meant to grow here into the food – fruit trees, deciduous trees and companion plants. The pigs will plough some of the seeds under. Some they will eat. Seeds which pass through the stomach of a pig become scarified: the layer of the seed which hinders germination is dissolved in the digestive tract of the pig. The seeds exit the pig mixed with excellent fertilizer and will germinate under the best possible conditions. There, in the roughly ploughed earth, filled with organic matter, the new forest starts to take root. At this stage, the pigs must of course not be allowed back onto the area. Holzer has worked with pigs in this way for decades. He mainly uses ancient and rare breeds. They are often more lively and more suitable as co-workers than varieties bred to produce a certain amount of meat. The work with pigs is also a model project for Portugal. It is a slightly adapted form of the traditional montado economy: the extensive use of cork oaks and pigs. In this form of montado, farmers can use not only the cork and the meat (if people still want to eat meat in the future, which is open to question), but also the working power of the animals to restore the land to its original natural state. Agriculture and environmental protection can be combined. Those who see pigs at work and experience their joy will be convinced that this cooperation between humans and animals is also a model for animal husbandry in its original sense.

Water Is Life

using machines – instead I let the pigs do it. Behind them they leave well-fertilized soil, roughly ploughed, on which fruit trees and their own food can grow perfectly.”

The ecology team

INVITATION AND CALL FOR SUPPORT AND COOPERATION The goal of the Tamera ecology team is that Sepp Holzer's work becomes known and that many people – engineers, farmers and also non-specialists – may learn and understand that the land can be healed. For some years already, there have been open days several times a year with tours through the water landscape and the chance to ask questions. These days are used by interested people, specialists and families from all over Portugal to get to know Tamera and its projects. To allow a deeper understanding, seminars are held and an education program with Holzer is offered within the framework of the Global Campus. We intend to develop an institute for Holzer's Permaculture here in Tamera. The high level of interest in this country shows how much this is called for. Together with committed environmentalists, specialists and handson workers, we want to create a force to return the original power of nature to the land. Only together will we be able to halt desertification and make the land green again. May it succeed! Silke Paulick solarvillage@tamera.org

Tamera Website - Ecology www.tamera.org 43

Chapter III

The

Solar Village

Solar Intelligence for the Twenty-First Century

J체rgen Kleinw채chter in the Energy Greenhouse

FROM THE ILLUSION OF SCARCITY TO THE REALITY OF ABUNDANCE

But the scarcity is an illusion. There is no scarcity of energy, but rather scarcity of human freedom and imagination to perceive the abundance – from solar energy to free energy. Models for the future have the task of researching how alternative energy sources can be used – decentrally, sustainably and in cooperation with nature. The poor regions of the world today could soon be the wealthy. Their wealth of solar radiation provides good perspectives for the future. The Alentejo could become a Mecca for innovative solar research. The transition into a solar age will be easier if the appropriate technologies have already been developed at some places to the point where they are ready for use in the field. It is for this purpose that Tamera established the SolarVillage test field: a prototype for the testing of decentralized solar energy systems under the everyday conditions of a village of about 50 people. The results will be used to build a solar village which is autonomous in energy and food, as a research and education site of the Global Campus. At its technological core are the inventions of the physicist and inventor Jürgen Kleinwächter.

SolarVillage

Southern Portugal has the longest sunshine duration in Europe. At the same time the country is the second most oil-dependent in the European Union. This drastic contradiction exists globally: the apparent scarcity of energy is the result of a power-oriented energy economy which condones contamination of the oceans and the fighting of wars over oil.

Paul Gisler, leader of the solar technology research group in Tamera:

SolarVillage

“Every moment the sun radiates onto the Earth fifteen thousand times more energy than the entire energy needs of humankind. The energy of the sun is abundant: we only need to develop the appropriate technology to use it. My dream is that Tamera becomes a 'free-lab' where inventors enter an inspired space where they can learn from and support each other and implement and test their inventions.”

Simon du Vinage, co-worker in the SolarVillage: “Compared with the vision of a solar age as I imagine it, which gives me inspiration, we are still at the very beginning with our experiments in the test field. I see it as like the first attempts at flight 100 years ago compared to today's air traffic. The dream of flight was then as fascinating and seemingly impossible as today's dream of energy in abundance. A globally networked solar energy research project and corresponding education possibilities will also attract young people.”

At the opening of the SolarVillage test field, October 2009

SolarVillage

Barbara Kovats, coordinator of the SolarVillage:

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Earth needs new models for settlements in which the fight amongst humans and the fight between humans and nature is ended effectively and sustainably. An essential contribution to that is research into decentralized energy systems through solar technologies which can be built locally. Decentralized in this context means the creation of regional, relatively selfsufficient subsistence economies which are linked with each other in a new form of networked self-sufficiency. Worldwide exchange amongst such networked self-sufficient economies will give rise to a humane and peaceable globalization.â&#x20AC;?

Charly Rainer Ehrenpreis, chief executive of Ilos: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The experiment takes place with the consent of the local authorities, who are very interested in its development in this region. An exchange of knowledge and cooperation with various universities and polytechnic colleges in Southern Portugal has also started. Some of their students who study in corresponding fields will have part of their practical education in Tamera.

The test-field plaza

IN THE SOLARVILLAGE TEST FIELD

The Energy Greenhouse in the test field

A greenhouse is reflected in a clear lake. Within and in front of the lake there are solar energy systems of various shapes and sizes, forming an inspirational technology park. A machine with a large flywheel pulses like a giant heart. In an open kitchen, people are preparing lunch, cooking using neither gas nor electricity. Here in the heart of Tamera, a mini utopia of decentralized solar energy has been created – the test field for a SolarVillage – which arose from the wish to build a living example to show how a small village of 50 inhabitants can achieve the goal of energy self-sufficiency. This is not a very distant future. In cooperation with Jürgen Kleinwächter, and led by Paul Gisler, the technology team is continuously developing the inventions and optimizing them through everyday use. Sometimes they experience setbacks, but they do not let this stop them. They are guided by the knowledge that energy exists in abundance. Developing an appropriate technology to make this energy accessible for all humans without

monopolization and power struggles is real peacework. In Jürgen Kleinwächter the technology team has found a solar age visionary as a cooperation partner. The centrepiece of his inventions is the machine which now stands gleaming in the sun: a low-temperature Stirling engine, in this case the 'SunPulse Water'. The large solar-driven water pump is in demonstration, running the fountain in the middle of the village plaza. It could become an alternative for the millions of agricultural water pumps which use vast quantities of electricity and fuel. The engine transforms the temperature differences between the heat of the sun and the cool of the shade directly into mechanical energy, without any of the intermediate efficiency losses of electrical generation, transmission and consumption. The cooking equipment for the summer kitchen is also solar powered, in this case by hot plant-oil which is heated in the energy greenhouse and stored in an

insulated tank. The oil provides heat not only for cooking day and night, or for disinfection, but can also be used to generate electricity, drive mechanical tools or run cooling equipment. It is, in simple terms, the core of a completely new energy concept for a village. Its main component is again a low-temperature Stirling engine, a machine with a large flywheel, the 'SunPulse Hot Oil'. It transforms the temperature differences between the hot oil and cold water into electrical, mechanical or thermal energy. “So far, the system generates 1.5kW (kilowatts) of electrical energy,” explains Paul Gisler, “which, together with Jürgen Kleinwächter, we intend to increase considerably.” David Lehrer, Director of the Arava Desert Institute in Israel, during his visit: “This principle is groundbreaking. I wish we had had this idea.” Specialists say that the system is innovative in two respects: it provides solutions for the storage problem, and it makes solar electrical generation independent of photovoltaics and thereby independent of large-scale industry. The technology of the test field was built entirely in the workshops of Lörrach (Germany) and Tamera. This is what is special about Kleinwächter's inventions: without the use of photovoltaics, they can be built and maintained locally. It is part of the dream which has inspired Kleinwächter since his long journeys in Africa. There he experienced the hardship of the people, especially the women in the villages who walked hours every day to collect the last remaining firewood. He wanted to respond to this not only as a compassionate human, but also as an inventor: he decided to put his technical knowledge into the service of those who needed it the most. Instead of developing high-tech systems to make people dependent on industry and centralized supply systems, he designed a modular solar plant which includes all the necessities of a village and can, to a large extent, be built locally. His Solar Power Village technology has the potential to secure energy self-sufficiency for villages in the Sahel zone and other sun-rich areas of the world and to support rural development in structurally weak regions of Europe.

International guests watch a demonstration of the solar organ

He wanted to build an appropriate test facility for his invention. It had to be in Europe, away from the crisis areas of the world, so that any mistakes could be corrected. But where in Europe would the people of a village be willing to forgo their usual comforts and to constrain themselves to the living standard of an African village? And which group would have enough knowledge and stability not to fall apart over the first conflicts? He found the cooperation he sought in Tamera. Here his solar inventions are competently tested. Barbara Kovats, coordinator of the SolarVillage: “By living with the system in daily life, we want to steadily improve it and develop it to be ready for use in practice.”

SolarVillage

The test field , which was opened in October 2009, is already an attractor for other inventors and inventions. It is intended as a place where pioneering researchers can test novel developments, away from the mainstream and with the supportive human conditions of Tamera. The connection with the research areas of ecology and social sustainability provide interesting possibilities and answers to important questions. Kleinwächter is satisfied with the development of solar energy in Tamera. He does not want to compete with 'mega-projects' like the giant solar plants in the Sahara. “Instead of energy monopolies, we aim for regional autonomy in energy and food supply. In this way the land can be cared for, and workplaces can be created so that life can return to the villages,” he said, speaking to the television crews who came to report on the opening of the test field. About the young people who want to come from many countries to learn in the test field, he says “It is our dream that the world's first solar university arises here. ”

Smaller models in the area show how even 'citizens of the Earth without earth' – inhabitants of cities or even slums – can supply themselves with healthy food. After a presentation by a group from the slums of São Paulo, Brazil, where only scrap material is available for construction, a project group collected scrap from the workshop and built a tower-garden and a high-bed. Today, tomatoes and grapes are growing here. These models are anarchistic elements of urban gardening.

Modern low-odour compost toilets complete the cycle. The resulting worm-compost is used for landscape gardening.

The summer kitchen is complemented by an experimental mini biogas system for year-round cooking, even on winter days with less sun. Using simple techniques from Nepal and China, it transforms human waste and organic waste from the kitchen into energy for cooking.

Clockwise from top left: In the SolarVillage test field there are also other low-tech solar energy systems which complement Kleinw채chter's inventions. For cooking with direct solar radiation there are two Scheffler mirrors, several SK-14 systems (parabolic mirror solar cookers with a diameter of 1.4m) and solar box cookers. A solar dryer serves as a simple system for preserving fruit and vegetables.

ENERGY AUTONOMY IN PLACE OF BORDER SECURITY By Jürgen Kleinwächter, physicist and inventor

The SunPulse Water is an alternative to electrically driven water pumps in rural areas

Readers of the book 'Energy Autonomy' by Herman Scheer (Member of the German Parliament and founder of 'Eurosolar') will know that energy autonomy or selfsufficiency is the most important aspect of the presently unfolding solar era. Regionally self-sufficient energy production allows especially the economically poor but sun-rich regions of the world to develop autonomous interlinked structures right down to village level. These structures generate stable local workplaces at the same time as meeting the population’s food and energy demands. When one sees the growing stream of poor migrants from the global South seeking employment in the affluent countries of the North, and sees the inhumane, ineffective and inordinately expensive defence measures taken at the borders, the question arises whether these funds would not be better invested in building the abovementioned energy production structures in the South.

Over decades of research and development work, we have developed a variety of solar energy systems and components which we have now assembled to form an integral, multi-functional overall system – the Solar Power Village. This system, a symbiosis of solar energy production and the creation of optimal conditions for plant growth, is designed in such a way that it can be built almost entirely in the countries where it is intended to be used. For such inventions to really bring us further in the evolution towards balanced energy and material cycles, and into a new solar age, social and cultural integration is at least as important as the technology. A modern version of 'back to nature' is developing, without the unworldly touch of Rousseau’s dream, as it is now based on nonviolent, technologically effective use of the sun's power.

In Tamera, the model of a global peace village which has been developed during the past years offers the ideal conditions to build a Solar Power Village. Around the founders Dieter Duhm, Sabine Lichtenfels and Rainer Ehrenpreis, approximately 200 inhabitants have created a model community. The strong power of integration which has developed here can be the seed of a peaceful, creative and ecological force to build the international grassroots peace settlements which are needed more urgently than ever before. But this model will only achieve its intended effectiveness when energy and food production become self-sufficient. Amongst the inhabitants and co-workers of Tamera are engineers, architects, biologists, medical doctors, clay and strawbale builders, permaculture specialists and skilled crafts people. The Youth School of Global Learning is attended by inspired, committed and highly talented young people. The annual Summer University, visited by international groups especially from crisis areas of the world, shows that the Solar Power Village finds strong resonance and meets a specific need.

tional agriculture. Further improvements are expected to lead to a bionic system, in which the plants themselves signal their needs to the physical systems – the optics, humidity control, filters and so on – so that the parameters for plant growth, such as light, temperature, moisture and CO2 balance, are continually optimized. It is therefore likely that the surface area needed to support one human being could be further reduced – which is essential if we are to meet the needs of an exponentially growing world population. This model of the Energy Greenhouse has a minimum surface area of 150 square metres. Under the solar conditions of Southern Spain and Southern Portugal it can produce approximately 50 kWh (kilowatt hours) per day of electrical power, plus approximately 24 kWh per day of heat energy for cooking at 220°C, plus approximately 110 kWh per day of heat energy at 50°C for heating or water heating. Our shared goal is the full development of this potential in Tamera's test field in close cooperation with international partners, and the simultaneous development of a sustainable network for a peaceful solar age, towards Hermann Scheer's 'Energy Autonomy', the political power of the future.

SolarVillage

Why in Tamera?

Specialists from Tamera have introduced the technologies to various Portuguese universities and institutions, who have shown strong interest. The energy greenhouse has the potential to produce vegetarian food from an area of only a few hundred square metres per person, compared to the 1800 square metres needed by conven-

Life and work in the test field

Hot oil tank in the test field

The structure of the Fresnel lenses focuses light to a line

One of the cooking places in the summer kitchen is powered by hot oil.

The Energy Greenhouse is covered by a ETFE film

The plan to develop a solar energy power plant arose from the wish to make high-tech knowledge available to the poorest people. What led to this? In 1971, father Hans and son Jürgen Kleinwächter founded a private research institute KLERA (Kleinwächter Research & Development for Space and Nuclear Technology). As the inventions of Hans Kleinwächter had been to a large extent used in the arms and nuclear industries, father and son made the ethical decision from then on to place their scientific knowledge only into the service of peace and the solar future. They concentrated on heat engines with the intention of developing a solar power plant. By the early 1980s they had already created a lightweight solar power station, the SKK (Solar Kuppel Kraftwerk), on their test field in Lörrach. After his previously described journey through crisis areas, Jürgen Kleinwächter concentrated on designing systems to be as simple as possible so that they could also be built and used in African villages. This is the basic concept for the Solar Power Village. It consists of various modules.

Module 1: Energy Greenhouse and Storage System Under the roof of the energy greenhouse there is a system of Fresnel lenses which bring incoming sunlight to a focal line. Along the focal line is an insulated tube system containing plant oil flowing in a closed circuit. The oil is heated by the focused sunlight under the lenses to around 220°C and is stored in an insulated tank from which it can be circulated to cooking or electrical generation systems. The cooled oil then flows back into the energy greenhouse. The energy greenhouse is also an efficient watersaving environment for growing high quality organic food. The film covering of the greenhouse is robust and transparent to all frequencies of light, including ultraviolet, needed to support plant growth. The lens system reduces the heat burden on the plants growing in the greenhouse by transforming the strongest incoming solar energy into the heat which is extracted from the greenhouse by the flowing oil. Further cooling is no longer needed as the remaining diffuse light is optimal for plant growth.

