Sustainability research center
Italy's largest independent, off‑grid facility
Ethical resource management, permaculture and self‑sufficiency
✆ +39 0744 988 050
Ethical resource management, permaculture and self‑sufficiency
PER is pronounced in Italian as Il Parco dell' Energia Rinnovabile, meaning "renewable energy park". PER is the largest and most comprehensive sustainability research centre in Italy.
When you arrive you see modern technology everywhere. However, PER was born out of the oldest form of technology: farming. Agricultural farming produces the energy needed to make everything else possible.
We know the twentieth century legacy for agriculture is not the future. Plastic greenhouses and chemicals have not fulfilled their promise of lifting the world from hunger. Instead, they have depleted soils and caused migration to urban areas for most of the earth's population. Not to mention breeding new, hungry pests.
For millennia this land fed people, but market over simplification required vegetables to be sold by weight. This became known as the new hunger and did more harm than good. The farmers living here were forced to leave and the brambles reconquered the land and the house returned to rubble.
Our approach is to study permaculture and use renewable energy for a sustainable future.
We took our first step buying the land. This wonderful, tiring adventure began without external funding. Rebuilding the farm began with just our determination.
Before we explain our system, all sites are unique. They borrow from each other, but each has their own style. It is the environment that shapes the outcome. Working with nature, we can guide you through PER.
In in 1999 we had to slash through brambles and cut stone. We restored the surrounding fields to farm produce, but we have cut out modern methods. Artificial chemicals and fertilisers are inferior. We use our own natural land management techniques for composting, crop rotation and to deal with pests. We store rain water, just like nature. Of course we are powered by the sun and use modern technologies such as photovoltaics.
We are creating a place to solve problems that meet human needs. We foster cross-pollination between subject areas. We combine, old effective methods with new technology and share our approach to help people meet their own challenges.
We encourage you to learn more about this kind of problem solving and visit us, volunteer, take part in our knowledge share or get involved with our activities for schools.
The tour explores our philosophy and looks
at solutions to age old problems.
We talk about sustainability: ethical resource management, permaculture and self‑sufficiency. We
cover the fabric of the building, consumption and efficiency and precious natural resources.
We also give you the chance to taste PER life, and eat some of our crops.
Our guided tour lasts around two hours with a minimum requirement of two bookings every tour. This is a great opportunity to meet others with an interest in sustainability and a desire for change.
Why not choose our zero kilometre food experience?
PER is for everyone. We adapt each tour to suit kids, students and professionals so everyone can learn from our example. We are open all year round – so your visit can be arranged to suit you.
We host an interactive discussion and encourage participation. This gives everyone the chance to enrich their knowledge and we are always looking to advance what we know.
The tour is best in good weather, morning or afternoon and we offer a dining reservation for at least four people.
We really want people to have an insight into PER and we offer a zero kilometre food experience. People just like you rated this #1 on Trip Advisor.
When you visit PER for a tour, course or activities you can make a food reservation. Catering is only available at the time of booking because our kitchens only open on request. Sorry, we aren't a restaurant – but we will aim to please you if we can!
Our healthy menu is mainly vegetarian and vegan and we can cater to specific dietary needs.
Please contact us to make a food reservation with your tour.
| Type | Cost per person | Minimum bookings |
|---|---|---|
| Tour only | € call/email | 2 or more… |
| Tour & meal | € call/email | 4 or more… |
Morning and afternoon tours are available 6 days a week.
Sunday tours are only available in the morning.
Please contact us to book your tour.
- We are animal friendly.
- we cater to walking groups and cyclists.
- telephone your reservation. Or if you’re planing on cycling let us know when you’re going to arrive and we
can book you in.
GROUND FLOOR ROOMS:
• 4 ground floor rooms
• 11 beds
• 2 kitchens
FIRST FLOOR ROOMS:
• More bedrooms
• Call for details
| Season | B&B Double room | Half board | Low impact house |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07th Jan - 8th May 28th Sept - 18th Dec |
€ call/email | € call/email | € call/email |
|
9th May - 24th July 24th Aug - 27th Sept |
€ call/email | € call/email | € call/email |
| 25th June - 23rd Aug | € call/email | € call/email | € call/email |
Please ask about discounts for children.
We apply a small service charge for animals.
Please contact us to book your stay.
Permaculture is observing what an environment does naturally to maintain growth sustainably.
