Project: RECYCLED ESTATE
Recycled Estate is one of Croatia’s pioneering permaculture demonstration sites and ZMAG’s educational centre, with over 20 years of hands-on experience. Built largely from natural and recycled materials, it showcases sustainable living in practice, from organic food growing and seed saving to natural building and responsible water and energy management. Each year, it welcomes people of all ages and backgrounds to learn through experience. Through this project, we are upgrading and expanding the estate to welcome more visitors and create even more opportunities for hands-on learning.
Supports:
- Education & Inclusion – Expand access to learning, information, and digital tools
- Biodiverity – Preserve natural ecosystems and life on Earth
- Clean Energy – Advance affordable renewable energy solutions
- Sustainable Food – Secure food supply through responsible agriculture
The Problem
Today, most people have little hands-on experience of how food is grown, how homes can be built using local natural materials, or how water and waste can be managed sustainably. While sustainability is widely discussed, practical examples remain rare.
Meanwhile, construction is a major source of CO₂ emissions and waste in Europe, and valuable knowledge of low-impact, local solutions is gradually disappearing. In Croatia, there are very few places where people can experience and learn about these solutions first-hand, all in one place.
The Solution
We are developing Recycled Estate step by step, with each element built from natural and recycled materials and designed to serve an educational purpose:
Natural building structures: Upgrading and completing buildings made from straw, clay, wood and reclaimed materials, including the dome and workshop spaces, which also serve as hands-on learning and training facilities.
Living pond: Restoring a small natural pond to provide a habitat for amphibians, dragonflies and pollinators, while offering an opportunity to learn about water ecosystems and biodiversity.
Outdoor classroom: Creating a covered learning space built from natural materials, designed to host school groups, workshops and other educational activities.
Educational trail and signage: Installing information boards throughout the estate, introducing visitors to permaculture, composting, seed saving, local plants and wildlife, natural building and water management, allowing everyone to explore and learn at their own pace.
Water and sanitation solutions: Introducing rainwater harvesting and a composting toilet as practical, working examples of sustainable water and sanitation systems.
The estate serves as a learning and gathering place for participants of the Permaculture Design Course, Summer School, Natural Building Convention and Naša dobra hrana festival, as well as school and youth groups, the local community, volunteers and organised visitor groups.
ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION
ZMAG – GREEN NETWORK OF ACTIVIST GROUPS
www.zmag.hr
ZMAG is a Croatian non-profit organisation putting sustainability into practice for over 20 years. Based at our educational centre Recycled Estate, near Zagreb, we promote permaculture, organic food growing, seed saving, natural building and renewable energy, while developing models of a fairer, solidarity-based economy.
One of Croatia’s nine National Knowledge Centres for Social Development, ZMAG runs the Community Seed Bank, the Natural Building Convention and the Naša dobra hrana (Our Good Food) festival, alongside educational workshops across Croatia.