The typical day, the rules of living, and what it means to share a home for six months.
Bioterra · Residence of Action and Meaning
BRAS is neither a boarding school nor a holiday.
It is an active residency — you are here because you chose to be.
Freedom and responsibility are two sides of the same coin.
The rules that follow were written so that eight people can live well together
for six months — not to control them.
Everyone gets up at their own pace. No collective alarm. Breakfast on your own in the shared kitchen — the rule: leave it clean behind you.
Fifteen minutes standing, not sitting. Each person says what they are doing today, what they need from the group, what is blocking them. No debate — just information. A quick Donkeys vote if a decision is needed.
Garden, building, workshops, following the week's programme. Four hours of concrete work each morning — this is the heart of the residency. Attendance is required unless the group agrees otherwise. If it rains: work in the greenhouse, indoors, in the kitchen, or theory.
Cooked by the day's pair, following the weekly rotation. As much from the garden as possible. The shared table is mandatory — no meals in bedrooms at midday. This is the daily moment of sharing that no one skips.
Entirely free. Going out, a nap, reading, a personal project, calls home, sport. No programme imposed. Ambassadors may leave the residency freely in the afternoon.
Each person cooks for themselves or in spontaneous small groups. The shared kitchen is available until 8 pm. Resources: the shared stores plus the garden harvest. The one rule: the kitchen is clean by 20h30.
No rules. Some evenings: an informal circle, a film, reading, a garden fire, games. Some need solitude, others connection — both are respected. Quiet in the shared areas from 11 pm.
A typical weekday. Free weekends and special weeks (the trip, public workshops, the ceremony) have their own rhythm, set in advance via Donkeys.
Cooked by two ambassadors on rotation — one lead cook, one assistant.
The idea: cook with whatever the garden gives that day. While the garden is not yet producing (W1–W6), a weekly shared shop from the common fund.
The shared table is mandatory — it is the one moment of the day when all eight are together. No phones at the table except in an emergency.
Length: 1h30 — 30 min cooking, 45 min eating, 15 min clearing up by the next pair.
Each person cooks for themselves or teams up spontaneously in small groups.
What is available: the day's garden harvest, the shared stores (oil, salt, flour, vegetables), and preserves made on site.
What is not allowed: ordering food delivery while the garden is producing fresh vegetables — the BRAS philosophy.
The one rule: the kitchen is clean by 20h30. No personal food stored in the kitchen — everything in your room or your designated space.
💡 When there is no harvest — from W1 to W6 the garden produces almost nothing. The common food fund takes over. Each ambassador pays €40 a week into it. A shared shop on Monday morning, from a list voted on Donkeys. It is a lesson too: learning to cook basic ingredients with technique and creativity.
| Day | 🍳 Lead cook | 🥗 Cook's assistant | 🧹 Clearing up after the meal | 🛒 Shopping if needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MONDAY | Ambassador A | Ambassador B | Ambassador C | Ambassador D |
| TUESDAY | Ambassador C | Ambassador D | Ambassador E | — |
| WEDNESDAY | Ambassador E | Ambassador F | Ambassador A | — |
| THURSDAY | Ambassador B | Ambassador A | Ambassador F | — |
| FRIDAY | Ambassador D | Ambassador E | Ambassador B | — |
| SATURDAY | Ambassador F | Ambassador C | Ambassador D | — |
On Sundays everyone is free — no collective meal imposed. If the group spontaneously decides to cook together, it is a voluntary, joyful choice, not an obligation.
Each ambassador pays a weekly contribution into the common food fund. It shrinks over the months as the garden produces more.
A treasurer rotating monthly — elected via Donkeys. They keep a simple record of income and spending, shared with the whole group each week. Nothing hidden.
The list is drawn up together each Monday on Donkeys before the shop. Shopping on Monday morning — two ambassadors on rotation. A maximum weekly budget is voted in advance.
Before any shop, take stock of the garden first. We do not buy what we can harvest. If a courgette is ready, it is on the menu. The BRAS philosophy: the abundance is right there.
Each person can buy whatever they like for their evening meals and personal extras. Stored in their room or their designated space in the fridge — labelled with their name.
About one a month. From Friday 6 pm to Sunday 10 pm. Set at the start of the month via Donkeys — everyone leaves at once so the house is empty and rests too.
Automatic days off. No collective work imposed. If the group wants to cook or garden, it is a voluntary, joyful choice.
Each month, an ambassador may take up to three days of personal leave in total — with 48 hours' notice and the group's agreement.
The July trip (W17) — 4 to 5 days outside the normal programme. Counted separately. Organised together via Donkeys.
Free weekends are set at the start of the month. If a week is especially intense (public workshops, a visit), the following weekend is automatically free — a compensation rule built into the programme.
💡 The garden-first rule — before any absence, the question is: who tends the garden while I am away? If no one can cover, the absence is refused. Living things do not take time off.
Everyone leaves the shared spaces as they would like to find them. No shared space may be monopolised by one person. The kitchen is clean after every use — a non-negotiable rule.
Quiet in the shared areas from 11 pm. Music at a reasonable volume in bedrooms — not in shared spaces without the group's agreement. Before 7 am: absolute silence.
No phones during the morning circle and the midday meal. The rest of the time: free. A screen-free day a week is encouraged — decided collectively via Donkeys.
Any conflict between two people is settled first, directly between them. If unresolved within 24 hours: a talking circle with the group. Donkeys for decisions, the circle for emotions — the two do not mix.
Welcome — it is in the BRAS spirit. Tell the group 24 hours ahead. A visitor may stay at most two nights. Beyond that: a Donkeys vote. No visitors during the intensive-programme weeks.
Physical or verbal violence, theft, destruction of shared equipment, harassment of any kind. These lead to immediate departure with no way back. Olivier's decision, without a vote.
A coordinator is chosen from among the ambassadors at the start of the cycle — or recruited separately. They are the daily point of contact, not the boss. A facilitating authority, not a hierarchical one. Elected via Donkeys.
Every collective decision goes through Donkeys. Olivier can vote remotely. The group's decisions are valid without him on operational matters. He steps in only on strategic ones.
A collective video call every Monday at 8h30 — 20 minutes maximum. A quick round of the week past and the week ahead. Otherwise: Donkeys messages. Emergencies by direct phone only.
One photo of the garden a week — same angle, same time. A shared album Olivier can see. The garden tells its own story in pictures. It lets Olivier follow the progress from a distance.
💡 If a serious situation is beyond the group — an accident, a major unresolved conflict, an important financial decision — Olivier can be reached urgently. For everything else, the group is sovereign.
I commit to the full six months — from 15 March to 12 September 2027. No early departure without the group's agreement and two weeks' notice.
I pay my weekly contribution into the common fund (€40/€25/€12 depending on the phase) and my share of the monthly household costs.
I am present for the collective work every morning (8h30–12h) unless the group has agreed otherwise beforehand. My presence is the foundation of the project.
I take part in the cooking and clearing-up rotation without exception. Cooking for the group is an act of care, not a chore.
I care for the shared spaces as I do for my own. The house is a living organism — everyone is responsible for it.
I commit to resolving conflicts directly — first face to face, then through the talking circle. Never through passive messages or rumours within the group.
I leave in September with a concrete personal project — defined and presented to the group before the closing ceremony. BRAS is a springboard, not a destination.