The heated oil circulates from the heat-absorbing tubes in the greenhouse to the cooking facility or to the Stirling engine, which transforms the heat to mechanical and electrical energy. The hot oil storage tank enables this energy to be used 24 hours a day, and is large enough to ensure self-sufficiency for several days. To further extend its multi-functionality, future plans include the concept of a house-in-house, in which a living space is built within the protective shell of the greenhouse.

Module 2: Cooking Facility

SolarVillage

THE ENERGY MODULES OF THE SOLAR POWER VILLAGE

A solar cooker is intended as an alternative to existing traditional systems, which may not be ecologically sustainable, but represent a core of social life for the villagers. For the new system to be accepted it is therefore not enough that it creates thermal energy with a high degree of efficiency. A solar cooker has to match the cooking and eating customs, and the cultural and social conditions of the target countries. It must be simple, safe and easy to use, and must be solidly and simply constructed. Used in combination with heat storage, a solar cooker can meet these needs. The solar cooker of the Solar Power Village offers several cooking places, high temperatures for high efficiency, and extended self-sufficiency. The cooking system consists of several double-walled aluminium pots through which the hot oil flows in a closed circuit. A manually regulated valve enables the cook to control the hot oil circulation to finely regulate the cooking temperature as desired. The oil should have a temperature of at least 150°C so that deep frying, roasting and baking are possible. In the summer kitchen of the test field there are also heat exchangers to produce steam using the heat energy of the hot oil. The steam can be used to cook vegetables, sterilize medical instruments, produce desalinated water, and many other purposes.

Module 3:The Stirling Engine

SolarVillage

Stirling engines are used at two locations in the test field . A 'SunPulse Hot Oil' transforms the difference between the temperature of hot oil from the greenhouse and that of cold water into mechanical, electrical or thermal energy. And a 'SunPulse Water' transforms the temperature difference between sunlight and shade into mechanical energy to pump water. What is a Stirling engine? The Stirling engine was invented in 1816 by the Scottish Reverend Robert Stirling, about 50 years after the invention of the steam engine. Driven mainly by ethical considerations, he developed this as an alternative to the existing engines to make the work in coal pits and stone quarries safer. The steam engines that were used at that time to pump water often exploded and many children working in the pits were injured. The first Stirling engine worked as a water pump to drain a stone quarry in Scotland. At the beginning of the 20th Century, about 250,000 Stirling engines were in use worldwide, driving equipment such as ventilation systems, water pumps and sewing machines. They supplied mechanical energy to private homes and small manufacturers. When Otto and Diesel engines and electrical generators came into use, they replaced Stirling engines in almost all applications. Since the mid-1970s, the Stirling engine is regaining acceptance mainly in the context of solar power stations and small cogeneration units. The Stirling engine transforms temperature differences into mechanical energy. It is a closed-cycle heat engine, in which the working principle is the change in volume of a gas when heated and cooled. The engine is constantly heated in one part and cooled in another, and the air in the closed system is driven between these two parts, expanding when heated and contracting when cooled in a thermodynamic cycle. The resulting changes of pressure drive a piston. Kleinwächter has concentrated increasingly on the development of low temperature (around 100°C) and medium temperature (from 100°C to a maximum of 500°C) Stirling engines. The target is to develop a simple energy technology that can be constructed locally, independent from large-scale industry. This technology should be similar in efficiency to hightemperature Stirling engines, with the major advantages that the lower temperatures and the use of air as a

The Stirling Cycle: The Stirling engine works according to the Stirling cycle, which can be understood as consisting of four phases: Phase 1: Isothermal expansion – In the lower part of the cylinder the air is heated and the resulting pressure moves the power piston upwards. Phase 2: Isovolumetric cooling – The displacer piston, with a phase shift of one quarter of a period, moves downwards and thereby displaces the air into the upper part of the cylinder. Here the air cools while keeping its volume constant, and the pressure decreases. Phase 3: Isothermal compression – The power piston moves downwards and compresses the air. The heat of compression is extracted through the cooler. Phase 4: Isovolumetric heating – The displacer piston pushes the air back into the lower part of the cylinder where it is once again heated.

working gas allow the use of simpler, more economical materials and construction techniques. These new applications for the Stirling engine have resulted in an interesting resurgence in its use. For decades it was neglected in favour of other engines, particularly those which run on the fossil fuels controlled by large corporations. The Stirling engine, running on temperature differences which can be generated from a large variety of widely available resources, is an anarchistic principle. It fits perfectly with the concept of decentralized energy self-sufficiency. Two models have been designed and progressively optimized: SunPulse Water The SunPulse Water is a water pump which directly converts the incident energy of the incoming solar radiation into hydraulic energy and is therefore ideal for decentralized applications. The enormous potential of such simple, efficient, directly driven solar pumps becomes most evident when considering the situation in India, where about 50% of the total electrical energy produced is used to drive water pumps in rural areas. Since the population in these areas is poor and cannot afford the normal price of electricity, the central government must heavily subsidize it. SunPulse Water engines therefore offer the Indian economy a huge opportunity. As they can be produced locally with simple tools and materials, this solution has the potential to create stable employment and offer great environmental improvements in these areas. The SunPulse Water in Tamera currently has a hydraulic power of 150 watts.

SunPulse Hot Oil The SunPulse Hot Oil is driven by two fluid circuits: hot oil on one side and cold water on the other. It directly drives mechanical systems such as cooling compressors, grain mills, saws and many others, and also generators to produce electricity. The hot oil is heated by concentrated solar radiation and is used directly as both the heat transportation and storage medium. Thus the SunPulse Hot Oil acts as a solar power station able to provide roundthe-clock energy of several kilowatts. Mechanical energy, which is extremely important in daily life, is provided elegantly, at a low price and without the inefficiencies usually associated with electrical generation, transmission and re-conversion to mechanical energy. If the system is complemented with a biogas burner, this power can also be guaranteed during sun-poor periods. Tamera currently demonstrates the SunPulse Hot Oil 1500, a Stirling engine generating 1.5 kW of electrical energy. Current research work on an extremely compact improved engine, the 'Y' engine, aims to increase the power into the tens of kilowatts.

The SunPulse Hot Oil transforms the temperature difference between hot oil and cold water into mechanical and electrical energy

The SunPulse Water is the furthest-developed invention of J체rgen Kleinw채chter

THE SCHEFFLER MIRROR The first action for the morning cooks is to turn the big parabolic mirror towards sunrise. Then they place a pot of water into the mirror's focus for morning coffee. The rest happens on its own. The cooks are satisfied: “The Scheffler mirror is very easy to use. The food cooks quickly when there is direct sun.” The Scheffler mirror was built in Tamera in cooperation with the Swiss travelling advocate for sustainable development, Alec Gagneux. “The advantage of this technology is,” he explains, “that it runs without expensive photovoltaics and can be built and repaired relatively easily without specialist education. What distinguishes the Scheffler mirror from other parabolic solar mirrors is its convenience of use. It is possible to cook inside the house – a decisive advantage in hot countries where no one wants to stand outside in the midday sun to cook.”

T h e T e c h n o l o g y of th e S c h e f f l e r M i r r o r A Scheffler mirror is a fixed-focus solar reflector. The original idea came from Jürgen and Hans Kleinwächter. The inventor Wolfgang Scheffler developed it further for the needs of economically poor, sun-rich countries. The invention is not patented: its construction plans are available to all, following the open-source philosophy. Sunlight is focused on a fixed point, and remains focused there by means of a simple automatic adjustment system even as the relative position of the sun changes during the day. Wolfgang Scheffler developed an intelligent clockwork adjustment mechanism: the mirror moves automatically to follow the course of the sun with the help of a mechanism built from bicycle parts. The tracking mechanism of the Scheffler mirror means that a solar oven, for instance, can run throughout a sunny day without needing any manual adjustment, thus enabling the construction of solar kitchens. The mirror continuously supplies concentrated light energy. The distance between the hot focus (for instance the baking

The Scheffler mirror and its automatic tracking system

oven in a house) and the centre of the reflector (the mirror in front of the house) is defined by the curve chosen for the mirror.

W h e r e Ar e S c h ef f l er Mi r r or s U s e d ? For the past 20 years the mirrors have been used in many southern countries. The Barefoot College in India holds regular courses on the Scheffler mirror, enabling women to create their own independent and environmentally friendly energy source in rural areas. Different modules can be placed in the mirror's focus, such as a steam generator or heat-store in place of the cooking pot or oven.

Ho w E f f e ct iv e I s t his T e c hno l o gy ? The output of a reflector with a surface of 10 square metres varies depending on the season of the year between 2.2 kW during summer and 3.3 kW during winter, assuming solar radiation of 700 watts per square metre. At our latitudes, the power (energy per unit time) of the Scheffler mirror is higher in winter than in summer as the area of the mirror is used more effectively when the sun is lower in the sky. The total energy received during a day is however still greater during summer as there are more hours of sunshine.

The cooker of the Scheffler mirror

AN EXPERIMENTAL BIOGAS PLANT

Biogas can be generated from any form of biomass, through anaerobic processes in a sealed system. Tamera produces various forms of biomass during the year: food waste, tree and shrub prunings, horse manure and human faeces in the compost toilets. The objective of this micro-biogas system is to use this potential to generate ecologically sound, non-polluting energy. Environmentalists in Europe tend to be critical of biogas as an alternative energy source. European biogas plants are mainly large scale and centralized. The biomass is produced in large chemically fertilized monocultures, and uses land which could be used for food production. Under these conditions, the effectiveness is indeed rather questionable. In Nepal and China it is quite different. Many villages there have biogas plants or 'digesters' which use simple technology to produce biogas for cooking and even to power their buses. A Nepalese biogas system consists of an underground pit covered with a brick or concrete dome. The organic material is fermented into methane gas by microbes. The

SolarVillage

The solar energy systems of the test field meet the energy needs of the kitchen during the summer months. In their search for a complement for the winter months when there is insufficient sunshine, the SolarVillage team chose a biogas solution. This technique, well-established in Nepal and China, has been modified and built for European conditions as a research and a training project of the Global Campus.

rising gas gathers in the dome and is then either stored for later use or fed directly into the kitchen for cooking. Toilets are installed directly at the facility, and there is a funnel through which food waste or other organic material can be mixed with water and then added to the fermentation tank. The fermented material is used as a high quality fertilizer for landscape gardening. The biogas plant in Tamera is also equipped with additional elements which will offer the opportunity to conduct experiments on the fermentation of various materials which are generally regarded as unsuitable for biogas plants, such as tree and shrub prunings, which are produced in large quantities on the site.

Martin Funk, one of the engineers involved in the implementation: â&#x20AC;&#x153;I'm a fan of low-tech solutions that can be built in simple workshops. Residents of poorer countries, without specialist training, can understand and build it, and thereby achieve energy autonomy.â&#x20AC;?

An international group learns how to build a micro-biogas installation

AN INTERVIEW FROM THE NEAR FUTURE Welcome to the future. In the year X, shortly before the opening of the Solar University in Tamera, the crew of the SolarVillage invites an expert team of international journalists to a presentation of the multi-functional Solar Energy Power Greenhouse. Its individual components are at advanced prototype stage. Kleinwächter and his co-workers in the SolarVillage show the system to the journalists.

Jürgen Kleinwächter: Welcome to the SolarVillage Energy Power Greenhouse.

The most recent prototype of the SunPulse Hot Oil

The 'hot lake' system. Energy generation through temperature differences in the water

The Sunflower – a lens system

Sergio Ramirez, Spain: Amazing! I realize that although the outer shell appears highly transparent, there's a pleasant atmosphere of diffuse sunlight and the inside temperature is quite comfortable, despite the fact that it´s summer. In Spain we'd have to either coat the outside of the greenhouse with chalk or put up shade material inside. Jürgen Kleinwächter: Under this greenhouse shell, protected from wind and weather, we have arranged a system of lightweight lenses which automatically track the sun. Although these lenses appear completely transparent, when we look closer we can see a fine saw-tooth structure, similar to the surface of an old-fashioned music record. This Fresnel structure, discovered by Augustin Jean Fresnel in 1819, works like this: The so-called direct component of the solar radiation, in which the rays arrive at the Earth’s surface directly from the sun and almost parallel to each other, is concentrated by the Fresnel lenses to a focal line. The pipes underneath the lenses transform the light into heat energy which is transported by a plant-oil circuit to a hot oil energy storage system. We have thus actively filtered the direct radiation component of sunlight and transferred it out of the greenhouse. This is why the temperature inside is so comfortable. The so-called diffuse sunlight from the blue sky passes through the optical system without being focused onto the oil pipes, resulting in the comfortable, non-blinding light here inside the greenhouse.

Michal Ysof, Israel: You mean to say that the optical characteristics of the lenses are used as a selective separator between the direct and diffuse light components? I know that under blue sky, the vast majority of solar energy is in the direct sunlight component. My question is whether plants that only receive diffuse sunlight obtain too little energy for photosynthesis and don't grow as well? Jürgen Kleinwächter: An interesting question. Luckily the plants, using chlorophyll in their leaves to convert the solar energy, only require 200 watts per square metre of solar radiation for optimal growth. Under blue sky conditions we typically have 1000 watts per square metre, of which around 800 is direct irradiance. In the greenhouse, at the level of the plants, we therefore have around 200 watts per square metre of diffuse light, which is completely sufficient. One must also note that the plants cannot use all wavelengths equally well for growth. The plants love particular colours of the rainbow and have little or no use for others. One speaks of Photosynthetically Active Radiation, or PAR light. By the way, the majority of pioneering work on this subject is carried out in your country, in the Blaustein Institute, near BeerSheva in the Negev Desert. In this graph you can see the PAR spectrum superimposed over the entire solar spectrum. You can see, for example, that the plants hardly use green light at all. It's for this reason that the leaves appear green, because they reflect the green sunlight. If we could speak the plants’ language, we would hear them say, “I like blue light, but I like yellow-red light even more!”

The group is invited for lunch and led to a long table in the semi-shade of the energy greenhouse. The table is surrounded by tomato and bean plants, vegetables, and flowers. Before the guests start to eat, they are invited by the cooking team into the 24 hour solar kitchen.

Fernando Pereira, trainee in Tamera: If you compare, say, one square metre of a ‘normal’ greenhouse to one square metre of our greenhouse, without considering the advantages that our system brings, then the figures don't look good. If, however, you take the additional electricity for an isolated village into account, then the equation looks quite different.

Pavel Cernenko, Head Chef of the SolarVillage, explains the kitchen: Look at this double-walled cooking system. When I turn this knob, hot oil flows directly through the integrated, double-walled heating bowl. Into this we place a fitted pot where I can fry and cook just as comfortably as on an electric stove. The vegetables that we're eating were grown here in the greenhouse. This chamber in the cooking platform is the oven where the bread was baked. Hot oil flows through five sides of the chamber, delivering an excellent radiating heat.

(He pushes a button and the large flywheel of the Stirling engine in the greenhouse begins to turn. Bright lamps come on, indicating the production of electricity.)

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Claudio Sanchez, Bolivia: If I imagine how much more your lenses with the hot oil circuit cost in comparison to normal greenhouses, not to mention all the other equipment that we'll still see on this tour, I have to ask how can this be economically feasible?

Let me explain what's happening here. The Fresnel lenses have concentrated the light energy to heat the oil in the heat storage tank which stands next to the machine. We've already discussed the fact that this process is beneficial for the growth of the plants. When I pressed the start button, I fed the hot oil from the storage tank through a heat exchanger from which the air in the SunPulse Stirling engine is heated. The air expands and begins to work. This power is available day and night, because we've stored the sun’s energy. At the moment, the flywheel is connected to this generator to produce electricity. It's possible to connect other machines directly to the flywheel to carry out tasks useful to the village. (Fernando pulls a lever, activating a drive belt that couples the flywheel to a grindstone that grinds wheat into flour.) International participants in the education program

Li Sho-Mun, student in the test field: I'd like to add something to this discussion. When we started the SunPulse machine, water also started being pumped from the neighbouring well. This is another example of multi-functionality. Every village has a well from which water must be pumped. Every Stirling engine needs, as well as a supply of heat in its hot zone, a supply of cold for its cool zone. We can use a small amount of the motor power to draw some water from the well. Following its path through the cooler, the water will only slightly increase in temperature and can be used for cooking and watering, so we solve two issues at the same time.

