SLOW NEST
A Regenerative Living Lab in Northern Portugal –
Exploring how land, ecosystems and communities can regenerate together.
WHAT IS SLOW NEST?
Slow Nest is an emerging regenerative living lab in Barcelos, Northern Portugal, set on 8,320 m² of land.
It is being developed as a space where ecological regeneration, learning and community can come together.
The project explores how land can gradually be restored through regenerative practices that rebuild soil health, increase biodiversity and strengthen the relationship between people and nature.
Rather than a finished project, Slow Nest is an evolving space — a place to experiment, observe and learn with living systems.
THE VISION
Slow Nest aims to become a living space for ecological regeneration and learning.
By combining land restoration, experimentation and shared experiences, the project seeks to demonstrate how small-scale places can contribute to wider ecological and cultural transformation.
It is rooted in the idea that regeneration goes beyond sustaining what remains — it is about restoring living systems and creating new ways of relating to land, community and territory.
WHAT WE WANT TO DEVELOP
Slow Nest is being shaped as a living laboratory where regenerative practices can be implemented, observed and refined over time.
The intention is to gradually develop a space that may include soil regeneration practices, native vegetation, biodiversity-supporting habitats, agroforestry systems and areas for learning and community gatherings.
The project will evolve through a learning-by-doing approach, allowing the land itself to guide part of the process.
WHAT CAN HAPPEN HERE
Ecological regeneration
Soil restoration, native planting and biodiversity-supporting practices.
Guided visits
Educational moments that make ecological processes more visible and tangible.
Agroecology & experimentation
Testing small-scale regenerative solutions in a real landscape.
Research collaborations
A space for pilot projects, applied learning and knowledge exchange.
Workshops & learning
Hands-on experiences connected to ecology, land and regenerative living.
Community gatherings
Encounters that strengthen the relationship between people, place and nature.
COMMUNITY & LEARNING
Slow Nest is also a space for people to come together — to learn, share and reconnect with nature and with each other.
Through workshops, open days and small gatherings, the project aims to create meaningful experiences rooted in practice. Learning happens by doing, observing and engaging directly with the land.
More than a place to visit, Slow Nest seeks to become a space of connection — where community, knowledge and care for the territory can grow together.
A LIVING LAB
Living labs are spaces where ideas can be tested in real-life contexts.
Slow Nest approaches regeneration not only as an ecological practice, but also as a cultural and relational process — one that invites experimentation, observation and shared learning.
The project is interested in how practical action, ecological awareness and community participation can come together in one place.
COLLABORATIONS & PARTNERSHIPS
Slow Nest is imagined as an open and collaborative space.
The project welcomes connections with people and organisations interested in regeneration, ecological learning and place-based transformation.
- Researchers and universities
- Regenerative practitioners
- Educators and facilitators
- Artists and storytellers
- Community initiatives
- Organisations working on sustainability and regeneration
FOUNDER
Slow Nest is initiated by Ana Milhazes, sustainability educator, speaker and founder of Ana, Go Slowly and Zero Waste Portugal.
With a background in sociology and years of work in sustainability education, Ana has been exploring pathways towards more regenerative ways of living, learning and relating to the natural world.
Slow Nest emerges as a natural extension of that journey — a place where ideas around regeneration can be explored in practice.
Contact
For collaborations, partnerships or research enquiries:
A place to regenerate land, learn with nature and imagine new ways of belonging.