On the first day of our second Transnational project meeting in Maribor, Slovenia (19 May 2022) the project partners visited the International Center for Self-Sufficiency Dole (near Poljčane) as an example of integrated self-sufficiency and an example of good practice of integrating green competencies into the way of life. During the tour, that was led by the founder of the International Center for Self-Sufficiency Dole, prof. ddr. Ana Vovk, the participants gained insight into the operation of an ecologically designed farm and a center of vital life. The ecosystemic approach includes the principle of natural farming, acknowledging the circular economy method through reuse and through the use of blue-green infrastructures, which connect water retention and its reuse for the purpose of self-sufficiency. The Center for Vital Life includes elements of health promotion, the use of plants with healing properties, connecting with nature for anti-stress relaxation and the development of new insights in a teahouse and a yurt, where presentations on innovations in integrated self-care take place.