Jürgen Kleinwächter presents the SunPulse Water

Naida Teketé, Mali: Then the young people currently

forced to leave our village due to poverty wouldn't have to make the long and dangerous journey to Europe, as they would find jobs in their homelands. If only the SunPulse machine could be used for cooling, it would be possible for our villages to store the delicious mangoes we pick during the week, and to sell them in city markets at the weekends! Fernando Pereira: We can fulfil this wish. The principle of the Stirling engine can be reversed. This insulated refrigeration box, next to the Stirling engine, is equipped with its own flywheel connected to that of the Stirling engine via this drive belt. (Fernando pushes some levers and the flywheel of the refrigerator begins to turn, coupled to the flywheel of the SunPulse.) Development of the SunPulse Hot Oil

Jürgen Kleinwächter: Please consider the opportunities presented by solar cooking. For example, the women in the Sahel must walk 40 kilometres per day under extreme heat to collect the last remaining wood so that they can then cook over a smoky fire. The value of solar cooking in such circumstances is immense! John Ulele, Kenya: I must admit that I'm genuinely impressed. Please don't misunderstand me when I ask critical questions. How can this system be converted so that, let’s say, a village community in Mali could afford it? And it's a very complex system! Who builds it? Who operates it? And who makes the repairs that will most certainly be needed from time to time? Li Sho-Mun: All of these systems can be built with simple techniques and materials, using basic machine tools. For village communities or regions interested in this technology, we offer the opportunity for a group of suitable, technically capable people to learn the practical skills, along with the underlying concepts and theory in our university. In our training workshop they'll practise and develop the knowledge and skills to be able to reconstruct the technology, so they can build their own Solar Power Village when they return home.

Now watch this thermometer. You can see that the air temperature in the refrigerator begins to drop. After a few minutes, it will fall below zero degrees Celsius. It is an inverted-process Stirling machine. Inside, the refrigerator is constructed like a second Stirling machine. Whereas the normal Stirling machine produces mechanical energy from the difference between the solar-heated oil and the cool well-water, the refrigeration Stirling motor does the opposite. Using the mechanical energy provided via the drive belt, the second Stirling motor cools the inside of the refrigerator, and produces heat outside. With a heat exchanger, the heat outside can be used to make hot water with which, as an example, we'll wash the dishes after eating. Best of all, our ‘coolant’ is nothing more than the surrounding air! Jürgen Kleinwächter: To end this wonderful solar meal, and before we demonstrate the work of our ‘Free-Lab’, I recommend we enjoy a little ‘solar music’. (Fernando uses a Fresnel lens to direct highly concentrated sunlight onto a collection of transparent pipes of various lengths. One pipe at a time comes into the focused light. After a short time, each pipe begins to produce a strong tone. By rotating different pipes into the focal point, a simple tune is produced – mysterious, with a somewhat arcane charm.)

(The group moves over to a small, windowless building. On the side of the building, mirrors, lenses and other optical elements orientate themselves, like flowers, towards the sun.) Li Sho-Mun: Please enter and close the door. (The group sees how flexible light-conductors are used to bring daylight streaming into the windowless room. The light is conducted through total internal reflection inside the tubes. The light entering the room is distributed by surfaces and tubes, brightly illuminating the room with a comfortable, well-distributed light. Under the lighting elements are various plants, some of which stand under an orange-coloured light.) Fernando Pereira: Now let me turn the optical elements away from the sun. (The room becomes dark immediately.) Now you will see how stored liquified light is distributed through the room from a special storage liquid. (He moves into the dark room and presses an illuminated button. The astonishment of the group is palpable as a green glowing liquid flows through long, transparent hoses and plates. In the area above the plants, the green light passes through a thin film of polymer filter that converts it into an orange colour. Questions come from all directions.)

Now, what is liquid light? We found that a certain phosphorescent pigment in a particular transparent liquid forms a stable suspension. Following this discovery, it was natural to channel this liquid under the sun between parallel plates, so that the solar energy could be absorbed and stored. Because the liquid light glows for a very long time, we can use it at night, for example, to give light to plants. The concept is still being tested, and there are still many areas for improvement. For this reason, it's a real 'Free-Lab' project. Li Sho-Mun: Another exciting idea related to our light research is the development of this microalgae light reactor which can be mounted 'upstairs' in the greenhouse. In combination with the lens system of our energy greenhouse, this will allow for the production of vegetable oil for energy, while underneath, we produce organic food.

SolarVillage

Li Sho-Mun: Please follow us into our 'Free-Lab'.

(She shows a prototype of the 'algae reactor') Jürgen Kleinwächter: let’s look at what our mechanics have built over here! (The group is led to the test stand where there is a biomass reactor in which human waste and other organic waste burns residue-free in a white flame.)

What's liquid light? Why should we bother storing light? Wouldn’t it be much more interesting to light rooms that are far away from any windows, such as in large commercial buildings? Jürgen Kleinwächter: We can imagine, in extremely hot or cold climates, the possibility of constructing a greenhouse a couple of metres under the earth’s surface. This would create the possibility of achieving comfortable, nearly stable temperatures inside the greenhouse. Of course, this is only possible if we have an efficient, economical method of bringing concentrated sunlight into these depths and then distributing it and adjusting the spectrum to satisfy the plants. Here in our ‘Free-Lab,’ we're demonstrating all of these functions, and we believe that we're not departing too far from natural systems. For a long time, we've had the idea of using these concepts for bringing daylight into living and working spaces and many of these have been marketed successfully. Study model of the Fresnel lens system at the Youth Place

Jürgen Kleinwächter: This idea was brought to us by Mr. Horst Wagner from Würzburg, Germany. He came past here one day and showed us how a remarkably simple filter can be used to extract oxygen directly from the air. The oxygen can be stored simply and safely in this polymer tank. The almost-pure oxygen improves the burning process dramatically. In this practically pure oxygen atmosphere, even damp biomass can burn effectively. In partnership with Mr. Wagner, we have developed this system, which now presents an elegant solution to the hygiene problem caused by sewage in southern countries, and can simultaneously bring additional energy into the hot oil system.

Fernando Pereira: I'll now demonstrate that our lens system can be combined with photovoltaic cells in place of the thermal receivers that you've just seen. This idea has attracted a lot of interest in Europe where the electricity produced from it can be sold to the local electrical grid at an attractive price. This has led to a real boom in photovoltaics. In Germany alone there are over three gigawatts of working photovoltaic power stations. However, photovoltaic electricity production must still become much cheaper. With our technology, we can produce electricity for ten cents per kWh (kilowatt hours) or less, while benefiting from the additional advantages of our energy greenhouses. Solar electricity generation in our geographical location will therefore be economical, even without government subsidies.

Jürgen Kleinwächter and Sepp Holzer in Tamera

Jürgen Kleinwächter: We could tell you a lot about methods to capture water vapour in greenhouses using electrostatic fields. We'd now like to show you two additional applications. First, we will demonstrate how heat transfer, such as in a heat exchanger, can be massively enhanced with minimal energy through the use of electrostatics, with the Electrostatic Thermal Transistor. Next, we have developed something truly spectacular – a mini-tornado! This is also controlled through electrostatic fields. This technique has a potential application in extremely efficient distillation of fresh water from sea water, while creating a source of potentially usable kinetic energy!

Comment: The technical inventions described here are not science fiction. They are real inventions from Kleinwächter's laboratory. Some of them have already been constructed in Tamera as test and demonstration systems.

Assembling the Sunflower system

SolarVillage

THE SOLARVILLAGE AS A TRAINING SITE OF THE GLOBAL CAMPUS

A centre for research and education in non-violent technology will develop in the framework of the SolarVillage. We have provisionally named it the Solar University or TTT Platform: Technology, Training and Transfer. Pioneering thinkers from all disciplines will be able to come together here to think, exchange and research â&#x20AC;&#x201C; pioneers of research who are ignored or even suppressed elsewhere. Tamera complements this with social and human knowledge developed over decades of community research. The Solar University will provide space to gather, interconnect and disseminate international technological knowledge. It is a growing space for the 'Free-Lab' in which concepts for the future, such as vortex research, light storage, the effect of magnetic fields on plants and many more ideas, will develop.

The Solar Power Village Film In 2007, Nigel Dickinson made a 22 minute film about the Solar Power Village. The film shows and explains the technology and the idea of the Global Campus. It can be ordered from Tamera.

The goal of our research is the creation of self-sufficient decentralized settlement structures that are adaptable to all climate zones of the world.

SolarVillage Interactive Presentation

solarvillage.tamera.org/presentation

Barbara Kovats SolarVillage@tamera.org

The Solar Power Village Film

www.solarpowervillage.info

Tamera and the SolarVillage have so far taken two approaches to building: clay building, for low-cost alternatives using the resources of the surroundings, and multi-zone architecture, presently most visible in the shade-roof constructions. The SolarVillage is still searching for a visionary concept for solar architecture of the future. The two approaches described here are the work of Gernot Minke, former Professor of Clay Building at the University of Kassel, Germany, and Martin Pietsch, Tamera's resident designer and master-builder.

E A R T H , S T R A W A ND GR A S S The Rediscovery of Ecological Building Materials Providing space for 400 people and with walls eight metres high, the Aula, Tamera's auditorium, is the largest straw-bale adobe building in the Iberian Peninsula. Despite its impressive size, its green roof and the earthcoloured walls blend harmoniously into the landscape. Visitors who enter are amazed by its grandeur. The timber construction and harmonious proportions give a feeling of magnitude. “Almost like a cathedral,” is often heard. The Aula consists of a wooden construction stacked with straw bales and plastered inside and out with clay. On the outer walls the clay was mixed with lime as protection from the rain. Grass and herbs grow on the roof.

The Aula during a lecture in the Summer University

Building with adobe has a long tradition in Portugal. This tradition can now be combined with new scientific techniques, with materials such as straw and features such as green roofs, as well as with solar architecture. This enables futuristic architectural design such as cupolas, and the conveniences of modern life. Building with clay and straw is an alternative that saves money and labour, creates a good living climate indoors and combines old knowledge with new techniques. “How long will such a house be stable?” a visitor asks a little anxiously. “Providing no mechanical damage occurs, for ever,” Professor Gernot Minke answers, smiling. He has heard these questions many times. In his 73 years, he has built hundreds of these houses in South America, Africa and Germany.

“Why straw bales?” the visitors want to know. “For two reasons,” answers Professor Minke. “Building with straw bales is much faster because they are big. This saves labour costs. The second reason is their outstanding insulation properties. But,” he adds, “you have to know how to do it.” At his Institute for Building, Biology and Ecology in Kassel, he and his team have developed numerous improved techniques to work with straw bales, clay and green roofs. Tamera has become an experimental site for his new techniques. One of them is the 'House of Three Arches', the first self-supporting straw bale house in the world. The arches of the house were built with only straw bales and no wooden supporting construction. His institute developed a special machine to cut every straw bale to exactly the right angle.

The Sol e Adobe – a project of the Berlin Association for the Building of Peace Research Villages, is the collaborative experiment of the physicist and inventor Jürgen Kleinwächter and the clay building architect Heiner Lippe to combine clay building with simple solar energy. A modular clay building with a sunflower lens system in the roof was the result. Larger and smaller modules similar to this could form an autonomous settlement. The Sol e Adobe was built during an international seminar. Children, young people and students from many countries, including Israel and Palestine took part in the building work.

SolarVillage

Beate Möller and Gernot Minke

“Are these houses earthquake-safe?” somebody asks. “In Guatemala I build houses this way especially for earthquake danger zones as they are the most earthquake-secure buildings in existence. The wood is flexible, and the straw bales go with the movement. The only thing that happens during an earthquake is that the clay plaster falls off.” Straw bale buildings are also quite fire-proof. A straw bale wall covered with clay can resist a standard fire exposure test for 90 minutes. Professor Minke only builds houses with green roofs. In Portugal, these are still rare. “We've had good results with them,” states Beate Möller, Tamera's architect. “We only had to water our big green roof on top of the Aula in the first year. Now the plants turn yellow in the summer season but with the first rain they turn green again. Green roofs have excellent insulation qualities. The temperature in the houses with green roofs is always comfortable.” Professor Minke and Beate Möller are sure that the two innovations – building with straw bales and building green roofs – can work very well for the Alentejo.

The 'House of Three Arches' during construction: an experimental building by Gernot Minke

THE MULTI-ZONE ARCHITECTURE OF MARTIN PIETSCH

The 'Liminal' at the Boom Festival 2008 in Portugal

Bright arching roofs of rainproof tent fabric and dark shade-meshes stretch over the village plaza of the test field . They shape the centre of the community into a playground of different nuances, from the intensely hot and sunny, through dappled shade, to cool and tranquil. Its ecological design gives rise to a variety of different gathering places. The spacious membrane construction designed by Martin Pietsch is an approach to semipermeable architecture, in which daily life and contact with nature are designed to come together in a mutually enhancing synergy. Martin Pietsch has been planning and building his stretched membrane roofs since the founding of Tamera. Their fantastic yet functional forms are reminiscent of huge flowers, mushrooms or UFOs. They settle into the landscape of Tamera during the summer. They are however, only one part of a much bigger concept which he has also created in other parts of Portugal, for example in 2008 at the Boom Festival in Idanha-a-Nova. As a former trade-fair building designer, Pietsch has been designing membrane architecture and 'organic' buildings for future-looking communities for decades. His greatest source of inspiration, in addition to the social building task, is music and especially dance. “The feeling in my body is decisive in the process of finding the form,” he explains. “I feel the form more than I calculate it – the measure of success in this is the inner dance of the soul and the outer dance of the body. As my body translates melody and rhythm into manifold movement, so I look for artistic forms to seduce human and nature into a common pulsing dance.”

How did he come to be creating this architecture in Tamera? Pietsch: “The designs that I created for customers were implemented on almost all continents. But eventually I became aware of how the industrialized way of life was destroying the Earth, and in the end also me. I left my career and have since worked only for projects which serve the Earth. I see it as my biggest task to develop a new social art of building.” The membrane roofs are the most striking part of his work in Tamera. But they are only one part of the multizone architecture he has developed. Another example is the house for handicrafts, Casa Sandra. The outside of Sandra Schmidt's spacious sculpture studio follows the flow of the landscape harmoniously. Inside, in the centre, is a living area where the temperature can be passively regulated independent of the weather, and in front is the light-filled studio, open to the air. Further outside are courtyard terraces, partly protected from the rain, where animals and plants from the surroundings can enter freely. The inhabitants and users of multi-zone architecture can choose the level of contact with nature and the elements they want according to their needs and wishes at any time. Their life and work spreads organically in places where they like being together. Life in a multi-zone landscape is the opposite of that resulting from urban concepts which have for centuries contributed to the isolation of the human being from an environment that is perceived as threatening.

The "Peace Roof" in front of TameraÂ´s guest house

SolarVillage

The 'Esplanade' at the Boom Festival 2008 in Portugal

How did the idea of multi-zone architecture develop? Pietsch: â&#x20AC;&#x153;If I live in the awareness that I am connected with all living beings, the thought arises that all other cohabitants of a biotope have to be consciously included in the design of the living space for the human being. Arbitrary borders of fear destroy the complex rhythm of life and the harmony of the incredibly finely interlinked orchestra that evolution has so far created around the human being. Multi-zone architecture is the attempt to reintegrate the human being into this universal network of evolution. The weather and the surrounding plants and animals can enter the various zones to create a coevolutionary biotope together with the human being. The buildings which spread like well-sown seeds in the landscape are an invitation to nature to find home in a new way. This architecture takes on the task of creating a variety of spaces where healing contact and trust between all beings can unfold.â&#x20AC;?

