Tour des Ecovillages part 6: Tamera
Discovering Sustainable Living and Regeneration in practice
- Alentejo, Portugal
- September 18-19, 2022
Tamera: the Oldest Free-Love Community in Portugal
Recently, we had the opportunity to visit Tamera, one of the oldest free-love communities in Portugal. Tamera is a self-sufficient and sustainable village that is dedicated to creating a peaceful and regenerative future. The community focuses on sustainable technologies, social and ecological models, and the concept of “free love.” During our visit, we had the chance to see the community lifestyle, witness the regeneration of the land, and learn about the different sustainable technologies that are being prototyped and pioneered.
"Free love"
Tamera is known for its exploration of alternative social and relational models, including what is sometimes referred to as a “free love” or “free sexuality” approach. The community encourages individuals to explore their sexuality and form relationships based on love, mutual respect, and open communication. While some individuals within the community embrace these values, others may choose to maintain more traditional relationship structures. The emphasis is on consent, mutual respect, and emotional responsibility, which is a refreshing approach to relationships. However, we noticed that there was no formal decision-making structure, and after all this time, they still did not manage to find out how to organize themselves, which lead to an overall stagnant vibe. It seems freedom always comes at a price.
Regenerating the Land
Tamera’s central focus is on regeneration – of the land, the human spirit, and the community as a whole. The community uses permaculture techniques to grow organic food and restore the natural ecosystem. They also engage in research on water management, alternative energy, and other sustainable technologies. One of the most impressive things we saw during our visit was the regeneration of the land that the community has managed to achieve, despite the fact that some parts of the village felt a little under-advanced. Not everything was well-maintained, and a lot of the houses were not much more than plant-overgrown trailers. However, Tamera is an excellent example of how a community can regenerate and heal the environment while maintaining a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.
Pioneering Sustainable Technologies
Tamera is a center for sustainable innovation and experimentation, pioneering different technologies and techniques that can be used to build modern ecovillages. The solar village, for example, is a decentralized, renewable energy production and distribution model that demonstrates how communities can be energy self-sufficient. The community also uses natural building techniques and engages in water management and permaculture practices to support a regenerative lifestyle. In addition to the innovative technologies, Tamera also emphasizes the importance of peace work and conflict resolution. While we believe that there is still room for improvement in terms of organization and maintenance of the physical aspects of the village, Tamera has valuable lessons to teach us about sustainable living, innovation, and the power of community.
What we like:
- Impressive regeneration of the land
- Emphasis on consent and emotional responsibility
- Pioneering of sustainable technologies
What we learned:
- Regeneration is possible even in challenging circumstances
- Different social models can be experimented with
- Ecovillages are an excellent place to prototype sustainable technologies
