The story
An eco-farm campus for practical environmental education
In the hills near Nova Friburgo, Eco Caminhos envisioned a vocational center where young people could learn ecological living by helping operate a real place. Stephanie Carl’s thesis organizes the project as a phased eco-farm combining natural construction, organic agriculture, renewable energy, waste treatment, workshops, and visitor accommodation. Food, power, water, and building materials are not hidden utilities; they are visible systems that students can work with and improve. Eco-tourism and lodges help support the educational mission financially, while hands-on construction and farming connect instruction to viable skills.
Site research, climate analysis, and local context shaped a campus intended to become increasingly self-sufficient over time. Developed with Eco Caminhos and Journeyman International, the work remains a design and phasing proposal. Learners would practice food growing, waste treatment, energy generation, and construction within the same landscape.