Open-air studio in Schwand, Black Forest, Germany

Casa Sandra. A multi-zone architecture house in Tamera The 'Discus' in Tamera

Chapter IV

Tamera Education Centre for the Future

â&#x20AC;&#x153;All who participate in peace education, whether students or teachers, are in a higher state of apprenticeship. Learning takes place within a creative continuum where all signs and impulses, whether daily events or dreams, political news or an unexpected telephone call, are taken as a part of the education. At the core is the transformation of violence, reconnection with the powers of creation and the rediscovery of our Gaia Earth as a unified, ensouled and conscious living being.â&#x20AC;? Dieter Duhm

Group meeting in the 'dome' on campus

Tamera - Education Centre for the Future

Education time in the Peace Community San Jos茅 de Apartad贸

Tamera - Education Centre for the Future

The Earth is in transformation. Various initiatives and peace activists worldwide are working on perspectives for a peaceful future for the survival of humankind on this planet. Whether they succeed or not depends in part on whether they can interconnect and effectively pass on their knowledge: knowledge which can be widely applied to develop planetary models for peace. Tamera is an education centre for the future. Young peace workers come from all over the world to study the knowledge and skills needed to build peace villages and autonomous settlements. The main fields of study are ecology, energy autonomy, and inner and outer peace work. The basis of these studies is learning to build community and gaining social competence.

MONTE CERRO PEACE EDUCATION How will life look when the system falls apart? A life without supermarkets, without profits, without child labour and exploitation of the so-called third world, without factory farming or cheap imports? What would change in the lives of the billions of people who live in poverty today, for the people who starve or live in slums and rubbish dumps? What would change for the people who live in the industrialized nations? What does a world in which we all have enough food and live together in peace look like? There is a saying, “Knowledge is power.” The great visions of history were visions of conquest and domination. No concept was too risky for the strategists of globalization and militarization, no idea too extreme to be tested and used to advantage as they entered ever-new areas of thinking. Even science has so far served rather to exploit Mother Earth than to respectfully cooperate with her. If we want peace we are challenged to use the powers of thinking and knowledge, conceptual development, strategy and creativity. If we want a peaceful world we need people who have learned how to create peace. We need a science of peace, and education systems which effectively transfer this knowledge.

On May 1st 2006 the first three-year period of the Monte Cerro Peace Education started. It was a small miracle that all the material preconditions were achieved within a very short time – money, professionals and materials all appeared at the right moment. Sabine Lichtenfels had collected the money needed to construct a large gathering hall on her first Grace Pilgrimage in 2005. The new Aula, designed to seat 400, was still not completed when the semester started. Nevertheless it could be used provisionally, and despite the makeshift nature of the accommodation and seminar rooms, the first Monte Cerro participants could commence their studies. Since then, more and more people have been taking part in the peace education which starts in May each year. The infrastructure is now almost complete. A campus with seminar rooms, accommodation and meeting places has been built. Peace education is not only for the students. The whole community of Tamera is in a permanent process of education consisting of study and work, and continuing through every moment of daily life. All areas of Tamera's work serve the acquisition of peace knowledge. In addition to the Monte Cerro Peace Education, there is the School of the Future founded by Dieter Duhm and Sabine Lichtenfels, the Escola da Esperança at the Place of the Children, and the Youth School of Global Learning. (See also page 114 and the following pages).

Communitarian communication and exchange during the Summer University, 2008

Tamera - Education Centre for the Future During a lecture in the Aula

The Fields of Study Ecological knowledge for cooperation with nature

Community knowledge and inner and outer peacework

'Gardener of the Earth' is a peace-profession of the future. It is a profession for those who hear the call of the Earth and respond to it with professionalism, knowledge and action. Their studies include cooperation with nature, restoring landscapes to their original natural state, building water landscapes, planting healthy food, urban gardening (building food-providing biotopes in cities), natural water management and vitalization, cooperation with animals, and much more. Learning takes place in theory and practice. The teachers are Sepp Holzer together with Bernd M체ller and other members of the ecology team. Knowledge is deepened as students help to create the water landscape and other elements of permaculture.

The basic ethical guidelines of Tamera are studied and practised: truth, responsible participation in the community and mutual support. The students also learn methods of conflict resolution, the art of communication in community and effective cooperation.

Solar energy A Solar University for decentralized solar energy, also known as the Technology, Training and Transfer (TTT) Platform, with J체rgen Kleinw채chter as permanent Director of Studies, is in preparation. The students of peace education in Tamera already take part in courses in the SolarVillage Testfield and can spend working time there. They learn to think in terms of an abundance of energy, and they learn techniques for the use of solar technology and other renewable energy sources which they can then implement in other places.

Research into community is both inner and outer peacework. We can make the changes in ourselves that we want to see in the world. The structures which lead to war, violence and abuse of power worldwide also exist in our everyday interactions. Community is a form of life in which one can learn to understand and transform jealousy, competition and anger. In the 'Forum' which was developed by the founders of Tamera, a new form of authentic communication within community takes place with the aid of art and performance.

Theory of Global Healing Dieter Duhm's theory of global healing, also known as the 'Political Theory', explains why a small number of groups are enough to make a positive change in the world and initiate global healing. The term 'theory' connects a scientific system to a view of the divine (theos). Theory in this sense is not only a framework of abstract sentences, but a geistig worldview. Genuine insights trigger energy

reacting from fear and comparison, without duties – and through this finding joy, humour and excitement in the meaningless. Because this is how creation works.” Concentration, community and the sensual joy of light and colour bring many participants to a state of being which they have not previously known. Juliane Eckmann, one of the group leaders of the education in Tamera

movements which take hold of and change the body. The insights summarized in the Political Theory thereby serve not only global, but also individual healing. The theory follows a logical line based on insights from the natural sciences, the holographic interpretation of quantum theory and chaos research.

Spirituality The belief that only those things exist which one can see, explain and thereby control, is an illusion. There have always been astonishing and widely-witnessed phenomena which could not be explained by science. The intelligence we need to prepare for the future includes considering the possibility that these phenomena may be real. Doubts and questions belong to contemporary spirituality just as much as meditation, awareness and compassion. Success in global peacework also depends on whether we can open to and use powers which we cannot yet explain.

Music Music is a universal language understood by everyone. There are certain pieces, choral or instrumental, rhythmic or melodic, which connect people with the situation of the world. Music plays an important role in all peace actions organized by Tamera. Whether one is standing in front of the wall in Palestine or in front of a military base in the Colombian rainforest, singing always creates a frequency of hope and can soften the most hardened exterior. A school of music is being prepared in Tamera. Robert Gasse is the director of the Tamera music department.

Spirituality means learning to perceive the unity of all existence. From this arises the insight that all that lives comes from one source, and that I and my so-called enemy are therefore also one. Sabine Lichtenfels directs a department of spiritual research which concentrates on the matriarchal mystery knowledge of ancient stone-circle cultures. The stone circle of Tamera belongs to this work. This spiritual work of art, consisting of ninety-six monoliths, was initiated in cooperation with Marco Pogačnik, Peter Frank and Sabine Lichtenfels, and was completed in June 2010.

Art The in-depth seminars of the peace education regularly include art courses led by the co-workers of Tamera. Dieter Duhm, the patron of the art courses, writes: “There is only one instruction in the art courses: pay attention to the world and not to your personal problems. The participants follow this instruction with joy and perceptible relief. Days without introspection, without

Singing the 'Canto General' during a demonstration in San José de Apartadó, conducted by Robert Gasse

Peace Education Scholarship Fund More and more people from crisis areas and poor regions of the world want to take part in this education program. The scholarship fund was created to help those who cannot afford to pay for their travel, accommodation and study costs. You are warmly welcome to contribute. Contact: Kate Bunney klbunney.igf@tamera.org

The School of the Future, led by Dieter Duhm in cooperation with Sabine Lichtenfels, is a thinking and experience centre for the healing of humans and the Earth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The present globalization of violence can be overcome through a globalization of peace if we can access new intellectual, mental and spiritual resources. The old code of violence, formed by a five thousand year-long history, has generated morphogenetic fields of fear and mistrust. A new code must be developed, one that generates morphogenetic fields of love and solidarity. This is the global task.â&#x20AC;? From Future Without War, by Dieter Duhm The School of the Future has been founded to create this new code through the study of novel thoughts, and through art, existential decisions and healing experiences. Thinking people come together here to end wars where they are continually recreated in everyday life. There is a collective obstacle to a peaceful way of life together, the so-called 'traumatic film', a world of fear which formed in the collective unconscious of humankind through the terrible experiences of our common history. If this trauma can be dissolved in just a few people representative of the whole, a comprehensive inner peace is created which also leads to peace in the outer world. In its essence, the School of the Future serves the dissolution of this traumatic knot.

Online School of the Future Many people in various countries want to establish study groups and new communities. They want to become engaged for a future without war and to support the geistig field of healing and peace. The Online School of the Future was created for them. The online school is intended for all groups who want to cooperate globally. All participants study the same ideas and texts in the same rhythm. Texts are sent out once a month. This will create global coherence and shared knowledge. The goal is to create a global spiritual field for a future without war, for love without jealousy, a new selfawareness among women, truthful communication between the genders, new community knowledge, a spiritually-based ability to survive, conscious cooperation with nature and all creatures, and self-sufficiency.

Tamera - Education Centre for the Future

School of the Future

The study texts are available on the internet without cost in several languages thanks to the work of Monika Berghoff and the Meiga publishing house. Contact: monika.berghoff@tamera.org

www.verlag-meiga.org

Chapter V

Global Campus

The

International Education within a Network of Peace Communities and Models for the Future

“A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist, USA

Global Campus

“Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore. We have seen the future, and the future is ours.” César Chávez, labour leader and civil rights activist, USA

“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” Arundhati Roy, author, India

Previous page: During the 2007 Grace Pilgrimage in IsraelPalestine

Eduar Lanchero, member of the Council of the Peace Village San Jos茅 de Apartad贸, during an education time of the Global Campus

Meike M端ller and Sabine Lichtenfels (right) welcome guests from Colombia

Global Campus

The Global Campus extends the Monte Cerro Peace Education program and connects peace education with practical work in peace communities in different areas of the world. It is a globally interlinked education program for peacework professions and knowledge. The education is intended for young peaceworkers from all over the world. Campesinos in the midst of civil war, indigenous people protecting their forests or Palestinians and Israelis seeking reconciliation are welcome, as are people from countries which appear peaceful â&#x20AC;&#x201C; in the knowledge that it is especially in these apparently peaceful countries that a new way of thinking and a new start are necessary. The education takes place partly in the crisis zones and in the areas where new models for the future are being developed.

The Search for a New Way of Life In the West Bank in Palestine the workers of the Holy Land Trust have been organizing non-violent resistance against the Israeli occupation for many years. Their director Sami Awad says, “Our most urgent question is not how to end the occupation, but rather what is a democratic, non-violent and ecological free life after occupation? We do not only need non-violent resistance but also a vision of a non-violent life so that we are not only fighting against something but have something for which we are engaged. Here we are looking for cooperation with Tamera and the Global Campus.”

Lama Jampal from Dharamsala gives a prayer shawl to Sabine Lichtenfels

A movement is growing worldwide. People are leaving their ways of life and their careers, which they no longer find meaningful. Young people are stepping out of the race of fear and competition. They no longer share the values of a culture based on lies. They engage in peaceful resistance against the destructive large-scale projects of globalization. They are looking for a new way of living, for new professions, for a different life, for peace amongst each other and peaceful cooperation with nature. They create meeting places and share new aims. In crisis areas, farmers and refugees come together in peace villages and communities, often risking their lives in order to do so. They are all doing it because they feel that another world is possible. All of these groups and individuals need knowledge to enable them to reach their goals. They need exchange and cooperation with others who undertake similar basic work. They need a common planetary perspective. The Universidad de la Resistencia (University of Resistance) in Colombia conducted a survey some years ago in which they asked the inhabitants of peace communities in their country to name their biggest wish. Most people answered that they want their children to have a better life, an education and a profession. The fulfilment of this understandable wish under current conditions would mean the youth would have to leave to learn professions. The Universidad decided to organize a professional education for the peace villages. Today the Universidad is one of the cooperation partners of the Global Campus.

Exiled Tibetans have been waiting in Dharamsala for the end of the Chinese occupation of Tibet for decades. They inform the world about the situation of Tibet and coordinate the non-violent resistance. Some want to build autonomous model settlements in their host country India to demonstrate how a peaceful, democratic and ecological return to Tibet would be possible. Tibetans continue to visit Tamera to study here. These are three examples from three continents. There are young people everywhere who are looking for and need peace knowledge to build autonomous models. Many of them perceive Tamera as the place to gather, exchange and study: a place in a peaceful country where one can leave behind the fear of persecution and suffering for a while. But this is not enough. The education also has to take place where the new centres are being developed. The plan of an internationally networked peace education had already developed during the first Grace Pilgrimage initiated by Sabine Lichtenfels in 2005. Various teachers and peace initiatives were therefore invited to the Tamera Summer University 2006. A fruitful group gathered: Benjamin von Mendelssohn, Barbara Kovats, Kate Bunney and Vera Kleinhammes from Tamera met Sami Awad, teacher of non-violence in Bethlehem, Palestine; Gildardo Tuberquia from the Peace Village San José de Apartadó in Colombia; Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi; Srinivasan Soundara Rajan, representative of the Barefoot College in Rajasthan, India; Vassamalli Kurtaz from the Toda tribe in India; Reuven Moskovitz from Israel. They formulated the wish to link their strength and knowledge to start a global education initiative. They called it the 'Global Campus'. The key aspect was that the education would be connected with the building of new models for the future at various places on Earth. In this way, a committed network of planetary centres for peace will gradually develop.

Global Campus

THE IGP – INSTITUTE FOR GLOBAL PEACEWORK

Women's meeting in the stone circle of Tamera: Sara Vollmer, Vassamalli Kurtaz, and Sabine Lichtenfels

Benjamin von Mendelssohn, coordinator of the IGP

They decided upon two criteria to identify suitable cooperation partners of the Global Campus: it would consist of groups who view the building of real models as a key aspect of creating the future, and who see the basis of these being communities based on trust and transparency.

The Institute for Global Peacework (IGP) in Tamera is a key organ of global network building. Ideas, concepts and contacts for the development of a global peace network are being developed here, and knowledge is gathered for a future without war. The basis for cooperation is Dieter Duhm's theory of global healing. An important task of the IGP is to support the development of further peace villages globally. Benjamin von Mendelssohn, coordinator of the IGP: “I believe that wherever the compassion of our hearts can connect with a realistic concept of healing for this planet, we are one step further on our path towards a new humanity: towards a humankind with a global heart and a natural engagement for this Earth, for all its inhabitants and its natural resources.”

The first sites of the Global Campus were the Tent of Nations in Palestine, the Peace Village San José de Apartadó in Colombia, and Tamera. Others are in preparation. Groups, networks and communities who are interested in participation are warmly invited to contact us. The teachers of the Global Campus are Dieter Duhm, Sabine Lichtenfels, Jürgen Kleinwächter, Sepp Holzer, Sami Awad and others.

Philip Munyasia from Kenya, founder of the OTEPIC centre for organic agriculture, during his education in Tamera

The IGP raises its voice against the system of violence and takes part in political actions and aid missions in crisis areas. It spreads messages of peace in words, art and music. It helps to build a geistig frame under which various initiatives, scientists, peace activists, environmentalists, human rights activists, artists and young people can unite and develop a common perspective. The IGP works closely with the School of the Future and the Youth School of Global Learning, and supports the opening of new professional perspectives for young people with which they can serve peace. The IGP is patron of the annual Summer University in Tamera, which provides an excellent opportunity to get to know the peace community's thoughts, projects and it's international network.