In Italy agriculture is a disadvantaged sector in need of financial aid. Yet people have supported themselves on the land sustainably for millennia. At PER we wondered what has made agriculture unable to support itself?
Quantitative agriculture emerged and farmers had to sell their food by weight. This over simplification became known as the new hunger, doing more harm than good. Farms like this one no longer produced high quality, nutritional food.
They didn't have enough water to "inflate" vegetables required for an industrial market place …farms all over the planet followed this trend.
Unable to compete, farmers moved into towns to make another living. This pushed them to buy chemically fertilised food cultivated by others en-mass. As this happened, the brambles reconquered the land and the house returned to rubble.
Over the past few years we have developed our own agricultural system. Based on the principals of permaculture we plan resources at every stage of the process. Our vegetable production uses waste as a fertiliser for example, it's highly efficient. It's similar to organs of a human body: each has an important job to do, and functions in harmony together.
Understanding permaculture is more than agronomy and much more than buzzword. It is understanding how a sustainable lifestyle on the land works. permaculture can feed future generations and it pays for itself in the process.
If you want a different climate — human & planetary, then you already share our goals!
Away from the monotony and alienation of everyday city life, PER is an alternative in nature. We are making sustainability happen. To begin with, this was a challenge.
Turning this project into reality meant sharing everything. Not just other people's energy and enthusiasm, but their dreams.
Around a stable nucleus PER enables different life paths to come together with a common intention.
We live and work together. We cook and dine together. We celebrate and share rapport without rivalry or conflict.
Learn more with this interview with the PER founder, Alessandro.
Happy people contribute more
The principles of sharing are adopted everywhere onsite and in making group decisions. The use of non-violent communication helps resolve problems and a philosophy of deep democracy is felt in everything we do. We make everyone an equal among equals and reassure everyone they are not alone.
We welcome you to join PER and hope our experiment helps fulfil your dreams. We will tell you about our experiences, where we are, and where we want to go.
We want to bring about prosperity and do so ethically. Saving resources should not be a sacrifice, nor should it have hidden costs.
Waste causes unpleasant sacrifices and it's obvious what we have tried has not worked. We can change this.
As well as permaculture this project uses renewable energy. We have solar collectors both on the roof and the ground. Photovoltaic panels produce electricity built into the home. The walls are ventilated and circulate hot air, and we use the wind and we collect the rain, for sanitary water. To make this change, takes careful planning.
We wish to lead by example, so we would like to share the pleasure of our success. Real change requires the right information. By seeing PER in operation it will help you apply changes for yourself.
To achieve autonomy,
we prioritise efficiency, distribution, and water
We started from the most obvious concept: avoid waste. Our self-sufficient retreat is built from bricks made from Isotex. A cement mixed with mineralised wood, which form overlapping fibres in a matrix. This is biomimicary, by it's very nature it is a high performance insulator. Ideal for heat retention. The exterior has been rebuilt with existing local stone, looking very traditional and the roof has deep insulation.
The whole house has underfloor heating. Using tubes and mirrors we direct daylight from above ground into the darkest rooms. In winter, hot air from solar collection heats rooms well and efficiently. In summer, geothermal vents under the building refresh the indoor air.
With very long periods of hot weather there are special considerations like a drought. Along with collecting rain water, we recover grey water to reuse in the drains. We also made our own wetlands to help growing.
The results of water conservation are everywhere, without affecting comfort. You can see it when you flush the toilet. Water conservation improves hygiene too. Rainwater is soft and mildly acidic, so more friendly to the skin and can cut how much soap you need.
It is only possible when our other plans are in place – because, autonomy comes through adding longterm systems. These help balance demand.
We do this with wind generators. They harness yearly winds and we have a backup generator. The generator runs from vegetable oil, which we press ourselves on site. This all helps overcome the ups and downs.
Two large collectors store around 4,000 litres of heat produced by the sun. A biomass stove concentrates our waste to supply bath water from pellets.
PER is ideal for schools. Located in outstanding natural beauty it is the ideal environment for learning, regardless of age. Our system aims to support itself to give access to more students, more tutors and more learning opportunities.
We understand the importance of adaptation. We can help tailor the activities to meet your learning goals.
Browse the activities and get in touch to tell us what you'd like to participate in.
Please notify us when booking if you want to learn about a specific combination of activities.
