Cob / αειphόria, Nessonas

Cob / αειphόria, Building with earth, Nessonas. In our test site in Nessonas, Larissa, we are experimenting with natural building, natural farming and self-sufficiency. Since the project started in 1999, the farm has been cultivated using natural farming methods. Without any grand or systematic care, a very special and self-sustaining ecosystem has evolved which numbers more than 400 trees of more than 80 varieties and countless species of annual plants and herbs. Alongside the crops that we grow in our farm, we also rent agricultural land nearby where we cultivate cereals and legumes in crop rotation, and also cultivate vegetables that we sell to specific customers in the city of Larissa on a weekly basis.
The property serves as a training ground for natural farming, permaculture, natural building and self-sufficiency, by implementing alternative technologies and conducting workshops and educational activities. We offer volunteers housing, organic food and hands-on experience on natural farming and building, as well as full-on participation in community life. Having used the space for educational projects in collaboration with schools, universities and workshops, we came to realize that a very effective, holistic and pleasant way of learning, is simply spending some time at the farm, participating in the various activities that take place there and getting familiar with sustainable technologies. Making your own toothpaste and soap, for example, truly gives you the feeling of self- sufficiency. Finally, by spending some time in an environment free of toxins, through exercise and by eating properly cooked natural food, people can manage to come back in contact with themselves, with other people and with the nature that surrounds them.
For the last two years, a handful of people have been living on the farm on a more permanent basis. They have divided responsibilities amongst themselves, established a self-organized community and are constantly expanding the scope of the farm’s activities. Because of this attitude and because of the people, the farm is no longer simply an experiment in farming or building – it is an experiment in communal living, growing day by day.

https://www.cob.gr/en/