SOME COOPERATION PARTNERS OF THE IGP

The Peace Community San José de Apartadó is a community in Colombia. In 1996, 1300 farmers and refugees in Urabá, the most violent region of the country, united and founded a neutral community in the midst of the civil war. They do not allow weapons, alcohol or drugs in the village and do not allow any members to cooperate with any of the armed groups. Nevertheless almost 200 of their members have been killed over the years by paramilitaries, guerillas and the military. The Peace Community has gained global recognition: In 2007, for example, they received the Aachener Peace Prize. But in their own country the members are libelled, persecuted, and even killed. Tamera and the Peace Community have been connected in a close friendship for many years. There have been many mutual visits, together with joint participation in several courses of the Global Campus and peace pilgrimages in the name of Grace. For more information see www.sos-sanjose.org

The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) is a global network of ecovillages, communities, transition towns and individuals who want to build centres for a sustainable way of life. GEN works through education and through linking rich countries with developing countries, in order to connect the dream of a life in community close to nature with political will and knowledge: social knowledge and knowledge of simple energy technologies, architecture and organic agriculture. The goal of GEN is to support the establishment of sustainable settlements worldwide. website: gen.ecovillage.org

Padre Javier Giraldo, Jesuit priest, is a human rights advocate in Bogotá and has been engaged for decades in the cause of the poor and persecuted in Colombia. At extreme personal risk he supports and advises the peace village San José de Apartadó in its non-violent fight for survival. He is a real representative of the Church of The Poor. His church services convey the word of God as spoken by refugees, indigenous people, campesinos and Jesus Christ the revolutionary. He speaks indefatigably with the voice of justice in readiness for reconciliation.

The Tent of Nations is an important gathering place in the West Bank, Palestine. Israelis and Palestinians meet here, children from refugee camps come to get to know nature, and ecological alternatives are tested. Daoud Nassar, the owner, has to fight continuously for its survival. Although the land has been owned by his family for generations, the Israeli occupation tries to seize the territory. And while around him modern Israeli settlements are being built, he does not even receive permission to build a water cistern. www.tentofnations.org

The Holy Land Trust, Bethlehem, Palestine. This initiative, founded by Sami Awad, teaches and organizes nonviolent resistance against the occupation. Taking the example of Mahatma Gandhi as an orientation, they teach the ways of non-violent resistance to groups and whole villages throughout the West Bank. Beyond resistance, they look for visions for a democratic, non-violent and ecological life after occupation. www.holylandtrust.org

In New Mexico, a group of indigenous shamans guard a spiritual vision-site for reconciliation and contact with Mother Earth. They teach people worldwide to guard the 'Fire of 1000 mountains' which is lit four times a year on the 21st of March, June, September and December, at various places on Earth. It is a fire of global unity and friendship with Pachamama, Mother Earth.

Favela da Paz – Future Music from São Paulo, Brazil. The band Poesia Samba Soul has been helping children and young people get off the streets for the last twenty years, showing them an alternative to violence and drugs. Claudio Miranda founded the band at the age of thirteen. “Many of my friends are dead. I look for something more attractive than violence so that the youth no longer have to take part in the drug war,” he says. He comes from Jardim Ângela, one of the favelas (slums) of São Paulo, named in the 1990s by the United Nations as one of the most violent city districts in the world. With his plan to found a Favela da Paz (Peace Slum), he came with his whole band to study in Tamera for three months. www.bandapoesiasambasoul.com.br

Global Campus

Gloria Cuartas, Colombia, recipient of the UNESCO 'Mayors for Peace' award, has been a close friend and cooperation partner of Tamera for many years. Fearless despite the risks, she is an advocate for peace and democracy in her country. As mayor of the then bitterly fought-over city of Apartadó, she worked to empower women and children to re-establish civil life and to initiate dialogue between the armed groups there. But the structures of violence were too deep, and she did not succeed. Today she supports and protects the creation of peace villages and is regularly a candidate from the left wing of her country for the parliamentary elections.

The Barefoot College, Tilonia, India, teaches villagers ecological survival techniques such as the use of solar energy and rainwater harvesting techniques. Their program addresses the poorest of the poor, the illiterate and particularly women. All who commit to pass on the knowledge in their village afterwards may take part. Representatives from villages as far away as Africa and South America have studied here. Because many children do not have time for school during the day, the Barefoot College has created hundreds of night schools to give them the possibility of an education. www.barefootcollege.org

LEARNING WHAT IT COULD MEAN TO BE A HUMAN BEING From a letter by Sami Awad, teacher of nonviolence, Bethlehem

We all seek peace, we all seek justice, and we all seek freedom. As a Palestinian living under military occupation my entire life and having been involved in peace and nonviolence work for many years I have met many wonderful people; some are working for peace, some are seeking peace and some are promoting peace; but it is very rare to find people who have committed themselves to truly living a life of peace. A few years ago I had the privilege and honor of meeting some of those who are truly living this dream even with all the challenges this world presents. Tamera for me is an example of what the world should be. It is a place to learn what it truly means to be a human being; it is a place to discover the power that lies within each one of us; it is a place to truly be what we all seek. As a Palestinian activist I am proud of the fact that Tamera does not isolate itself and run away from the problems of the world but is dedicated as a community to healing the pain that we have become so used to inflict-

ing upon ourselves as humans in the name of greed, hatred, and discrimination. The communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s involvement in Palestine, Israel, Colombia, India, and in many other places is for me a true light of hope for a better future for all of humanity. You empower people through nonviolence. The concept of nonviolence for me means one thing only: empowerment. You empower people to be actively involved, in making the right choices for their lives, in taking the right steps to get out of the difficulties and problems that they live in. As an organization our dedication is not just to resist and to fight the occupation. It is very important for us to also start asking the question: What comes after the occupation? To be liberated from the occupation does not automatically give you a democracy, believe me. The process of nation building is going to be even more difficult. And we already now need to work on building a strong democratic nation.

“Without forgiveness there can be no future.” Desmond Tutu, Initiator of South Africa´s Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Global Campus

I stand in support for those who seek peace and stand with great respect, admiration and humbleness to those who are living peace. My support to you my dear friends in Tamera in difficult times is not to encourage you to be steadfast and not to worry you but to affirm to you that you are truly on the right path. The more difficulties you face the more you need to realize that you (and we) are getting closer to changing the world. So be blessed, encouraged and even joyful in every difficulty you face. May God bless you and your work and may your light never stop shining.

Break during a Grace Pilgrimage with Israelis and Palestinians Palestinian children looking over the wall to the other side: an Israeli settlement in the West Bank

RESPECTING LIFE Excerpt from an unscripted speech by Eduar Lanchero, member of the Council of the Peace Village San José de Apartadó

On the Grace Pilgrimage with the Peace Community San José de Apartadó

On March 23rd 1997 the inhabitants of 32 hamlets around the village of San José de Apartadó declared themselves to be a peace community. It was the time when the paramilitaries came to displace the farmers from their land and to fight against the guerillas. The question with which the community formed was, 'How can life be respected in the middle of this war; of this permanent fighting?' This was what inspired the people to unite. We had to become neutral as the ever-present logic of the government and the guerillas is that you are either on their side or an enemy. The Peace Community was the first initiative in this country that demanded that life be respected and told the armed groups that they did not want to belong to any side.

We had to deal with fundamental issues. By our very existence we tell the armed groups, “We are against the death you bring. And we want you to stop killing.” But the armed groups are not the only ones who murder. It is the whole logic behind the system. The way people live generates this death. Thus we decided that we had to live in a way that our life generates life. We started to analyse the society that generated paramilitarism and we started to resist. One of the aspects that had to be changed was land ownership. Land must be owned and cared for collectively. Farmers who are working alone on their fields can be threatened easily, and when they are afraid they can be exploited. Therefore we have to work in communitarian ways.

Eduar Lanchero in Tamera

Global Campus

Another aspect is truth: the armed groups and the government continually lie. We therefore decided to be truthful and transparent and to tell the truth no matter what the consequences. We realized that the most important element was the search for justice. But we did not expect justice from the state whose government follows the logic of death. So we started to seek solidarity with others, partnership with others. Partnership means going together, being on the same path. Together we can achieve justice. Together we can build a peaceful world. A world of life, not of death. That means not only ending war but also ending the conditions in which it is continuously generated. The other fundamental prerequisite which kept us alive was not to fall into the game of the armed groups by being horrified by their killings. We started to understand that a different way of life also gave death a different meaning. Death would bow to this life. The memory of those who were killed here is not dead. They are alive here with us. Thus we overcome our fear of the death and horror which the armed groups create here. Our lives are connected in a greater life, the life of humankind. We are here and we will always be here even if they annihilate us. Annihilation is their logic, not ours. This is why memory is so important to us. This is how the story of our community started, with lots of errors and inconsistencies, but we made a choice. Our choice is life, and life corrects us and guides us.

Sabine Lichtenfels speaking with a general of the Colombian army during a demonstration in Apartad贸

Representatives of Tamera, the Nasa tribe and the Peace Community

The Peace Village San Jos茅 de Apartad贸 www.sos-sanjose.org Andrea Regelmann, co-worker of Tamera, has accompanied the peace community for several years

PILGRIMAGES IN THE NAME OF GRACE WITH SABINE LICHTENFELS In 2005, alarmed by the impending war against Iran, Sabine Lichtenfels made a pilgrimage through Europe and the Middle East. With the slogan “A peace village instead of a tank” she sought out sponsors who were willing to invest in peace. She called this “the humanization of money”. She walked without money, ate what was given to her, slept where she was offered a bed or outside, and she went everywhere she was invited to talk about her peace plan. In Israel and Palestine she led a group of more than eighty international peaceworkers, many from Israel and Palestine, through both parts of the divided land. For most of the Israelis it was the first time they had seen the land behind the wall. Palestinians saw, for the first time, Israelis without uniforms, and welcomed them into their homes. The pilgrims visited military bases, slept in refugee camps and shared their bread with people from whom everything had been taken. They spoke with settlers and visited memorials to the holocaust, always connecting with the knowledge, 'I could be the person in front of me.' Doors opened which had supposedly been tightly closed. Walls of fear and enmity were overcome. The conflict was understood from many different sides and ever deeper. The pilgrims had continually heard, “Walking through the West Bank! This is not possible. To take Israelis to the other side of the wall! That is not possible. You are naive! Palestinians welcoming former soldiers and settlers in their homes? No!” But it worked out. The consciously chosen naivety became a power which made new things possible. It is actually a power of belief in a different future. Sabine Lichtenfels wrote the book, GRACE – Pilgrimage for a Future Without War, about her first pilgrimage and the filmmaker Angelika Reicherter made the documentary, We Refuse to be Enemies. One result of the first pilgrimage was the idea of the Global Campus. Since 2005, Sabine Lichtenfels has led a peace pilgrimage in the name of Grace every year: in Israel-Palestine, Colombia and in 2009 for the first time in Europe, in Portugal. For most participants the pilgrimages are an experience that changes their lives. Reports from the pilgrimages and further information are on the website.

Sabine Lichtenfels in conversation with Israeli soldiers in Palestine

“In search of a name for the pilgrimage we came across the term GRACE. GRACE is mercy, favour, charm, sweetness, readiness, charity, consideration, congeniality and also stands for the act of Grace itself. GRACE reminds me of walking in the service of a higher goal, in the service of life and its inherent justice. Those who are walking in the name of GRACE do not come to accuse. They do not come to impart a new ideology on a country or on a land and its people – they come in the service of openness, of perception and of support. GRACE pledges not to worsen a war but rather to end it wherever it happens to be. In the name of GRACE I am always on the look out for a non-violent solution, a solution which creates justice and healing amongst all concerned. Often clear judgement is necessary to do this, but never condemnation.” From the book GRACE – Pilgrimage for a Future Without War, by Sabine Lichtenfels

Sabine Lichtenfels´ Website www.sabine-lichtenfels.com

Grace Pilgrimage Website

www.grace-pilgrimage.org 2009: Pilgrimage in Portugal

Global Campus 2007: In the name of Grace, 300 kilometres through the desert and the West Bank

The Grace Foundation

Global Grace Day

The Grace Foundation was established in 2007 by Sabine Lichtenfels and other engaged people in Switzerland to financially support her peace actions and the creation of the Global Campus.

November 9th is the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and of the Kristallnacht, the 'Night of Broken Glass' in 1938. Since 2005 Sabine Lichtenfels has been leading the 'Global Grace Day' on this date every year. Many groups and individuals take part in a meditation. It is a day of remembrance, reconciliation and global peace work.

She writes, “The motto of the Grace Foundation is, 'Humanizing money – a peace village instead of a tank.' Because today we can clearly say that unless at least some of the money that has so far been spent on war research is invested in peace research, peace will remain an illusion. The money for a single tank can cover the basic construction costs for an entire peace research village.

Global Grace Day Website

www.global-grace-day.com

Ring of Power Today, individuals and initiatives worldwide are developing innovative technologies, teaching non-violent resistance and creating new ways of living together and authentic forms of spirituality. These are all elements that lead to a deeper understanding of peace. The goal of the Grace Foundation is to bring these initiatives, thinkers and doers together and jointly create a new perspective. Please support us in this endeavour! You can do this by making a financial contribution yourself and also by passing this information on to others.”

The Grace Foundation

www.the-grace-foundation.org

In April 2002, Sabine Lichtenfels initiated the Ring of Power. Every Monday she sends to a growing international network a letter and a power text connected to a daily meditation. The Ring of Power is currently sent out in four languages to more than twenty countries. A global ring of connection, solidarity and mutual support beyond all borders is being developed. If you want to take part in the Ring of Power, please send an email to: ring-of-power@sabine-lichtenfels.com

Ring of Power

www.sabine-lichtenfels.com

Global Grace Day, 9th November From a meditation by Sabine Lichtenfels Where there was pain, let healing awaken. Where there was anger, let the power for change emerge. Where there was fear, let safety and trust grow. Where there were enemies, let the awakening of mutual compassion begin. Where there was oppression, let freedom reign. Where nations were divided, let sympathy for Planet Earth lead to shared responsibility. If we want Planet Earth to survive, then all the walls of separation must fall, the walls between peoples, between Israel and Palestine, between Europe and Africa, between the so-called first and third world. And likewise with the walls that we have erected in our own psyches, the walls between the genders, and the walls between humans and all creatures. May all displaced people find a home. May the pure indigenous wisdom and source gain recognition and respect. May the people who are willing to risk their lives for truth and justice receive the protection they need.

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Global Campus We have come as a reminder of the original beauty and truth of life: Every living being has a right to be free and to unfold, a right to love, and a right to genuine truth and trust. Let us set examples for overcoming violence wherever we are. Let us stand up for life and for love so that fear can vanish on Earth. Let us form a worldwide circle of power to safeguard all creation. In the name of all those who had to give their lives, in the name of justice and truth, in the name of all that has skin and fur. In the name of all creatures, and in the name of Grace and the movement for a free Earth. May this prayer or something better come to be. Thank you and Amen.

Grace Pilgrimage in the Arava desert, Israel-Palestine

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Chapter VI

102

Living in Tamera

From deep listening comes mutual compassion â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the key for community, also for the guests of Tamera

SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH COMMUNITY A model for the future needs not only new technology and a healthy ecology, but also people who are able to use these tools in a meaningful way. It needs people who have learned how to stay together even during conflicts, solving them in non-violent and creative ways and remaining committed to solidarity even in difficult times. Community knowledge is the foundation of social sustainability.

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Living in Tamera A peace culture of the future needs people who have learned not to leave because of conflicts but to solve them. Group meeting in the Aula.

A community needs a stable core of people who can rely on each other. Living and working in Tamera means a commitment to ongoing study, intensive participation in community life and inner peace work. Community means living truthfully with each other. It means mutual support and compassion. Community includes different generations living together; it includes communication about love between men and women, knowledge about conflict resolution and understanding of individuality and community. Such communities are the human basis for effective peace work. Whether we succeed in creating a non-violent culture will also depend on whether we succeed in ending the war between the genders. Love without jealousy, sexuality without fear, lasting faithfulness even when one also loves and desires others, truth in love, lasting love and new ways of partnership are some of the key issues of community study and research in Tamera. Not only humans form a community, but also animals and plants, our co-creatures. 'In cooperation with nature' is not a slogan but a true source of knowledge, friendship and a soulful quality of life. When we walk the path of cooperation with nature we will one day recognize that the word 'paradise' is no longer only a religious term but a life-task.