If you have any questions please contact us, or call us:
✆ +39 0744 988 050An introduction to energy efficiency without compromise. Before we produce energy, we explain managing it. We do not want to waste heat, or electricity so we show you how we manage it, as a system.
We lead experiments to produce renewable energy and understand the benefits of Class-A electronics.
A tour of the park focuses on our zero-energy home. Here, we look into different off-grid technologies and photovoltaics that can re-supply the grid.
If you have any questions please contact us, or call us:
✆ +39 0744 988 050A behind the scenes look at natural architecture in practice. Understand and interact with the site, as we guide you through our own natural architecture.
We look at the use of passive and active technologies for harmonious building.
After talking about natural architecture, we have a QA session with the designers of the park.
A hands-on session digging deeper into the reasoning behind our chosen methods. Here you'll learn about the dos-and-don'ts from experience.
If you have any questions please contact us, or call us:
✆ +39 0744 988 050We answer energy questions such as what is energy? Why do we need it? How do we produce it?
Today it is possible to be self-sufficient. Come and see our example of energetic autonomy.
We begin with an analysis of common energy efficiency techniques for heat and water. We use hands-on experiments based on the on-site examples.
With this activity you'll realise important resources are also highly abundant and readily accessible! Working in harmony with nature, we see possibilities to use these techniques everywhere. We have a range of experiments that help explore these ideas.
If you have any questions please contact us, or call us:
✆ +39 0744 988 050The park is surrounded by nature, which gives us an opportunity to reflect on raw materials and how we use them.
Here we study mature ecosystems, like forests. Then other ecosystems such as fields where cattle grazes and and how people cultivate the land.
We develop our understanding and awareness of the environment. This activity is tailored to suit the age and abilities of participants.
We look at photosynthesis, the life cycle of plants, nutrition in growing, and what we use plants for. We study biodiversity. We look at the symbiotic relationship between plants and the animals that live in them.
If you have any questions please contact us, or call us:
✆ +39 0744 988 050Good traditions, past farming secrets and modern technology can make farming better. Together we learn to eat better and create a zero-impact future!
We reduce the use of hydrocarbons like fossil fuels. We also don't over water food. This helps us increase the nutritional value and reduces weight with lower food-miles!
We look at the ethical issues of biomass as energy. We look at the benefits and side-effects of bio-methane, palm oil and veggie oils. We look at low-impact bio-mass such as: wood, pellets, thermal compost heating and wood chip.
We look at the value of waste and how to reuse it through different kinds of composting and fertili2sation.
We aim for 0km meals and we discuss "mindful shopping". This is not just looking at the nutritional value of your food, but issues such as how far away our food has traveled. We also think about reducing waste through different methods like buying as much as you need.
We study improving soil quality and how to be selective with plants, herbs and medicines. We aim to reestablish our relationship with the biodiversity, benefiting the land and our harvest.
We know that improving local farming will make a better global future, and these methods can improve access to food and resources.
If you have any questions please contact us, or call us:
✆ +39 0744 988 050Dedicated to the reduction of CO2, here we learn about modern mobility. This is a fun way to experience our own energy efficiency. Humans are among the most efficient in nature using ~2800k calories to work nonstop for 24 hours, and to think, all this energy comes from our food! Man is a perfect machine!
If you have any questions please contact us, or call us:
✆ +39 0744 988 050Unrestrained in nature, we delve into our senses to learn more about sustainability. We see for ourselves the importance of natural energy production. We find out how much energy we need to move around and how to generate it.
We learn to become even more active about saving energy in every day life!
If you have any questions please contact us, or call us:
✆ +39 0744 988 050We begin by introducing some of the problems faced by humanity. We look the the systems on site, and make
new ones through practical workshops.
We talk about energy and climate change: what is going on and how can we deal with these issues?
The second day we look at how to curb waste and end energy problems. We learn about our actions and behavior can be even more efficient.
The third day, we discover where to find alternative energy. The renewable energy workshop explores in more depth how things work at PER.
If you have any questions please contact us, or call us:
✆ +39 0744 988 050
We learn the importance of reducing waste and how this forms the basis of sustainability.
We look at the three Rs of sustainability: Recovery, Reuse, Recycle. These represent our social objectives
and help us rediscover an ancient sustainable life style.
The management of the entire life cycle of goods is becoming increasingly important.
