Elise has a background in marketing and brand storytelling. She is an artist and photographer dedicated to helping others connect with the beauty and rhythms of the natural world.Her projects include practical and experiential workshops, such as hemp paper making, as well as exploring wild landscapes and learning from what they reveal.

At Ermitaj, Elise contributes to strengthening the marketing strategy, provides photographic support, assists with hosting and event organisation, coordinates workshops, and takes part in projects that promote sustainability, creativity, and a harmonious relationship with the environment.

He began his career as a multimedia artist in Bucharest, but in 2021 he felt a strong pull toward a simpler, more grounded way of living. Since then, he has spent most of his time volunteering in Bulgaria, working on permaculture farms and within intentional communities. These experiences showed him how people can build healthy and meaningful lives outside of conventional structures, and they deepened his interest in permaculture, natural living, and community-based projects.

Although his background is in digital art, in recent years he has gravitated toward natural building, traditional crafts, and rural forms of expression that are often overlooked. By joining Ermitaj, he hopes to share his experience and help reconnect people with both nature and culture.

At Ermitaj, she approaches life from an ecological perspective, growing through shared processes, projects, and shifting collaborations. She leans into alternatives, exploring ways of creating that open new paths. Care draws her into community; the possibility of change and the emergence of new worlds keep her moving forward.

Her experiences in international volunteering through European projects have given her practical insight into sustainability in action, connecting hands-on work with broader environmental and social goals. She strives for an equitable society through collective action.

She conveys the geography of her explorations through creative writing, weaving, and repurposing materials.

Cristina has been officially an architect since 2024, but she has many strings to her bow. She is one of the first two Romanians to have obtained a diploma in applied permaculture (in 2022). She has been designing professionally for several years across Romania. We met her at Ermitaj in 2019 when she was attending her fifth (!) certified permaculture course. She has been teaching at Ermitaj since 2021. A passionate specialist in forest gardens, she is the driving force behind the “Seminte pentru viitor” project (selling seeds and seedlings of useful herbs for forest gardens). Since 2021, she has been developing a small part of her offer at Ermitaj (her main nursery is located in Sibiu).

Tudor is one of our first permaculture connections in Romania. He is passionate about permaculture and regenerative organic gardening on a human scale, his area of expertise. He has been professionally involved in the Blue Gardens project, providing certified organic vegetables since 2022. Tudor has been teaching at Ermitaj since 2017. He lived here in 2019 and 2020. He is the president of the Romanian Permaculture Association. He knew Ermitaj long before we did, as he participated in the first certified permaculture course organized at Ermitaj in the early 2010s.

Tiberiu is also one of the figures we regularly welcome at Ermitaj since his participation in the 2019 Certified Permaculture Course. Tibi had subsequently made a significant contribution to the facilitation of the permaculture Convergence workshops we hosted. He is also on track to obtain his applied permaculture diploma. He creates professional designs and is an active member of the Buruiana Association (shared gardens and community activities).

Bogdan is skilled with a soldering iron in hand, comfortable 15 meters up with a chainsaw, and enjoys woodworking. But above all, he is an excellent gardener and a great educator. Bogdan is an active member of the Ecoruralis Association (farming, heirloom seeds, democracy). His participation in the 2024 gardening course and the certified permaculture course delighted both the participants and the entire “training” team. We will collaborate more often!

Founded in early 2018, the events organized since then have been held under the auspices of this association. In addition to Remy and Coline, the association includes Jean-Marie Coudou, Myriam Bossuroy, and Dominique Vanlaeys as active members and long-time supporters of the Ermitaj project.
Myriam and Dominique have also built a cabin in the village of Malin, which is available for rent. The association coordinates the work camps, volunteering, and the library project.

Since 2017, almost all events organized at Ermitaj have been held in collaboration with one or another member of the Romanian Permaculture Association (ARP)! It was therefore natural for Coline and Remy to finally join the association in 2021. However, the association has been operating at a slower pace in recent years due to internal conflicts, which have led to legal proceedings.
At the moment, Ermitaj hosts the headquarters of the ARP.