“Peace processes are always communitarian processes.” Johan Galtung, Norwegian peace researcher

“It takes a whole village to raise a child.” African saying

“Individuality is only possible if it unfolds from wholeness.” David Bohm, physicist

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COMMUNITY AS A RESEARCH ISSUE by Dieter Duhm It will only be possible to carry out the necessary global tasks on the basis of a well functioning community. Since the sixties, too many community projects have failed due to unsolved human conflicts for us to be able to remain naive in this area. If we want to put into practice a sustainable ecological humanism we must find a humane and social humanism which redeems the participants from the burdens and pains of the past.

Elements of community creation: Ritual during the innauguration of a new stone in TameraÂ´s stone circle ...

... studies during the community education ...

The difficulties that stand in the way of a worldwide healing process lie not only in the outside world but also in ourselves. Above all, the fields of conflict about money, power, love and sex form inner barriers that cannot be overcome by mere appeals for peace. In our daily life together, it is very simple things, such as an unfulfilled need for contact, a striving for dominance, competition for love and sex, jealousy, unconscious negative projections, the fear of being judged etc., that have destroyed groups from the inside, in hundreds of projects since the sixties. Since these factors are not only individual defects, but mainly the consequences of a collective cultural disease, they cannot then be permanently resolved at an individual level. We all carry the primal pain of a great wound inside us. We have all received many wounds in the course of our karmic life journeys. Healing work, as we mean it here, means healing these wounds in oneself and others. This is the task and this is also the promise that was given to us through the divine parable: You can and you shall heal the old wounds. Signposts for this are truth, mutual support, responsibility for the community and service to life. Also, help others so that you will be helped too.

A Deeper Understanding of Sustainability Here we come to a deeper definition of 'sustainability'. The necessary ecological changes require human change and these can only happen in a lasting way if we go to the roots and develop new basic patterns for culture and society. Establishing trust and enabling transparency between people is not only an individual but mainly a societal, cultural and political issue. This is a basic thought. We must develop communities in which lies, deceit and betrayal no longer provide an evolutionary advantage. We need new societal structures that make lasting cohabitation in truth, love and trust possible. A difficult historical heritage besieges our individual existences in the most intimate spaces. This issue must be solved in such a way that the healing forces of entelechy can be fully liberated and can take full effect.

... sharing and compassion during a pilgrimage through Tamera.

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One might wonder and ask whether it is necessary to invest so much work and time in intensive research work in order to establish functioning communities and develop new stable and sustainable ways of life. The answer is unambiguous: Yes, it is necessary. The alternative models of a simple life have so far never worked for long, because they were not able to counter the immanent destructive forces of modern times. The issues of our time are so closely linked together that they cannot be solved in isolation from each other. A truly non-violent ecology cannot be developed without a new relation to our own inner nature, for outer nature and inner nature are two sides of the same issue and they are moved by the same life energies. As long as we suppress our own nature and deny it, we will hardly have a loving relation with our co-creatures in outer nature. The same is true for technology and medicine. The paradigm shift that is needed requires increasing cooperation with those inner forces that have so far mostly been suppressed and fought against.

This means creating a new image of ourselves as human beings. The most powerful guarantor for the success of the work is the field-building forces that begin to operate in every community as soon as agreement is found among the participants regarding new experiences and overcoming boundaries. It is then no longer only oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own force, but mainly the force of the field that enables the participants to have new experiences. Then, we must no longer do everything ourselves. We do what we can and the rest we 'let God do'. Some psychological criteria of modern high-tech work should be applied to the interpersonal, spiritual and ecological research work in such a way that an efficient and permanent power of peace can emerge. These criteria have to do with geistig energy, will power, continuity and looking forward to the results with joy. They include believing in success, being willing to go beyond almost any limitation, and declaring that what so far seemed to be impossible is in fact possible. Here, experimentation and research is called for, not clinging to old beliefs. In the stormy transformation processes of our times, the universe, which is in a constant state of becoming, constantly projects new futures onto the horizon of our field of vision. Research work in the inter-personal and the communitarian areas always also entails keeping up with these developments without stress. The appropriate calm is dependent on finding the right speed. The proper attitude is provided by our will, which prepares us for a long and difficult process. Here, it becomes apparent that our mental and physical condition is very important. One can imagine the dimension of the issues that a group of people will have to deal with if it wants to take on the nessessary global tasks. But does the basic rule not also apply here, that the greater the tasks are, the greater the power that comes to our aid?

Living in Tamera

The research deals with the development of future communities that can offer their participants new experiences of healing and development that come from a new experience of trust. Such communities inevitably go through a series of inner experiments, with which they extend their present borders and gain new terrain. It is about pushing borders outward, making it possible for new inner focal points to emerge in one's own life. It is a research adventure of great significance, perhaps the biggest adventure of our time. Lynn Margulis, the renowned biologist says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we want to survive the ecological and social crises we have caused we will probably be forced to give ourselves into completely new dramatic community undertakings.â&#x20AC;?

From Project Declaration 1, 2004

The 'Inside' of Things These geistig forces operate in all living matter. Teilhard de Chardin described them as the 'inside' of things, thereby opening up a new view of the material world. The cosmic, super-conscious, subconscious or suppressed forces that so far have been attributed to the separate areas of deep psychology, religion, magic and art, must gradually be integrated into a conscious way of living, so that we can dissolve the latent schizophrenia of our contemporary culture.

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ART

Iris Bijou Lindstedt, custodian of Tamera´s Art Place

“Art is a draft for the life we dream of.” Dieter Duhm

The cultural life of Tamera includes all forms of artistic work: painting, music, dancing, theatre, setting stones and sculptures to heal the landscape, landscape design, and many other forms. It is about the rediscovery of the design principles of Creation itself, such as unintentional action with high precision, effortless concentration and a playful way of dealing with difficulties. Difficulties are overcome with ease. Art is the conscious performance of the processes of creation. In this way it approaches the original connection of arts and culture. Communitarian actions and humorous rituals generate joy and creative energy. Artistic actions belong to the healing process of the coming culture. Tamera plans to establish an arts hall as a gallery and theatre space, an open air studio, and a special building ('futuroscope') for the performance of futuristic theatre pieces.

An art course in Tamera. The excitement of creative achievement

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TAMERA ARTS Tamera Arts is a group of artists whose work is exhibited in studios and available for purchase.

Living in Tamera

“In a painting one wants to recognize the birth of a piece of life. The artistic act itself can liberate life and that is its highest criterion. That is also the trend towards a new concept of art that is integrated into the healing process. May the emerging concept of Tamera Arts seduce us in this direction.” Dieter Duhm

'Indigenous Life' – Iris Bijou Lindstedt

'Summer in the Alentejo' – Dieter Duhm

'The Goddess' – Sabine Lichtenfels

'Love for all Beings' – Madjana Geusen

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Living in Tamera

THE STONE CIRCLE OF TAMERA

Tamera´s stone circle where 96 monoliths now stand

In the Almendres stone circle, near Évora, Sabine Lichtenfels was inspired to build a modern stone circle in Tamera: a communitarian work of art. Its 96 stones stand for the 96 basic archetypes of a peace community. It signifies complementarity instead of exclusion, cooperation instead of fight.

Heavy machinery was used to position the stones

In April 1994 she travelled through Portugal and visited the Almendres stone circle. Through her many years of spiritual research she had learned to perceive not only the visible world but also subtle energetic information. She sensed that the stones in Almendres had been erected by a peaceful tribal culture. The monoliths, up to three metres high, were not arbitrarily arranged. Each of the stones seemed to represent one archetype of a harmonious tribal culture.

Stored in the stone and in the subtle energetic matrix of their positioning, they host timeless supra-historical information of a non-violent way of life based on wisdom, formed by a long-forgotten culture which must have settled in Portugal and in many other areas of the world during the early Stone Age. There are no archaeological findings from this early global culture to indicate violent ways of life or defensive structures. Historical researchers increasingly assume that there was a time when people lived without war. They must have had knowledge about peace. In the years which followed, Sabine Lichtenfels decoded the stone circle of Almendres as a treasure of knowledge of a deeply peaceful, archaic high culture. She wrote the book, Traumsteine – Reise in ein Zeitalter der sinnlichen Erfüllung ('Dreamstones – Journey into an Age of Sensual Fulfilment', currently only available in German) to describe her discoveries. From the book: “I sat down in the middle of the circle on a large flat stone and closed my eyes. I repeatedly heard the sentence 'Remember your past, long before the beginnings of Christianity.' I immediately had the feeling of having arrived home, and a huge tension fell from me. 'You will find a lot of information here that you need to find the right place to build your project. You will come here often.' I became ever-more curious.”

Sabine Lichtenfels during a drumming ritual in the stone circle

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The stone circle remained an important source of inspiration for her, and the idea of building a stone circle in Tamera became stronger. It became reality when Marco Pogacnik, Earth-healer, and Peter Frank, his long-term student, entered into cooperation with Tamera by applying their geomantic knowledge to help initiate a new stone circle. The 'Icon of the Future' started to take shape. The first stone was set on October 12th 2004 on the top of a gently sloping hill in the centre of Tamera. Now the stone circle is complete, with 96 stones, some chiselled with cosmograms representing the archetypical powers of a community of the future. The cosmograms have been developed over the years through intuition and creativity by members of the community and guests who felt connected with the archetypes. The community gathers in the stone circle every Monday morning at dawn for the 'Ring of Power', in which political thoughts of healing are sent into the world. Padre Javier Giraldo held a Christian service here, inspired by the Church of The Poor. The peace activist Starhawk led a pagan ritual with dance and singing. Tibetan monks from Dharamsala let their prayer flags blow in the wind here. Individuals come here to find calm for meditation and prayer. It is as if the stone circle, in its simplicity and completeness, hosts all kinds of different religions and directions of thought, making dogma and exclusion superfluous.

The stone circle is used for individual prayers...

â&#x20AC;Ś and as a meeting point for community rituals

Most of the stones have a chiselled cosmogram symbolizing their archetype. This stone stands for "Grace"

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Living in Tamera

THE PLACE OF THE CHILDREN Children are the bearers of our planet's future. Every child carries a direct, authentic power for peace. Children need protection from the madness and violence of today's world and they need adults who take a stand for life and against war with all their power. They need a space of compassionate truth, trust and a feeling of home in which to live and learn. They have many powers to help protect life, animals, plants and people. One of the most important tasks of the Place of the Children in Tamera is to protect and strengthen these powers.

Music, theatre and games are as important as concentration in child-raising

Parents and children are integrated with the growing childrenÂ´s community at the Place of the Children

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Children love to be with other children. As well as a home and the adults' trust, children need a biotope of children and youths. Then they can help and correct each other, and be role models and true friends for each other. The basis of the school in Tamera is an emerging children's community. In the children's community, the children get to know their own cosmic beings and creative spirits and learn to use them for a world in which all beings can live together in trust and mutual support.

Children also learn by moving freely in nature, through their interactions with plants, animals and the elements. It seems to be appropriate for even the youngest child to look after animals and to observe and make contact with wild animals. These interactions strengthen their souls. In addition to basic classes in language, mathematics and the social sciences, the school emphasises music, arts, theatre and international networking with children all over the world. We call it the Escola de EsperanĂ§a â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the 'School of Hope' For more information: schule@tamera.org

Tamera Website - Place of the Children www.tamera.org

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THE YOUTH SCHOOL OF GLOBAL LEARNING

Many youths and young adults participate in the development of Tamera and its peace work. Their powers of compassion, radicality and creativity find a meaningful perspective in education for new peace-professions and the creation of a global movement for a free Earth. The education emphasises three main aspects:

1. Exploration of and education in professions appropriate for the next generations. Training and education possibilities range from the music school, theatre school, care of animals, graphic design, sustainable technologies, permaculture and political networking to practical professions such as mechanics, carpentry and metalworking. 2. Community building in theory and practice. 3. Experience in crisis areas. Each year the members of the Youth School have an opportunity to get to know the situation of the world and to help in a crisis zone.

About the Youth School Freya von Wussow, 13 We have classes in languages, mathematics, history and geography, and we learn what is really happening in the world. In the Youth School I have the possibility to speak freely about my issues and thoughts. They are heard by the community and solutions are found. We can ask our questions and receive honest answers, no matter on which topic. And we have the possibility to teach the younger children.

What Does the Youth School Mean to Me? Maria Kessler, 13 The most important thing for me in the Youth School is that I can trust my teachers! When I really trust, I am strong. I can be sure that the teachers want to support me, that they tell me the truth and that we can ask all the questions which are really important for us, also when it is about love. I like it too that some of our teachers are not much older than us (we are between 13 and 16, and two of our teachers are 21). They still know exactly what we are experiencing and can support us better in some questions.

The Music School Naila von Mendelssohn, 13 We are creating a music school in which we have individual lessons and also learn to play in a band. I love making music. You can bring people together and get to know people easily through music. When I heard the Brazilian band, Poesia Samba Soul that visited us in Tamera, I noticed that when they make music they want to show people that they believe in the possibility of changing the world. From such musicians I can learn in a very different way, beyond just technical skills, about the content â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the world, and supporting those people who do not have a perspective.

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When I trust, I am strong: three girls at the threshold of womanhood

Living in Tamera

'The Black Shadow' theatre performance in Sines, Portugal

The Theatre School Jan Regelmann, 14 The idea of the theatre school came up in 2007 after our pilgrimage in Israel-Palestine. There we saw what these two peoples are doing: with a high concrete wall and checkpoints, Israel takes away freedom of movement from the Palestinians in many places, and a lot of Palestinians are full of anger. We wanted to show people from the Western world what is really happening, and to show it in a way that they do not immediately forget it again or say that it is nonsense, or think that they cannot change anything anyway. And this is exactly what we did with the theatre piece, 'The Black Shadow and the Riddle of the Princess'. It is about a princess who lives in a castle with her parents and the courtiers. They receive news from the world and say only, “Leave us in peace!” or “We have more important things to do!” or “What can we do about it?” and “Anyway this will not happen here.”

Suddenly a black shadow comes and turns everyone except the princess to stone. Then she meets Cosmico, the guardian of knowledge, who gives her a riddle to save the world, and Merlin, a magician's apprentice who cannot do magic. Together they find out what is really happening in the world. They rescue children from different situations – a refugee child, a child-soldier, a girl working in a factory and a girl who protects animals. And then they solve the riddle together. We toured through Germany and Switzerland with this piece, and performed it 12 times there. Later we translated the piece into English and performed and filmed it. Then we translated it into Portuguese and performed it in Portugal. But we also had a lot of work before – a writing workshop with Leila Dregger, and theatre school with Rico Portilho. Rico taught us to really act, instead of only learning a piece by heart. Patch Adams, Clown Doctor, USA: I’ve visited 400 to 500 communities and always take a close look at the children and their world. And on my last day in Tamera I saw their miraculous new play. Front row, I see an articulate, graphic showing of global problems. This is a revolutionary manifesto for today, yet free of dogma. The adults put long hours into how to speak to the world and have the same effect the children’s theatre does so simply in their play. This play should go everywhere. Thank you, School and Theatre.

Patch Adams visits the Place of the Children

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ALDEIA DA LUZ Eight women, most of them over 60 years old, came together to build the Aldeia da Luz (Village of Light). While most of their contemporaries all over the world prepare to retire, these women do the exact opposite: they create conditions which allow them to pursue their dream professions. Two new houses - a textile studio and a medicinal herb workshop, were built between the already existing handicrafts and art centre Casa Sandra, and the experimental 'House of Three Arches'. In the textile studio, old clothes are repaired and recycled and new clothes are designed and made. Alice Lindstedt, 75, says, “As a seamstress in Tamera I am always aware of the conditions under which textiles are being produced in our world. This is why I do not want clothes and other textiles to be discarded too quickly. They should be honoured and used as long as possible by changing or repairing them, combining them in new ways, and using what cannot be worn any more as insulation material for construction, so that all textiles will be fully recycled.” In the herb house, healing and culinary herbs that grow wild are processed for medicinal use and for everyday tea and use in the kitchen. Herb beds and a teaching garden will be installed outside, for people to learn about medicinal plants. Sandra Schmidt: “The soul of this place will be nourished by qualities such as hospitality, common growth, the joy of life, bringing geistig energy into matter, and the rediscovery of the inner light.” Women's power: eight women come together to pass on their crafts knowledge to young people

Both buildings will offer work and training spaces. Creative gatherings in the textile studio are planned, for the design of new sensual and ecological clothes, and seminars are planned for the herb house to teach healing knowledge in connection with plants. Alice Lindstedt: “We are a cell of the Global Campus, cultivating the old female knowledge about healing plants and the textile crafts, and passing this on to the youth.” The village was named in memory of the Portuguese village, Luz, which was submerged some years ago after the construction of the Alqueva dam.

