Sólheimar Iceland

Logo of the Global Ecovillage Network with interconnected leaf and flower design.
  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 1930

What we do

Sólheimar is a village in southern Iceland, located about 80 km from Reykjavík. Founded in 1930 by Sesselja H. Sigmundsdóttir (1902-1974), it is the first community of its kind in the world, where so called able and disabled people live and work together. Sólheimar is also the first community in Scandinavia where organic cultivation is practised. Today Sólheimar is a village with 100 inhabitants, 40 of whom have disabilities, and spreads across an area of approximately 250 hectares.
Sólheimar prides itself on its varied cultural, social and sport activities. The premises include a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, convenience store, gallery and gymnasium. A theatre group, founded in 1932, is also active, along with a choir, sports club and Scout troop.
Sólheimar has developed a broad-based range of industries and activities including the following: Olur Reforestation Center- the only organic reforestation center in Iceland-,
Sunna Organic Cultivation Center specialising in organic vegetables and products derived from these, Vala Supermarket, and an art gallery focusing on manufactured items as well as handicrafts and art pieces created in our different ateliers. Solheimar is also home to the Graena Kannan Cafe which specialises in organic food and beverages, the Jurtagull Soap factory and herb workshop which produces soaps and shampoos from Icelandic plants, a candle factory which produces candles made entirely from beeswax and recycled candles, a weaving workshop specialising in handmade woven items such as mats, carpets and tablecloths, and other workshops based on carpentry and musical instruments.
The ethos of Sólheimar is derived from ‘reverse integration’, a process whereby the community develops based on the needs of individuals with disabilities and other minorities, and it is the able-bodied who have to adapt to these needs.

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Ecovillage
  • Activities
  • Education

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 1930
  • Started living together
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
  • Open to volunteers
Total
120

How to join

Guests are welcome to visit. Accommodation can be booked in guesthouses. Culture festival runs in the summer.

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Location

  • Iceland

Promoted Needs and Offers

  • Events
12 years ago

Gaia Ashram Internship

The Pioneers of Gaia Ashram , 5th of July– 2nd of August 2015 The Gaia Ashram Internship is a one month program on Ecovillage Design, Permaculture and Deep Ecology. The internship will be a holistic participatory learning experience & process. Interns will experience being part of the Gaia Ashram Community and we will live together for one month at– Gaia Ashram-. At Gaia Ashram we belief in holistic learning that balances the head, hands & heart. Gaia Ashram encourages participatory learning & values the power of community in holding the learning space. We design the daily & weekly structure of the internship and of our lives here based on these values and principles. Theoretical learning (Head) The theoretical sessions will be participatory and interactive. It will cover the 4 keys of Ecovillage Design Education (Social, Economical, Ecological and Worldview inspired by Gaia Education). Each week will cover one of the Ecovillage Design Keys and integrated into this we will be introduced to Permaculture Design & Deep Ecology in terms of philosophy, movement and personal experiences. Overall, We will have a maximum of 2-3 hours of theory per day on the session days, to also create lots of space for practical experiential learning. See more details of the key content below. Practical learning (Hands – on) For the hands – on practical learning we will be developing the Gaia Ashram’s farm and restoring nature on the Gaia Ashram land using permaculture strategies & techniques that are appropriate for the Rainy Season & the land and its local context. The hands-on work will focus on Gardening work i.e. developing the vegetable gardens, planting seeds & seedlings, transplanting, propagation of plants, making composts, growing and maintaining a Food Forest, planting green manures, planting lots of trees, planting seasonal crops. Apart from the Gardening we will also will be doing some natural building which mostly will focus on creating natural finishes usi

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Communities

A residential project: people live here as their primary home.

Organizations

An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).

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