On October 20, GEN International will host a 12-week online training in Sociocracy, a governance and decision-making method. The purpose of the course is to train GEN Council members, Steering Group, staff, and Representatives from the five Regions in the basic structures and processes of Sociocracy and how to implement it, and for interested GEN members to become in-house Sociocracy trainers or coaches for their own GEN Regions and national ecovillage networks. The instructor is Diana Leafe … Read more
General
Disaster Prevention in Europe: Supporting Skala Eco village in Greece to Become a Training Center for Sustainability
The participants of the GEN summit followed with growing indignation the political process around Greece: the European Commission forced new austerity measures on a country whose people are already suffering badly under the economic crisis. (http://gen.ecovillage.org/en/node/5745) A working group was formed and together with the founders of Skala Ecovillage, they planned a first crisis intervention. During a network meeting from August 22 - 30, a group of ecovillage experts from Tamera and ZEGG … Read more
Earthquake in Nepal: What Ecovillagers Can Offer Humanity and the Earth
On 25 April 2015, Nepal experienced the first of its devastating earthquakes which left over 9000 dead and hundreds of thousands of homes and communities destroyed. Chris Gibbings, representative from GENOA from Australia was invited by the ecovillage network in Nepal to come and give a hand. Sunni Dawson reports. Chris arrived before the third (some know it as the second!) major earthquake to hit the country: "It was a scary experience for sure. Seeing the ongoing trauma of people in Nepal, … Read more
Spiritual Disaster Relief Every Full Moon a Disaster Preparation Day
Now that mega natural disasters have been occurring on Earth, what are the things we can do? Yoko Oki & Michiyo Furuhashi share the spirit of Konohana Family, Japan behind their practical workshops on emergency preparation. A seven-year-old girl, Himiko, who was born and has grown up in Konohana Family, Japan worked on the weather observation as her summer vacation homework. One day she said, observing a cloudy weather, “It is human minds that create clouds and the weather! However, people do … Read more
Japan in Transition: Free Money Systems Create Social Sustainability in Post-Tsunami Relief
In 2011, Japan experienced a mega-earthquake with a resulting tsunami in the vast northeastern area of the country. Hiroko Katayama from the urban ecovillage, As-One, reports on the observation that the mutual support among victims is more sustainable when they can maintain money-free exchanges. In March 2011, the nuclear power plants on the seashore of Fukushima experienced a meltdown. Since that time, large amounts of radiation have been leaking from the sites into the atmosphere, the ocean … Read more
Ecovillages North America: The ABC of a Community’s Garden Orchestra
In the modern world, many people generate music by flicking a switch, pressing a button, turning a dial, or tapping a keypad or touchscreen. And many of us obtain food by swiping a card or lightening a wallet. Others, however, create music by picking up instruments or using their own voices. And some people grow at least a portion of their own food too, participating intimately with its creation in a garden or on a farm. Chris Roth, former gardener and now editor of Communities Magazine, names … Read more
Gaia Education in Bangladesh: Community Leaders Engage in a 10 day Climate-smart Agriculture Programme
In May, Gaia Education, together with CIFAL Scotland and Bangladesh Association for Sustainable Development, conducted a 10 day Permaculture Design Course to 23 community leaders from the Banishanta, Sutarkhali and Mongla region of Southern Bangladesh. Led by Pradyut Nayek, permaculture practitioner and sustainable village design expert from West Bengal, the aim of the training was to introduce economic and social approaches to ecovillage design while transferring practical skills to improve … Read more
Learning Village Suomenlinna Finland:
The purpose of the experimental Learning Village in April was to bring people together who are committed to practices such as facilitation, storytelling, improvisation, visual and other art forms, all combining the multilevel aspects of participatory tools. Kirsi Joenpolvi, GEN-Ambassador for Finland reports. The concept of community has many facets and its meaning is constantly broadening. New kinds of leadership skills, learning environments, the use of collective potential and creativity … Read more
Ecovillages Responding on Crisis What is EmerGENcies Protocol?
The initiative, called the EmerGENcies Protocol, is in its third year of ideation continuing to explore its form. These include members from all regions and the GEN network, blueprint representatives, GAIA Education, and other independent projects unrelated to our networks. The complexity of what is at stake (to design an innovative and holistic response to the growing number of emergency situations), explains the diversity of the projects that make up the EmerGENcies Protocol. Initiator … Read more
Strand Report Deep Exchange Among Communities
Our strand was about deep sharing among communities. Elders of three lively, important communities held it: Sabine Lichtenfels from Tamera, Achim Ecker from Zegg, and Craig Gibsone from Findhorn. It is also worth remarking the presence of Vera Kleinhammes, from Tamera, and Ina Meyer-Stoll, from Zegg, who also brought their experience to the circle. Report by Filipe Freitas and Karsten Petersen We started around the fire, sharing a strong field of energy nourished by ancestors’ presence, in … Read more
