They offer new solutions to healthy life-style. Simple principles based on ecology and new technologies, are the next logical step beyond the industrial age.
Sustainability is regarded not only in environmental terms but also social, educational, economic, cultural and sometimes spiritual.
There is a great variety in existing eco-villages and other similar project. Global Ecovillage Network's report estimates more than 15,000 villages or eco-centres around the world. Many of them have developed training programs, workshops and courses to assist other people setting up or settling down in an eco-village. Some prefer to go back to the basics, others implement modern technology or seek for new solutions.
As we all are individuals, eco-village movement mirrors the diversity in human society and challenges some of our social structure and the ordinary way of life. Do we all have to live by the same set of standards? Are we here to follow, believe and worry about everything what is said in the mainstream media?
Being involved in eco-village movement is fun and excitement with all the colours of the seasons. As a human species we are natural explorers of new possibilities, new discoveries, new ideas and we love it. Living in an eco-settlement can be full of those fresh ideas and discoveries, not only about the environment but mainly about your own self.
History of the Global Ecovillage Network
The idea of Global Ecovillage Network came from Ross and Hildur Jackson, the founders of the Gaia Trust in Denmark. In the early 1990s they became aware that "the world needed good examples of what it means to live in harmony with nature in a sustainable and satisfying way in a technologically-advanced society." They also concluded that we don't need more reports and studies. What we need is to give an visible, real example on how to give up the mad exploitation of natural resources and build sustainable communities.
Gaia Trust commissioned Robert and Diane Gilman, editors of In Context magazine to survey and identify the best examples of ecovillages around the world. The report showed that although many exciting and vastly different communities existed, the full-scale ideal ecovillage did not yet exist. Nevertheless, the existing projects helped to create a sound vision of a different culture and lifestyle then modern, western society.
What and where were the first ecovillages? It is not easy to answer. Many of the later members of GEN were founded before the word 'ecovillage' even existed.
In the 1960's several projects were initiated: Findhorn in Scotland, Auroville in India, The Farm in Tennessee, Sarvodaya in Sri Lanka, and the NAAM movement in Bukino Fasso.
The members of Gaia Trust gathered people from some of those communities and a few broad thinkers with a global, social and ecological interest. They discussed a strategy for developing and spreading the ecovillage concept. "Links were established between people who had not known each other before but found that they had common ground on which they could work enthusiastically together", says Ross Jackson.
The global ecovillage strategy was clarified at the next meeting in Denmark in 1994. A network (GEN) was informally initiated with a secretariat in Denmark funded by Gaia Trust. Early members included the Findhorn Community in Scotland, The Farm in Tennessee, Lebensgarten, Steyerberg in Germany; Crystal Waters in Australia, Ecoville in St. Petersburg, Russia, Gyûrûfû in Hungary, The Ladakh Project in India, The Manitou Institute in Colorado and the Danish Association of Sustainable Communities.
In 1995 at the Findhorn Conference "Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities for the 21 Century" the members decided to establish three autonomous regional networks to cover the globe geographically. Gaia Trust committed to cover the expenses of the networks for 3-5 years, and to act as coordinating secretariat.
There was also a need recognized at the Findhorn meeting, for some kind of audit to make sure that the movement would remain with the "qualified" villages and at the same time be open to membership to all interested bodies. This led to the definition of an ecovillage. It was graphically formulated as the four elements, each having four components. The ideas have evolved into the Community Sustainability Assessment (CSA), a self audit for existing and future ecovillages.
In 1996 GEN sent representatives to the UN Conference on Human Settlements in Istanbul. American architect David Bien built an impressive straw bale wall through the hall, which was the largest NGO exhibit. GEN's contribution included 40 workshops and a speech to the official delegates.
During the assembly in Poland in 2001 GEN-Europe celebrated the receiving of a huge grant (72.000 Euros) from the European Commission. The money helped to develop a wide range of PR tools and cover general costs of running the association.
Today GEN has over 100 ecovillage members around the world and thousands of individuals actively working on the vision, mission and objectives of the organization.
GEN Vision:
Envision a planet of diverse cultures of all life united in creating communities in harmony with each other and the Earth, while meeting the needs of this and future generations.
GEN Mission:
Creating a sustainable future by identifying, assisting and coordinating the efforts of communities to acquire, social, spiritual, economic and ecological harmony. Encouraging a culture of mutual acceptance and respect, open communications, cross-cultural outreach, and education by example.
GEN contributes to the worldwide transformation toward sustainability, by supporting ecovillages, joining with partners, expanding education and programs in sustainable living.
GEN Objectives:
-support the development of ecovillages around the world
-build strong international, national and regional networks of ecovillages
-create an organizational structure capable of linking grassroots ecovillages and projects into a strong, participatory worldwide movement
-develop Living and Learning Centers worldwide, to promote hands-on participatory education in sustainable living
-support worldwide development of whole systems and experiential learning
-advocate for sustainable communities in public forums
-partner and collaborate with organizations and people who share our vision
Adapted from the Global Ecovillage Network website
