Almarte Foundation

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As a non-profit organisation, our mission is to establish ecovillages and host transformative events that reconnect people with their inner selves, nature, and community living as a sustainable way of life. We operate without rigid hierarchies, structuring ourselves into fluid, self-organised departments that evolve organically based on collective interest and contribution.

🔸 Full Members – Residents of the ecovillage or deeply engaged participants before its foundation.
🔸 Part Members – Supporters contributing through temporary work in various departments.
🔸 Guests – Short-term visitors experiencing ecovillage life.

• Departments form organically based on interest and need.
• Team leaders may emerge naturally but can be replaced through group consensus.
• New members require approval from existing team members before joining a department.
• Every member decides their level of contribution and is entrusted with full responsibility in their role.

✅ Administration, Finance & Legal – Managing operations, governance, and sustainability.
✅ Agriculture (Permaculture) – Creating food security through regenerative farming.
✅ Marketing & Website Management – Spreading the vision and engaging the global community.
✅ Event Program Co-Creation – Organising transformative gatherings, workshops, and retreats.
✅ Kitchen – Nourishing the community with sustainable, high-vibrational food.
✅ Childcare & Education – Fostering conscious, holistic learning for children and adults alike.

🏡 Infrastructure Development – House building, renewable energy, and sustainable architecture.
💧 Water & Landscape Design – Creating water retention systems and eco-restoration projects.
📚 Research & Training Center – Knowledge-sharing on sustainable living, permaculture, and community building.
🎭 Cultural Center, Bar & Cafeteria – A space for social connection, art, and shared experiences.
☮️ Global Peace Work & Collaborations – Engaging in humanitarian and regenerative global projects.
🍵 Tea & Herbal Medicine Production – Cultivating medicinal plants and creating natural remedies.
🛍 Community Shop – Selling local crafts, herbal goods, and ethically sourced products.
🏡 Guest Center & Accommodation – Hosting visitors and immersive residential experiences.
🕉 Political Ashram (Spiritual & Community Development) – Exploring governance, conscious leadership, and communal growth.
🎨 Creative Arts – Spaces for pottery, painting, music, dance, and artistic expression.
🌿 Plant Medicine & Shamanism – Honoring ancestral wisdom and traditional healing practices.
🤝 Work-Study & Volunteer Care Team – Supporting volunteers, work-exchange programs, and integration.

Every member is encouraged to engage in multiple departments, aligning their contributions with their passions, skills, and the needs of the community. 🌍✨

Rights & Responsibilities:
🔸 Right to live on the land.
🔸 Co-owners of the cooperative and the land.
🔸 One vote in all decisions.

Joining:
✅ Requires unanimous approval from all existing Full Members.

Contribution:
💰 No fixed entry fee, but capital contribution or loan is encouraged.
🏡 Option to build a private home or participate in community housing.

Leaving the Community:
🚪 Voluntary exit at any time.
💸 Loans repaid within 3-5 years in installments.
🏠 Own house can be taken or sold to other community members.

Exclusion:
⚠️ Last resort for severe issues (e.g., aggression).
🔸 Requires 90% approval from members (excluding the person concerned).
🔄 Reapplication possible after behavioral adjustment.

🔸 Stay up to 6 months per year or up to 2 years.

Participation Options:
✅ Work-Study Group members (minimum 6-week commitment).
✅ Volunteers or Support Circle members (providing financial or labor support).

Exclusion:
⚠️ Follows the same process as for Full Members.

🔸 Guests visiting the village or attending festivals & events.
🔸 Pay a temporary membership fee.

Our community operates on a consent-based decision-making model, ensuring that all members agree before moving forward.

✅ Decisions require full consent from all members.
🚫 Vetoing a decision? – Anyone exercising their veto must temporarily join the working group affected by the decision to help find a solution acceptable to everyone.

🌀 All decisions are made during regular community meetings.
🌱 As the community grows to around 30 full members, we will evaluate which decisions can be made independently within specific departments, allowing for more fluid operations.

In our community, openness, trust, and emotional authenticity form the foundation of our communication. We believe that all emotions are real and valid—rather than judging them, we accept and express them openly.

🌀 Weekly Forum – A dedicated space where everyone is invited to share their emotions and experiences in a safe and respectful environment.

🕊 Additional Gatherings (2-5 times per week, 3-hour sessions):
🔸 Emotional Sharing & Deep Listening – Holding the forum to express, process, and support one another.
🔸 Collective Discussions & Decision-Making – Ensuring transparency and community alignment.
🔸 Unstructured Community Time – Dancing, singing, relaxing, and simply being together.

Through these practices, we cultivate deep listening, mutual respect, and emotional connection, ensuring that every voice is heard and valued. 🌿💛

We operate on a shared and gift economy, supporting one another without direct compensation.

🔸 Community-based living: We grow food together and prepare meals in our shared kitchen.
🔸 Education & Services: Children attend our own kindergartens and schools, and members offer skills like massages, haircuts, and medical care.
🔸 Collective Ownership: All residents own the land together and live rent-free.
🔸 No monetary exchanges: Instead of transactions, we follow the principle:
💛 "Everyone takes what they need and gives what they can."

Our goal is to meet all needs while ensuring the community remains functional.