Using recovery, reuse and recycling of paper we learn about sustainable fuel. We teach ethical decision
making and how to do the right thing.
You might call PER an eco-village – either way, it's an ideal place to think about sustainable cities. We
aim to make an airport onsite for children!
We discover precious resources and management systems. Those of: plants, housing, services, energy,
mobility and socialising. The practical session uses recycled materials like paper to explore energy.
Preschool children recover plastic bottles to make an ideal planting bed for vegetables. An important part of any sustainable city!
Schools recover paper for recycling. Then we perform briquetting with a user-friendly tool. This simple
manual process called: maceration transforms paper into useful bricks.
They can help the construction of sustainable buildings or even generate heat!
Secondary schools recover diversified materials, like aluminium cans, PC fans and power adapters. We use glass to build different technologies in our sustainable city. We also explore installing other efficient integrated systems.
If you have any questions please contact us, or call us:
✆ +39 0744 988 050How can we reduce CO2 emissions and, at the same time save money for our schools?
We discuss how wasteful it is to release CO2 into the atmosphere. This helps us understand why we need to reduce energy consumption and apply it to our school buildings.
We use monitoring tools to reduce our electricity consumption and emissions. Working together it's possible to save 20% on our utility bills – your teachers will be happy they came to PER!
This project involves everyone at school: students, teaching staff, support staff and parents. Through awareness and carefully monitoring readings we save money and become more energy efficient.
A theoretical session. Students, faculty and support staff and parents are all present.
Practical part one. Students detect and analyse electricity use. We look at heating school buildings and other places we might spot waste.
Faculty session. We present ways to make on-going improvements and technical QA.
The savings your school can achieve will mean visiting PER will fund itself. Involving students and their families your school community can all benefit from this visit!
At the end of the course we give you an energy pack. This contains everything you need to track your school's energy use. Perfect for getting everyone's approval!
If you have any questions please contact us, or call us:
✆ +39 0744 988 050We share knowledge at PER in different ways. We hire our venue to people interested in sustainability or music. We have opportunities to volunteer, different types of practical training and consultation.
Our multi-day courses, have quality accommodation and can cater for pets.
With our courses, we adapt to suit all skill levels and abilities.
We aim to offer genuine growth,
both personally and professionally.
PER is ideal for gatherings in a natural environment. We host conferences, seminars and presentations. We cater to self-service, lunches, banquets and tasting evenings with local organic food.
Our dining room covers 60 with a bar, lit stage and sound system. We also have an outdoor dining space for 30 people. Great for eating together during activities.
Our classroom holds 30 people, with whiteboards and integrated audiovisual equipment, ideal for meetings.
If you have any questions please contact us, or call us:
✆ +39 0744 988 050Courses are information focused:
• Change job, change your lifeWorkshops are practical:
• Dried Fruit
• Fermentation
There are opportunities to make the future better. At PER we can help you face climate change, develop useful skills and open your mind.
We practice traditional land management techniques and also research sustainable energy. This is a great combination to change life direction or to practice ethical living.
You'll also meet other talented people that are committed to positive change.
Our application form covers your past experience, availability and expectations. It's important that
we're a good fit for each other, so please read the Volunteer policy.
When you have finished email your application to: scrivi@per.umbria.it
We choose people based on their characteristics and suitability. We always need good people with different skills.
When we coordinate a large project there are more lodgings available. Please complete an application and tell us about your skills.
Willing Workers on Organic Farms, WWOOF is a loose network of farms that can help people find life changing work within the organic movement.
If you have any questions please contact us, or call us:
✆ +39 0744 988 050Benefit from our experience. We have used all kinds of technology and can help you save as you implement your idea.
Please contact us for work enquiries, or read and share these tips.
Reliable information is the most valuable. Our recommendations have been tested over time and you can see them all working on site.
Here is some resources to get you started.
Don't imitate.
Be inspired and unearth your style!
OSA Italian alternative heating solutions company.
Sunergy Solar produce solar technologies in Italy.
The TML group make eco-conscious water tanks.
Destinazione Umana A travel review by "Human Destination".
The TML group useful things for people and the environment.
Smarketing hosting our site and printing our flyers.
Scott Phillips is a user experience designer. He is interested in projects with broad creative scope that will make a difference.
Un'iniziativa di Etic Italia, Società Agricola a.r.l. | P.IVA 0134869055 | CIN IT055015B501015594
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