Impact: How Ecovillages Contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2017, GEN investigated the impact of 30 diverse ecovillages in 5 continents to find out how ecovillages were already contributing to reaching the SDGs and Paris Climate Agreements.
Some of the findings:
GOAL 4 : QUALITY EDUCATION
100% provide education and lifelong learning opportunities in the fields of sustainable development, regenerative lifestyles and climate change adaptation.
GOAL 5 : GENDER EQUALITY
90% have more than 40% women in decision-making bodies.
GOAL 6: CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION
97% actively work to restore or replenish water sources and cycles.
GOAL 11: SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
100% actively safeguard regenerative cultural traditions using local sustainable ways of building, farming and preparing food.
GOAL 12: RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
90% recycle, reuse and repair more than 50% of consumer goods. 85% compost all their food waste.
GOAL 13: CLIMATE ACTION
90% work actively to sequester carbon in soil and biomass.
GOAL 15: LIFE ON LAND
97% of showcase ecovillages work actively to restore damaged or degraded ecosystems.
GOAL 16: PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS
100% provide education in decision-making and mutual empowerment skills; 96% provide training in nonviolent conflict resolution, and 80% have an agreed-upon method for resolving conflicts.
GOAL 17: PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS
95% regularly engage in campaigns to protect human rights, the rights of communities and the rights of nature.
In their efforts to restore ecosystems, water cycles and the atmosphere, ecovillages use and often teach many of the top 100 carbon drawdown solutions, as identified by Project Drawdown in ‘the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming’.
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