The Centre
A campus-laboratory-farm-school project dedicated to the sustainable autonomy of territories.
A place to build
The Centre is the heart of Equalium: a unique place to demonstrate, transmit and research sustainable autonomy, linking modern science and traditional knowledge.
The project is currently under development: we do not yet have the land or the buildings. This is precisely what we want to build — and what the support we are seeking will serve to do: acquire the site, build the infrastructure and launch the first activities.
Learning by living
We remember what we live far more than what we read. In the manner of the great demonstration centres — the Centre for Alternative Technology in Wales, the Instituto Chaikuni in the Amazon — the centre will be a living testbed: every solution can be seen, touched and learned there through practice.
What the centre will bring together
About one hectare, conceived as a living and educational organism.
Multi-trade workshop
Learning the different trades through practice.
Conference space & school
Invited experts and transmission open to communities.
Vegetable garden & fish farming
Permaculture, aquaponics and earth techniques.
Autonomous energy
Solar, wind and storage, in autonomy.
Water autonomy
Wells, river, cisterns and closed loops.
Demonstration housing
Bioclimatic construction and local materials.
Which territory for the first centre?
We are looking for a rural territory with strong natural and human potential, carried by communities with living self-governance, where access to energy and resources remains a challenge — and where our five pillars meet a real need. Two regions meet these criteria, each with its own profile: the very proof that a model of autonomy adapts to its territory.
Valle del Cauca · Colombia
Colombian Andes
- Energy: micro-hydropower provides continuous energy there, day and night, without the intermittency of solar or wind.
- Need: Cauca is one of the least electrified departments in Colombia — 189 localities live off the grid.
- Communities: Nasa and Misak peoples, organised in cabildos and juntas de acción comunal.
- Context: PDET post-conflict territories — the centre is part of peacebuilding.
Chiapas & Oaxaca · Mexico
Mesoamerican highlands
- The energy paradox: Chiapas produces a large share of the country's hydroelectricity, yet many indigenous communities live without electricity or running water.
- Need: Chiapas and Oaxaca are among the most marginalised states in Mexico; nationwide, nearly 60% of people without electricity are indigenous.
- Governance: in Oaxaca, nearly three quarters of municipalities govern themselves through usos y costumbres and comunalidad (assembly, tequio, cargos) — a living community autonomy.
- A shared conviction: these communities (Tzeltal, Tzotzil, Zapotec, Mixtec) are already building their autonomy — biodigesters, water harvesting, decentralised energy — in contrast to mega-projects imposed from above.
The final site will be decided together with the community partner and the funder, as close as possible to the territory's needs. In every case, the centre is co-built with the communities and their local institutions, with respect for their culture and governance.
Help us build the centre
Support funds the land, the infrastructure and the first activities.