The "House of Three Arches"

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Living in Tamera

FRIENDSHIP WITH ANIMALS

Living in Tamera

“What are human beings without animals? If all of the animals were gone, humankind would also die from a great loneliness of spirit. For whatever happens to the animals soon happens to human beings. All things are connected.” Chief Seattle of the Duwamish Tribe

Animals are conscious living beings with a soul, who want to contribute to the healing processes of our lives and the life of our planet. If we learn anew to consider the voices of our co-creatures in all aspects of our peacework, new possibilities which have yet to be fully explored will result. Almut Schmitz and Balou

A huge variety of animals live in Tamera: toads, snakes, rabbits and many many more. Perhaps in ancient times animals were the friends and teachers of humans, and there were no harmful animals just as there were no harmful humans. What if today's human returned to cooperation with animals? What if he were once more open for the contact they offer and the message they hold? What if contact between humans and animals were based on curiosity and trust rather than exploitation? The Tamera community has always had friendly contact with animals, which has led to extraordinary encounters and experiences of communication with them. Healing the relationship between humans and animals and recreating trust has been of great importance since the very beginning. The Horse Project was also created for this. Founded in 1996, the Horse Project is a central part of the work of the wider Animal Project. Several horses have already found sanctuary here. With their joy of expression and their power, horses are helpers for the development and healing of human beings. To work with horses is to learn trust, contact and cooperation. Almut Schmitz, leader of the project: “Our eleven horses are currently still living in big paddocks while we are working to manifest our greater vision. In close cooperation with Sepp Holzer, we want to design a landscape which will serve the healing of the Earth and return a natural living space to the animals. The focus of our work with the horses is not riding but learning a new and conscious way of being with them, and transforming ourselves. We ride the horses without bit or saddle.

Healing contact between horse and human. Swimming in the "Brown Lake"

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Several times per year we offer courses where one can experience and learn a new way of contact with horses.â&#x20AC;? Tamera also gives first aid to suffering animals in the neighbourhood. Stray dogs, injured sheep and other animals are brought to Tamera and cared for until a new home can be found for them. But Tamera's capacity for this is limited. Therefore the community wishes for cooperation with neighbours, the authorities and engaged people to work together to improve the situation for animals in the region and in the whole of Portugal. Contact: horseproject@tamera.org

The Animal Helpers Maria Kessler, 13 I love animals! I love helping animals! I often notice how much the situation of humans is reflected in the situation of the animals. There are farmers who abuse their dogs, leaving them on short chains in the summer sun without water. When I saw that for the first time I was incredibly angry! I would have loved to shout at the farmers. But then it was clear to me that it is not that simple. I understood that it is about creating new information. This is why we help the animals in the surroundings, take care of them and talk with the farmers. When an animal's condition is particularly bad, we take it home and take care of it. Through this work with the animals I learn to take the decision, for example, not to get angry when I know that it will not actually help. I also learn what an animal really is. That it is a living being and has a soul like we do! Animals are our teachers. You cannot talk with an animal and say that it is a nice animal and at the same time think that you want to beat it. Animals react to your thoughts and not to your words. One sentence I especially like is 'As long as humans think that animals do not have feelings, animals have to feel that humans cannot think!' I want to change that. I want animals to feel again that humans think.

Lama Thubten Wangchen from Barcelona taking part in a horse meditation

The 'Animal Helpers' take care of suffering animals in the neighbourhood

Tamera Website â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Horse Project www.tamera.org/horseproject

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Chapter VII

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The

Story

of Tamera

How It All Started

Previous page: Dieter Duhm and daughter Mara

HOW IT ALL STARTED The founding of Tamera in 1995 was one of many steps on the path towards the model for the future which is now becoming visible. The first steps began in May 1978 in Germany.

Dieter Duhm when the project was founded

Sabine Lichtenfels with daughter Vera

In May 1978, three people met in Germany to exchange their thoughts about the situation of the world: the theologist Sabine Lichtenfels, the sociologist Dr. Dieter Duhm and the physicist Charly Rainer Ehrenpreis. A plan developed from these talks: to create an interdisciplinary research and education project, an alternative university for the renewal and reconnection of natural science and the humanities. Dieter Duhm was born in 1942 in Berlin, in the middle of the Second World War. He experienced violence during the nights of bombing in Berlin, on the refugee trail to Southern Germany and then at his new home at Lake Constance. He was not yet six years old when local boys took him one day, undressed him, bound him to a lamppost and covered him with tar. He had not done anything: his only crime was being a 'stranger'. They needed somebody against whom they could direct their anger and the homelessness of their soul. He had already received his first lessons on the character of fascism at an early age. He was fourteen when he first heard of the concentration camps. At first he fought with all of his inner power against this realization, trying to convince himself that the victims were criminals or that adults somehow do not feel pain so clearly. Then he started to ask his parents and

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Charly Rainer Ehrenpreis

their friends about it. His hope was to find some comfort, something to ease the horror. But the more he investigated, the more he had to let go of this hope. There was no comfort. Auschwitz was reality, or at least an ineradicable part of it. One last hope remained: to say that it had been reality, but is not anymore. This hope too disappeared. Years later he became one of the leaders of the German Left in the Student Movement of 1968. Together with his companions he fought against imperialism and the Vietnam war. He saw the pictures of Vietnamese women with their breasts hacked off, and people burned in napalm. He knew that this was the integral dark side of Western morals and culture. At that time he wrote, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why was it so far impossible to establish an ideal human society? Because it is not only the outer conditions which are at fault, but particularly inner structures and patterns of thinking. It is impossible to form a free society from people who are structured by authoritarianism. It is not possible to create a non-violent society when the impulses of hate and violence within are suppressed but not dissolved. A revolution that has not taken place inside cannot succeed outside. This is what we learn from history.â&#x20AC;?

How It All Started The first phase of the project, 1978 in Jagsthausen

Dieter Duhm could no longer reintegrate himself into bourgeois society. He refused several offers of professorship. In the face of global violence he could not just return to everyday life. He withdrew to an isolated farm in Lower Bavaria, Southern Germany, to find time to think. His hermitage became a geistig futurological workshop. He worked with diverse sources â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Nietzche, Hegel, Van Gogh, Rudolf Steiner, Jesus, Lao Tse, Wilhelm Reich, Prentice Mulford and Teilhard de Chardin. Slowly the fragments of knowledge started to unite and form a new picture. A new geistig pattern appeared from the insights of biology and cybernetics, psychoanalysis and mathematics, art, history and theology. A vision appeared: It is possible. This is how peace could develop. From this vision he formulated a political concept. Its starting point is the place where wars develop each and every day: in the human interactions of daily life between man and woman, children and adults, individuals and society, and between humans and nature. A change must be created here. A paradigm shift must take place not only in words but in reality, in actual life praxis.

Long years of work passed without visible success. But his belief grew in the inner pattern of life which he later came to name the 'Sacred Matrix'. Even though he had long before turned away from Christianity and all other religions, an ever-louder prayer for support and guidance was growing within him. He did not know to whom he prayed. IT prayed itself. He found a way to a faith based not on adopted dogmas, but on compassion, research and experience. He particularly believed in the human being; in the human ability to be truthful and the human power of insight.

He started to bring the idea into reality. When he later initiated the first community experiment close to Heilbronn together with Sabine Lichtenfels and Charly Rainer Ehrenpreis, he suffered setbacks and had to face societal resistances, slander and hostility, through which he deepened, corrected and extended his concept and started anew.

In 1983 the community decided to set up a social experiment at the Rosenhof Estate in the Black Forest.

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The Founding of the Project Together with the physicist and musician Charly Rainer Ehrenpreis, Dieter Duhm travelled through Germany looking for suitable cooperation partners, until they visited the theology student Sabine Lichtenfels in 1978. She and Rainer Ehrenpreis had been friends since their teenage years and had been inspired by the thought of founding an artists' colony.

The 'Forum' was developed as a way to build community

Sabine Lichtenfels was born in 1954 into a family of artists. Her quest was love: “I have practically always been in love, for as long as I can remember. I wanted to know how it is possible to be truthful in love. I saw how isolated people were from each other in our Western culture. It had to be possible to love more than one person without the automatic fear of loss, jealousy and separation.” She followed the turbulent paths that arose from this, experienced the happiness of great love, motherhood, marriage, jealousy and divorce. All the 'normal' events of a woman's life. She surprised her atheist family by studying theology as she loved Jesus the revolutionary. For a long time she was tortured by the feeling that anything she could do for the world would be a drop in the ocean. One can help at one place, but injustice continues at another. She wanted to discover a new way for people to live together in which peace could be learned.

The community in 1983 at Rosenhof estate

She did not accept the principle of 'Either/or': either political work, or fulfilment as a woman. She felt that outer revolution had to be accompanied by inner revolution and she could not believe in the implementation of a just social system if it did not include an inner revolution in love. Love and the political will to change the world should come together: “If we do not want war, we need a vision for peace.” The rapidly growing group started a first inter-disciplinary research centre at Jagsthausen farm in Southern Germany. Specialists in bionics, architecture, cymatics, information technology and medicine came together. The first experiments started in the fields of vortex research, wastewater treatment, building techniques and research into life energy. But soon the group had to accept that good intentions and the best expert knowledge was not enough. What was happening in the team was the same as had happened in a thousand teams before. Conflicts started

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One of the projects which resulted from the social experiment was the Centre for Experimental Cultural Design (ZEGG). Here a workteam.

The Three Red Stones – a communitarian work of art – became the emblem of the project

What is this explosive potential? What is it at the deepest level of truth? And wouldn't it be worthwhile after so many failed projects and experiments to observe it more closely and make this the actual object of the research? Ultimately, the question was, 'How does violence develop and how can it be ended lastingly and structurally, in other words within the whole global system?' This deeper level seemed to be connected with those spheres so far considered private or intimate: love, sexuality, partnership, living together, God. What was needed was a research project that dealt particularly with these core issues. So they decided on a new social experiment. Knowing that they would be pioneers in this, the members of the community decided to make themselves – the way they lived together and also their most intimate questions – the subject of the research. Fifty people would stay together for three years. Nobody would step out. Their research covered construction, food, economy, arts, the decision-making structures of a community, healing, gardening, contact with animals, water management and dealing with mistakes, of which they made many. They learned to pray, and learned to be interested in each other. They learned that a single sentence spoken authentically could sometimes be worth more than an entire doctoral thesis.

As a result of this social experiment, the group had developed generalizable community knowledge which now provided the basis for starting a comprehensive global peace research project together with global cooperation partners and specialists in various areas. At that time this was almost impossible in Germany. Many of the results of the group's experiments had led to conflicts with the mores of society. The project was attacked by factions of the Church and media. It seemed to become more and more difficult to find a free space within German society where wide-ranging research could be possible.

How It All Started

over details and developed the explosive potential to break apart the whole group. Was it possible that people who wanted peace on Earth were actually not able to live together peacefully amongst themselves?

After this social experiment the participants started several projects: the ZEGG seminar centre (Centre for Experimental Cultural Design) close to Berlin, the dolphin research boat Kairos, and several ecological undertakings and cultural meeting places in cities. They developed further independently, and some of these projects still exist today. Parallel to this, Sabine Lichtenfels was running desert camps in various countries. Her idea was to create a space where people could concentrate on the essential things in life; to find in Creation and simplicity a new beginning. In these special surroundings, questions of global survival gained a new existential significance. One of the desert camps took place in the dune-landscape of the Alentejo, where the group came to know and love Portugal. The country made its way onto the shortlist of locations where a permanent research project could be built.

The social experiment at Rosenhof estate ran from 1983 to 1986. After three years the group had built a profound base of knowledge about building stable communities, effective communitarian forms of communication and the social conditions necessary for truthful and lasting love. Dieter Duhm formulated the 'Political Theory' in which he explains, based on scientific insights and many experiences, why and how a small inner shift in one part of the organism can influence the Earth as a whole; in other words, why and how local peacework can have a global effect. This is the theoretical basis for the strategy of initiating a global movement of autonomous models.

Sabine Lichtenfels offered desert camps in several countries

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The grounds of Monte do Cerro in the first years

An Eagle Wants to Land The group chose Monte do Cerro, a 134 hectare site in the Alentejo in the shape of an eagle landing. Sabine Lichtenfels had been looking for land together with a small group. The shepherd who showed them Monte do Cerro told them of good water and led them to a spring surrounded by a palm tree, a fig tree and a rose. In ancient legends, such places are the home of the Goddess. Even today, when there are several water sources on the land, this spring retains a special meaning. It is said that its water is especially pure and healing. Sabine Lichtenfels named the project that she wished to build here 'Tamera'. Later she came to know that the name in an ancient language means 'At the original source'. Thanks to the generosity of private donors, the site was bought in 1995 without any starting capital and without public support. Tamera was not first explored by construction workers or electricians, nor by ecologists and gardeners, but by

The laboratory in the hall which burned down in 1999

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artists. They started to perceive the site and its character through the medium of painting. In the first weeks paintings developed: paintings of cork oaks, toads, rolling hills, bleached summer landscapes and other manifestations of the Goddess â&#x20AC;&#x201C; love declarations to the Alentejo. Once a small group had created the infrastructure, work started on building a core community. Workshops, studios, networking offices, seminar rooms and accommodation were built, gardens were planted, and reforestation started, all from private funds and donations. Then the group started to weave a global network of peace initiatives, inventors and researchers and to lay the groundwork for cooperation. Experiments in energy research and ecology were part of the project from the very beginning. In the first year there was already a socalled 'Summer University' with more than 100 visitors from many different countries. Soon the first education programs and conferences started. Fire In the middle of the night of 31st January 1999, some of the co-workers awoke to an unusual sound: the large hall was in flames. In the main building of Tamera, recently renovated at great effort and used as the planning office, gathering hall, kitchen, storage area, research laboratory, and archive for arts, photos and texts, a short circuit had ignited a cable fire and a major fire had broken out. Neither the arrival of neighbours with heavy machinery nor the fire brigade could help. The hall burned to the ground.

The community stood in front of the flames. Grateful that no one had been injured, they could only watch as almost everything they owned went up in smoke.

Generation Shift Since 2000, Dieter Duhm and Sabine Lichtenfels have been offering peace education programs for young people. From these programs, a group of young people who had become deeply acquainted with the peacework philosophies of Tamera came together to take on responsibility. Today they are the new generation of leaders. They organize the peace education, teach today's youth and work on the creation of the Global Campus. It is a generation shift that has succeeded, thanks to the experienced elders of the project who fully support the young generation with their knowledge. Israel-Palestine After the breakout of the second intifada in IsraelPalestine in 2000, the co-workers of Tamera realized that it was no longer possible to look on as bystanders without taking action. “In the Middle East it is about more than the destiny of two peoples,” wrote Dieter Duhm. “If peace succeeds here then it will also be possible in other places.” The most important topics of humankind come together in the Middle East as if in a melting pot. It is an acupuncture point of the Earth. Tamera's engagement in Israel-Palestine started in this year. Many journeys were made to the Middle East and peace camps held with participants from both 'sides', where the different aspects of the conflict were listened to deeply. The reports of the participants were made into a theatre piece with the title, 'We Refuse to Be Enemies'. In the following years it was performed in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, and later in Israel-Palestine, finding strong resonance. For Benjamin von Mendelssohn, Vera Kleinhammes and others, the goal of building the next peace village in the Middle East developed. In Israel-Palestine, a core group of Palestinians, Israelis and internationals formed, who work on starting such a village. Tamera is their base camp, where they educate themselves.

