Nature of Life Foundation

Nature of Life Foundation (Stichting Nature of Life) is a Dutch-registered foundation working to create a living model for regenerative community and education in rural Portugal. At its heart is Herdade do Passo, a rural property envisioned as a place where the conditions for healthy, grounded human development across all generations are restored. The foundation was born from the recognition that modern society is increasingly fragmented: children grow up without steady role models, adults are pulled away from family life by work, and elders are pushed to the margins of community. The mission is to bring these threads together again — creating a place where children learn through real experience, adults engage in lifelong learning, and elders are active and valued participants in community life. Building on Wild Roots, an existing children's nature project that has outgrown its current space, the foundation is developing a blueprint for co-living-based education. This model weaves together daily life, ecological stewardship, cultural roots, and shared responsibility into a coherent and replicable system for sustainable rural living in Europe. Nature functions as an active learning space, supported by local partners and a culture of mutual care. The team at Herdade do Passo brings together a diverse range of skills: carpentry, nonviolent communication, vision and construction, Portuguese cultural integration, community facilitation, children's programmes, and back-end organisation. Emotional maturity and relational skill are considered as vital as technical expertise — the team is regarded as the foundation's greatest asset and the true foundation of village life. The project is currently growing its community and warmly invites families, educators, and skilled individuals who share its vision of a more connected, ecologically literate, and intergenerationally rich society to join or follow the journey.