To cover unavoidable costs, we initially integrate a modified commodity economy, gradually reducing reliance on it over time. Inspired by Tamera, which funds itself ⅔ through a Gift Economy and ⅓ through commodity-based income.

💰 Expenses covered by the Commodity Economy:
✅ Loan repayments
✅ Health insurance
✅ Marketing & advertising costs
✅ Travel expenses for community members
✅ Purchase of external goods

🌱 Income Sources:
🔸 Sale of ceremonial cacao & farm products
🔸 Events, courses & workshops
🔸 Handcrafted jewelry, clothing & art
🔸 Services (counseling, massages, naturopathy, etc.)
🔸 Farm-grown food & "Field-to-Table" dining experiences
🔸 Public funding for reforestation, permaculture & agrotourism projects
🔸 Donations & loans from members & supporters

💛 Sliding-Scale Pricing:
Financially stronger participants help subsidize those with fewer resources, ensuring equal access for all.

Standard Model: Work for the community, and the community covers all essential expenses.

⏳ Work Expectation:
Full members contribute 80-120 hours per month to community tasks. If roles remain unfilled, they are allocated through collective decision-making.

💰 Compensation Model:
✅ up to €500 monthly allowance (if funds allow).
✅ up to €500 per child per month (for children outside the community, up to age 25).
✅ Opportunity for travel grants for education (subject to approval).
✅ Right to live & build on community land.
✅ Three daily meals & access to shared spaces.

Alternative Model for Partially Self-Employed Members:
🔹 Those working 50% for the community while maintaining a self-employed job do not receive an allowance.
🔹 Those working less than 50% for the community contribute 10-30% of their income to support communal expenses.

Part members receive:
🏕 A sleeping space (community tent, private tent pitch, or van parking).
🥗 Three daily meals & access to sanitary facilities.
🛠 A work contribution of 20-25 hours per week.
📚 4-6 hours of training per week  from full members in various skills.

To finance long-term projects & individual needs, we establish dedicated community funds:

💰 Budget Fund – Covers daily operational costs.
🏗 Development Fund – Supports infrastructure & provides loans to members.
🌍 Humanitarian Fund – Supports education, health expenses & global aid projects.

💸 Fund Allocation & Decision-Making:
✅ 80% of expenditures require approval from all full members.
✅ 20% can be managed autonomously by relevant departments.
✅ The Finance & Administration team oversees fund management & submits financial proposals.
✅ Monthly budget meetings ensure transparency & responsible spending.

Our EU-based foundation serves as the central operational entity, handling distribution, sales, and global community-building. It is officially represented by a managing director, elected by the Inner Circle, which acts as the core decision-making body, supported by Part Members and Volunteers.

📦 Commerce & Distribution – Oversees sales and product distribution across Europe.
🌍 Global Community Development – Builds and maintains a worldwide Community Circle of members, partners, and supporters.
🏛 Operational Management – Ensures transparency, governance, and strategic direction through the Inner Circle.
🌀 Decision-Making & Leadership – An annually elected management team oversees operations and ensures long-term sustainability.

A 100% subsidiary of the foundation, responsible for land cultivation and the creation of an eco-retreat center focused on research, education, and sustainable living.

🌱 Farm Operations – Oversees organic cacao production & regenerative agriculture.
📚 Research & Education – Develops a retreat center focused on sustainability, agroforestry, and conscious living.
🍽 Farm-to-Table Concept – Establishes a community-based restaurant featuring locally grown organic food.
🤝 Local Collaboration & Impact – Works with farmers, researchers, and educators to promote sustainable practices.

Our criteria ensure that the land supports an intentional, diverse, and sustainable community, providing space for nature, agriculture, and infrastructure while maintaining accessibility.

📍 Land Size: Minimum 10-20 hectares, allowing space for community activities, agriculture, and infrastructure.
🌿 Surrounded by Nature: Ideally located in the countryside, with gentle hills or valleys, and preferably a river on-site.
🏖 Beach Access: Maximum 60 minutes by car to the nearest beach.
🏥 Healthcare Proximity: Within 30 minutes of the nearest hospital.
✈️ International Accessibility: Maximum 2 hours from an international airport.

💧 Private River or Lake: Ideally, the land includes a natural river, with the potential to create a lake through damming.
🚰 Alternative Water Source: At least one natural spring, with groundwater no deeper than 10 meters.

🌾 Sustainable Food Production: The land must allow for at least 1 hectare of fruit and vegetable cultivation, ensuring food security and agricultural diversity for the community.

🏡 Capacity: Ability to accommodate 50-100 full-time residents.
🏗 Permanent Structures: A minimum of 800m² of concrete buildings for communal and residential use.
⛺ Guest Accommodations: Fixed large tents for at least 30 guests.
🚙 Parking Area: Space for up to 30 campers and 50 cars.

🏕 Dome Tent Facilities for Specialized Spaces:
🔸 Retreats & Workshops
🔸 Kindergarten & School
🔸 Herb House & Medicine Preparation
🔸 Community Kitchens & Dining Areas
🔸 Offices & Workspaces
🔸 Sewing Room for Sustainable Clothing Production
🔸 Cultural Center with Bar & Café
🔸 Community Shop
🔸 Other Essential Facilities