Ecovillage with 7 hectare farm based on regenerative and permaculture principles

Zealand

5 reviews • Updated 2 months ago

The ecovillage, which is about one hour south of Copenhagen, was established in 2018 with the aim of developing a more sustainable and communal way of living in practice. We engage in local food production, decentralized energy production, and a low-impact culture, in which we take care of each other and the environment. The village consists of 90 low energy houses and 30 hectares of land. We have common buildings, a windmill, a heating system based on geothermal heat pumps, and a willow rote zone sewage cleaning plant. The population is about 90 children and 150 adults of different ages and backgrounds. We are eating dinner together five days a week in the main hall. We has 7 hectares of certified organic agriculture where we produce a variety of vegetables and fruits – primarily for our own consumption, with some products sold to restaurants. We have market gardens, greenhouses, permaculture gardens, and a fruit and berry orchard. We also have chickens, ducks, bees, and a few goats and sheep. We aim to cultivate all of our land using methods of regenerative agriculture and permaculture because taking care of the soil and the biodiversity is very important to us. We have a number of composting projects, some started recently, including vermicomposting, hot-composting and bioreactor composting. We make compost extracts to add beneficial microbes and boost the life in the soil. Next to the farm is a small oak forest that we use for materials, and we manage this and our other common areas with respect for the biodiversity. The daily work is done by the villagers and of course by our volunteers, whose help is very important to us. We generally encourage you to stay for a month or more. The longer you stay, the better you can get to know our village and how it functions, and you can learn much more about regenerative agriculture. CULTURAL EXCHANGE AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES Every week there are different activities in Permatopia. This could be yoga, sauna sessions, mending classes, small festivals or dancing events, or day trips to visit attractions in the surrounding area. These visits are all free for volunteers. There are many possibilities for meeting people when we are working and eating together and at informal or organized social events. As a volunteer, you stay in our common buildings, which is the area where people meet. Volunteers at Permatopia are mostly young people who come from all over the world and have many different backgrounds. Many interesting conversations are taking place during the day and volunteers here often become friends during their stay. We consider ourselves a “learning organisation.” We don’t have all the answers, but we’re trying to find them as we go along – and we hope that our volunteers will take part in this. We prioritize teaching volunteers about regenerative agriculture and sustainable living so that you can take what you have learned with you and help spread those ideas in the world. THE WORK We primarily need help in the vegetable production. It is physical work and takes place outdoors. The core tasks are planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting. The tasks vary with the seasons: In spring, we get the soil ready and put thousands of plants in the soil, and we take care of the beds by weeding and watering. In summer, we start harvesting (and eating!) the crops, and everything grows like crazy so we have lots of weeding and watering. There are still some plantings done. In autumn, it’s all about getting the big harvests in and processing them for storage so that we can feed the village during winter. Other tasks include: Sowing seeds and tending to seedlings Preparing beds for plantings Composting and recycling of nutrients The longer you stay with us, the more varied the tasks can become. Long-term volunteers will also receive more training and be able to handle more advanced tasks. Overall, we think that long-term stays are more enjoyable for everyone. Workdays are usually Sunday to Thursday. ACCOMODATION Our hostess Helle will look after you and make sure you have a good stay with us. She is the one who welcomes you when you arrive. You will stay at the first floor of our common building, in rooms for one or two people. If there are many people staying with us at once, you may be asked to share a room with someone else. Volunteers share a kitchen and also have access to laundry facilities. Please note that we only use organic/biodegradable soap/shampoo in Permatopia. So please don't bring other types with you :) On weekdays, there is a communal lunch and dinner together in the main dining hall. There is always a vegetarian and vegan option available. In the weekends and during the summer holidays (from late June to early August), volunteers cook for themselves. You receive a cash allowance during your stay, which is higher on days where no food is served.

Learning opportunities

Vegetable farming

Fruit or nut farming

Forestry

Beekeeping

Flower farming

Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas

Seed saving or production

Vegetable or fruit preservation

Renewable energy production

Food justice / sovereignty

Methods or systems

Biological pest control

Holistic management

No-till farming

Permaculture

Regenerative agriculture

Host type

Nonprofit / Community

Certified organic

29 Hectares | 71.7 Acres

WWOOF-Verified

Accommodation

4+ WWOOFers

Bedroom

Camper / RV

Campsite

Children not accepted

Pets not accepted

Meals

Omnivore

Vegetarian

Vegan

Length of stay

Over a month

Sasse

Member since 2021

Languages spoken: Danish, English Response rate: 95% Response time: typically within 5 days

November 2025

Open

Planned visit

Closed

Zealand

Karise Station

Reviews

Charlotte

France • September 2024

We had an amazing time at Permatopia !! The place is really beautiful and it's so interesting to discover the organisation of such a community. You get to talk to a lot of the villagers, during the meals or working with them, and they all are incredibly friendly and welcoming. We were here during the summer so it was a lot of weeding but the work atmosphere is very relaxed and pleasant and you never feel stressed. And if you are lucky you will get the chance to try the sauna in the forest :D Thank you for everything ! We definitely recommend !!

Hanna

Germany • April 2024

I have had a great stay in Permatopia and would really recommend it! The dinners during the week are a great opportunity to get to know the people living in Permatopia and everyone I talked to was friendly and openminded. I have had many inspiring conversations, but I have also learned a lot during the work in the fields because everyone we worked tried to answer all our questions. I would love to come back another time!

David

Denmark • November 2023

Permatopia is a truly unique and memorable place to stay at, cannot recommend enough! I spent about a month there in Oct-Nov. towards end of the farming year, so most of the work consisted of harvesting, sorting and bagging crops before the winter ; however there was also diverse other smaller tasks to be done (i.e weeding in the greenhouse, building a bee fence etc.)which kept things fun and fresh. The head farmer Anders is really enthusiastic and has plenty of knowledge to teach about organic/regenerative farming, and really farming in general (good for noobies like me!). During this period there was a communal dinner in the main hall in the evenings, which is a great opportunity to meet and get to know of the other eco-villagers you don't work alongside with during the day. Overall, you can feel a strong convivial vibe, everyone at Permatopia is very welcoming and keen to make you feel apart of the community (you WILL be invited for coffee , dinner, to take part in Yoga sessions etc.). It was also super interesting to see how an eco-village functions from the inside. Accommodation is the large common house shared with other WWOOFers was super cozy and much nicer than I expected! Lastly, Permatopia is only 1h20 from Copenhagen, so very accessible for weekend or even day trips in the city, and there are some very pretty beaches only a bike ride away in the area which I definitely recommend visiting! All in all, amazing place which I really hope to return to!

Pierre

Belgium • July 2021

This place is just wonderful!! I was there three weeks in May-June and it was a super experience. I was really well welcomed, and the people are so friendly, you can talk and have time with all the people from the eco-village, of 90 houses! The accommodation in a caravan is just perfect, with a kitchen and living room in another building. We cook in the morning and at lunch with food we buy from some money we receive, and it's perfect. In the evening, there's a common meal for all and it's always nice food. We work most in the fields but also sometimes in greenhouses or other smaller gardening projects. The work is not hard at all and nice and you're nearly never working alone! The place is just beautiful, with a lot of nature, a forest, and again so nice people. I just want to come again. Thanks for the talks, the meals, the works, the activities, the good moments and all! Thanks to all the Permatopians, Pierre Ouziaux-Juhl