How It All Started

The fire showed how strong the network of solidarity around Tamera had already become. Help came from all directions, along with numerous statements of friendship and solidarity. With a new power of decision, the community went on to build new temporary structures such as the conference tent, huts, containers, caravans and wooden houses, as well as permanent buildings such as the Institute for Global Peacework and the Guest House.

The 'Discus' was the setting for the first Summer University

After the fire, education continued in tents

The 'Gang' – a new generation of leaders

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Solar Power Village Summer 2004 saw the beginning of an intense cooperation with Jürgen Kleinwächter. The physicist from Lörrach was convinced that Tamera, with its southern sun and its depth of knowledge in social sustainability, would be the right surroundings to test his inventions under practical conditions in the setting of a Solar Power Village of his own design. In the same year the foundation for the first energy greenhouse was laid in Tamera.

The opening of the Monte Cerro Peace Education, 2006

GRACE – Globalization of Peace 2005 was the year of the first Grace Pilgrimage and the year in which the friendship and close cooperation began between Tamera and the Peace Community San José de Apartadó in Colombia. Since the first visit in early 2005 not a year has passed without mutual visits, periods of education or actions to support and help. The world came closer. What had been abstract news from far-away lands became true compassion. The people who suffer and die as a consequence of globalization had become friends, not statistics. All involved realized that they had to work on the establishment of local models for the future for a globalization of peace. Monte Cerro Peace Education Tamera had long been in preparation for the May 1st, 2006 opening of the Monte Cerro Peace Education program. Peace groups and communities worldwide had been informed and a first provisional infrastructure for 200 students had been built. Since then, several peace education training modules have taken place each year and have expanded to become part of the Global Campus.

Dieter Duhm and Sabine Lichtenfels on the campus of Tamera

Water Landscape In 2007, the construction of the permaculture water landscape started in cooperation with Sepp Holzer. On December 31st, 2009, Lake 1 reached its full capacity. Work continues on the permaculture gardens and the water landscape, which will consist of more than ten retention lakes and ponds when complete. Sepp Holzer regularly holds permaculture seminars in Tamera in the framework of the Global Campus. Global Campus 2008 saw the first education modules of the Global Campus held outside Tamera. In April, Sabine Lichtenfels and Benjamin von Mendelssohn led a seminar at the Tent of Nations, near Bethlehem in Palestine. Then in October of the same year they led, together with Padre Javier Giraldo, a pilgrimage and peace seminar in the Peace Community San José de Apartadó, Colombia. The

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The "Green Oasis" on the Campus, before it was green

How It All Started

Grace Pilgrimage through Portugal in 2009

program was developed together with the Universidad de la Resistencia. It emphasized the training and skills needed to make a peace village autonomous: culturally and socially, and in medicine, energy supply, food preservation and drinking water management. Pilgrimage through Portugal and the Opening of the SolarVillage test field In Easter 2009, Sabine Lichtenfels decided to hold the annual Grace Pilgrimage for the first time in Europe, in Portugal. She wanted to show a sign of reconciliation and draw the attention of the power holders in Europe to the alternative of building peace models. The pilgrimage started at the prehistoric stone circle of Almendres, near Évora, and went from there through Torrão, Grândola, Sines and Odemira, ending at the contemporary stone circle of the Tamera Peace Research Centre. This journey was intended to aid in the recollection and understanding of humanity's passage from prehistoric peaceful tribal cultures to a global model project for a humane and peaceful culture of the future. Sabine Lichtenfels invited peace activists, pilgrims, visionaries, and people of all ages who wanted to contribute to the dawn of a new age, from Portugal or any other country in the world.

School of the Future With the publication of his text, Beyond 2012, Dieter Duhm opened the 'School of the Future' in May 2010. It informs and connects peace workers worldwide, uniting them in a spirit of solidarity. The vision is that in this way a planetary community for peace will form. Interest in the work of Tamera has greatly increased in the last years. Today, regular conferences, seminars, courses, tours and open days inform interested people about the work of the project. The community of Tamera is grateful for the interest in and compassion for their work, which is an important support as the tasks they are facing require good cooperation with the authorities, environmental organizations, neighbours and all awakened spirits. Sabine Lichtenfels: “Our wish is that the country fully benefits from our project.”

The pilgrimage took place in October, ending at Tamera with the inauguration of the SolarVillage test field, which had been completed on a very tight schedule. There were numerous television and newspaper reports on the pilgrimage and the inauguration, in Portugal and beyond.

The opening of the test field for the SolarVillage

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Further Information

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INVEST IN PEACE! My name is Charly Rainer Ehrenpreis. Together with a growing team I am responsible for the finances of Tamera. I was born in Cologne in 1953, graduated in physics at Göttingen in 1977, and in 1978 was one of the founders of the Peace Villages project together with Dieter Duhm and Sabine Lichtenfels. In 1995 we established Tamera. I am also an enthusiastic musician (guitarist and singer) and have released several CDs. What do we mean by 'Invest in Peace'? Tamera exists not to make profits but as a research and education project to support the creation of peace villages worldwide and the training of peaceworkers. Investments in such peace projects do not generate financial returns. They generate quality of life and cultural progress. If our project succeeds, the forces of healing on Earth will grow, expanding intelligence for the creation of peace and generating awareness of the necessities of a truly nonviolent culture. And the possibility of leading a meaningful and fulfilled life will open for more and more people. An investment in peace does not generate financial returns but a return that serves peace and the creation of new life-structures. Future generations will thank you. You are invited to support Tamera financially through donations or loans. Donations finance the ecological and technological research projects, the peace education, pilgrimages in crisis areas, the creation of the Global Campus and the children's project with its school. We use loans to buy more land to expand the Tamera site.

Beyond this, all of Tamera's projects require a stable cash flow and budget which covers the cost of maintaining infrastructure, the education project and running costs. An excellent opportunity for cooperation is to enter the larger ring of supporters of Tamera, the 'Support Circle'. With a monthly contribution of your choice, you take part in the manifestation of Tamera and become part of the growing planetary community which builds peace models worldwide. We want to thank all those who have already supported us and all those who are still supporting us. May more and more people become guardians of the dream of Tamera and become part of a global vision of peace! If you want to support us or have questions about the finances of our project, please write to me. rainer.ehrenpreis@tamera.org

Support Tamera. Invest in Peace. www.tamera.org

“To support Tamera financially is to invest in a new culture. May this project serve your own joy and development. May you fully benefit from it. May it serve your further engagement in global peacework. May it provide information and perspectives for life – for you, your friends and your children.” Sabine Lichtenfels, co-founder of Tamera

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STATEMENTS ABOUT THE SOLARVILLAGE Some years ago Tamera asked several initiatives and individuals to make statements to raise awareness of the SolarVillage project and to find cooperation partners. Some excerpts are given below:

MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF ODEMIRA

animar

Dr. António Manuel Camilo Coelho, president of the Municipal Council of Odemira until 2009: The Municipal Council of Odemira, aware of the scientific, architectural and ecological value of this project, considers the SolarVillage important for the Municipality of Odemira. The Council recommends that this pilot initiative shall receive the support of all relevant institutions.

Luis Moreno, President of the Portuguese Association for Local Development, Lisbon: We understand that the research and development process of this interdisciplinary project meets the objectives of animar which is to encourage local innovation, especially as it unites the technical and the social dimensions. We recognize that this initiative supports education and employment possibilities through bringing together long term economic and ecological interests. This project is of high public interest and should be financially and logistically supported by public funds.

TAIPA Helder Guerreiro, President of Taipa, Development Cooperative of the Municipality of Odemira: In consideration of the increasing cooperation of Tamera in the activities organized by TAIPA to improve the quality of life in our rural areas and raise appreciation of our regional identity, as well as its clearly growing opening of integration and mutual learning in the surrounding region; In consideration that the community is recognised in its local and international actions, shown by its links with the local administration and the international influence of its local activities; In consideration of the SolarVillage which embodies a perspective of integrated and sustainable development which corresponds to the core philosophies of TAIPA; We state that: TAIPA observes the SolarVillage project with much interest and will participate in a manner that remains to be defined, and recommends that other research institutions and organizations participate in the project. In consideration of the SolarVillage which embodies a perspective of integrated and sustainable development which corresponds to the core philosophies of TAIPA; We state that: TAIPA observes the SolarVillage project with much interest and will participate in a manner that remains to be defined, and recommends that other research institutions and organisations participate in the named project.

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ANA FIRMINO Dr.ª Ana Firmino, Assistant Professor at the Department of Geography and Regional Planning, New University of Lisbon: In order to contribute to the improvement of energy efficiency and sustainability I recommend that the European Union supports the project presented by Tamera, as it may be of particular interest for small countries like Portugal.

BEJA ACADEMY OF AGRICULTURE Jose Eduardo Duarte Regato, Chairman of the Board of the Academy of Agriculture of Beja, after examining Tamera´s Solar Village project, states that this might be a good contribution to sustainable rural development, through the creation of jobs and the use of local materials. The links between the use of solar energy and the development of sustainable agriculture are strong and can contribute to a sustainable economy, reduction of the greenhouse effect and increased energy self-sufficiency. The idea of creating a network in ecology, social organization and traditional architecture is also important and can contribute to the sustainable development of this region and others with similar problems. The Academy of Agriculture of Beja will follow the development of this project with great interest.

MARIE-ANNE ISLER BĂ&#x2030;GUIN

MECHTILD ROTHE

Member of the European Parliament: Knowing about the SolarVillage project in Tamera, Portugal, I would like to express my strong support for this initiative. This innovative project will be of increasing interest as it uses solar technology and renewable energy and creates an ecological perspective, objectives that I have been supporting for fifteen years in the European Parliament. I particularly appreciate the fact that this project enables full use of renewable energies. The SolarVillage is moreover of great interest for the population, as it facilitates employment in a way that respects the environment, proving the close link between the development of environmental technologies and job creation. Furthermore, extended to Africa, it would surely represent a considerable hope for African villages.

Member of the European Parliament: The first time I saw the project of the SolarVillage in Tamera was in January 2005. From the outset, I was impressed by the increase in self-supplied energy and the use of permaculture as well as by the social aspect of the SolarVillage. The project not only creates stable jobs but also improves local conditions. Furthermore, the project attracted my attention through linking the research areas of ecology and technology with regional architecture and social design. Consequently, the project meets the objectives which I, as a member of the committee for Industry, Research and Energy within the European Parliament, consider important. Overall, the project deserves to be encouraged in every possible way.

HERMANN SCHEER REBECCA HARMS Member of the European Parliament: With this letter I would like to express and assure my full support of the SolarVillage project in Tamera, Portugal. This project combines the promotion of solar technology and of ecological and sustainable construction with the support of the positive social development of the community in Tamera. Using existing resources in local production sites the realization of the SolarVillage leads to the creation of permanent modern workplaces. In addition, the project will sustainably contribute to a significant improvement of the quality of life by producing energy and food in an ecologically sound way.

Member of the German Parliament, President of EUROSOLAR: I would like to express my congratulations for your project Solar Power Village and the establishment of a first demonstration and transfer centre in Tamera, Portugal. Thereby you fulfil the proposition to introduce solar technologies in developing countries in such a way that additionally creates stable jobs through local production and the use of many local components. Your multi-functional Energy Greenhouse with the integrated hot oil reservoir and the combined vegetable cultivation is a strong contribution to the creation of autonomous village units.

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For all those who want to know more about Tamera, I recommend the frequently updated website. For those who want to have direct contact with Tamera, here is the contact information. And for those who want to support Tamera financially, you can use the following account numbers.

Tamera Monte do Cerro 7630-392 RelĂquias Portugal Postal Address: Caixa Postal 7630-303 Colos Portugal www.tamera.org office@tamera.org Telephone: 00351-283635306 Bank Details: Switzerland: Stiftung FĂśrderfonds der Freien Gemeinschaftsbank Basel Account holder: Verein Netzwerk/Tamera Account number: 400.631.3 Clearing number: 8392 (BLZ) Postscheck Basel: 40-963-0 IBAN: CH20 0839 2000 0040 06313 BIC: RAIFCH22XXX Receipts will be sent for donations. USA: International Humanities Center Through IHC (International Humanities Center), a non-profit organisation with 501 [c] tax exempt status, we are able to offer donors the possibility of giving tax deductible donations. Cheques can be sent directly to: IHC - International Humanities Center, PO Box 923, Malibu, CA 90265, USA. Pay to: IHC/IGF For credit card payments please call IHC: +1-310-5792069 (fax: +1-206-3331797), or +1-310-9636536 Steve Sugarman: steve@ihcenter.org

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FURTHER BOOKS FROM MEIGA PUBLISHING HOUSE V E R L A G M E I G A GbR

Proprietors: Monika Berghoff, Saskia Breithardt

www.verlag-meiga.org

Planned for 2010: Sepp Holzer, Leila Dregger: Desert or Paradise? Holzer's Permaculture in Southern Europe The drought in Southern Europe is not a natural catastrophe, but a consequence of wrong land and water management, which has been taking place for many decades. Using the example of the water landscape of Tamera and with other examples from Spain, Italy and Greece, Sepp Holzer shows how we can stop desertification. The book presents and explains natural water management techniques, the construction of edible landscapes and drinking water systems, and urban gardening. ca. 70 pages, with many colour photographs ISBN Port. 978-3-927266-31-5 ISBN Engl. 978-3-927266-30-8 ISBN Ger. 978-3-927266-29-2a

Waldsiedlung 15, D-14806 Belzig, Germany Telephone: +49 (0) 33841-305 38 Fax number: +49 (0) 1805 4002 218 202

Sabine Lichtenfels: GRACE – Pilgrimage for a Future without War

Dieter Duhm:

The story of a pilgrimage from Germany to Israel-Palestine. The author covers long stretches on foot without money. Her driving force is the decision to uncover and change those internal structures which externally lead to war and violence. Through this she discovers a strength which begins to shine ever clearer and brighter: "Grace", the connection with Creation, empowers her to follow her inner voice more precisely and more forcefully than before.

In this book Dieter Duhm outlines a global peace strategy based on the modern scientific view that the basic component of matter is not the atom, but rather energy, frequency and information. Earth, with its atmosphere and magnetic field, with its waters and landscapes, its creatures, biotopes and human societies is an integral, oscillating and living body that can be healed just as a human body can be healed if the appropriate medicine, i.e. the appropriate information, is administered.

2006, ISBN 978-3-927266-25-4, Pb. 264 pages, € 17.80, US-$24.00, £12.80 Translated from the German by Frieda Julie Radford

2006, ISBN 978-3-927266-24-7, Pb. 120 pages. € 12.80, US-$16.80, £8.80 Translated from the German by Sten Linnander and Frieda Julie Radford

Future Without War – Theory of Global Healing

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Dieter Duhm: The Sacred Matrix – from the Matrix of Violence to the Matrix of Life This comprehensive book deals with the question of how to end global wars and violence and to start a globalization of peace. To come to a well-founded answer all sources of human knowledge are included: modern insights from science, politics and history, from chaos research, holography and ecology, spirituality and healing. The result is a revelation. 2001, ISBN 978-3-927266-16-2, Pb. 370 pages. € 24.90, US-$34.90, £18.50 Translated from the German by Sten Linnander and Kate Bunney

Sabine Lichtenfels: Sources of Love and Peace Morning prayers This book - prayer book and revolutionary text in one - contains 52 morning prayers. They are greeting words for a new revolutionary spirituality with the definite aim of supporting the transformation of both the human being and society. Sources of Love and Peace offers a precise proposal for how we can connect with God or the Goddess or whatever we want to call this source within us and outside of us, and from there take a stand for life. Sabine Lichtenfels: "We have the real possibility to make a decision for peace, here and now. It is a decision for trust and against fear, for solidarity and against hatred." 1995, ISBN 978-3-927266-11-7, Pb.144 pages. € 12.80, US-$16.80, £8.80 Translated from the German by Sten Linnander and Kate Bunney

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