Cooperative Mokri Potok is a non-profit organization committed to a sustainable lifestyle. They are behind the Mokri Potok eco-village project, an initiative to revive an old, abandoned village in the heart of the Kočevsko Forest. Their goal? Creating an off-grid eco-village with 7 small family farms and a visitor center where they promote permaculture, natural building and a sustainable lifestyle. They are a small forest community in southern Slovenia, just an hour's drive from the capital Ljubljana and the Croatian coast. The ecovillage group currently consists of 7 adults and 6 children, supplemented with additional members who come to participate in the summer months. They live together with the mission to put sustainable lifestyles into practice and share them through education, ecotourism and organic products. As a young community, they are still developing. The current work focuses mainly on natural construction and organizing workshops about this (one of the members is a professional eco-builder). In addition, they focus on permaculture and organic farming, nature conservation, social tools and holistic well-being and traditional crafts. Here you live and work in a beautiful forest area, far away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and you learn everything about permaculture, ecological construction and a sustainable lifestyle. You will be part of a close-knit and inspiring community and discover the natural beauty of Slovenia, near Ljubljana and the Adriatic coast.
Volunteer work
This summer they are focusing on big steps forward: building an outdoor kitchen, making a clay oven and shaping the landscape around the future visitor center.
Accommodation
The project has 1 tepee for 8 people, and it is also supplemented with tents that you can bring yourself. Everyone brings a sleeping bag and mat. There are compost toilets and the water from the kitchen and bathroom, which they reuse for the garden - so only use biodegradable soap. The project is still in its early stages, so it is really back to basics. The meals are vegetarian and you will be asked to help with their preparation.
Leisure
In your spare time there is plenty of room to explore surrounding places and take beautiful walks in the surrounding nature. In addition, it is possible to travel to the Adriatic coast within a few hours and enjoy a dip in the sea.
Travel
You travel to Slovenia yourself and are picked up by the project partner. More information about meeting point and time will follow after registration.
You arrange the travel to your project yourself. IBO asks all volunteers to travel in the most sustainable way possible, so preferably by train or bus. What you at least can do, is compensate your CO2 emissions. You can find more information about this on the website of Milieu Centraal. You can also compensate your emissions via IBO, by donating to our partner’s tree planting project in Uganda. You can read more about that here..
Preparation
IBO offers a good preparation for your volunteering work abroad.You will receive a digital information package and an invitation to a preparation meeting. Read more about the proces from departure until return.
Cost
IBO asks €50 registration fee. In addition, you pay a participation fee of €189 for this project. You can also become an IBO-supporter, then you do not pay a registration fee.
Would you like to know more about how your contribution is made and how it is spent? Read about the costs for participation.
Register
Register as a volunteer at IBO here.