The name Aldeafeliz means “happy village.” But the Colombian Ecovillage Aldeafeliz, founded in 2006, had not been very happy for quite some time. Since 2014, they are using Sociocracy as a tool to make decisions and governance. At the end of a recent meeting one of the members said, “If we continue like this, not only will we be happy but also millionaires!” By co-founder Anamaria Aristizabal. (The article originally appeared in the Spring, 2015 issue of Communities magazine.) Colombia is a … Read more
General
Chile Disaster Relief / Part 2 Bio-Constructors of Dreams
After the flood in Atacama, the ecovillage helpers came up with a prototype for comprehensive reconstruction, called SRI. Alberto Alfaro Keim and Javier Fuentes share about their work and plans and tell us how you can help. We are a team of humanitarian experts working with sustainable solutions that advises, supports and empowers communities living in an emergency situation, in the realization of their project-dream, to rebuild their lives in a sustainable way. The focus of our work is … Read more
Desaster Relief in Chile: When Mother Earth Speaks
After a flood in the Atacama desert in March 2015, a huge area was covered with poisonous mud produced by the mining industry. The Aldea Domo community could help with geodesic domes. Carolina Miranda and Felipe Baltra found out that a disaster is a huge lesson from Mother Earth. The Region of Atacama is the driest desert in the world. In this arid and sparsely vegetated place in view of the Andes Mountains, it never rains; or only a few millimeters per year. This year in the month of March … Read more
Blueprint Initiative Being Able to Respond to Crisis
As Thomas Hübl expressed in his Skype transmitted talk during the GEN conference: Responsibility is the ability to respond. Paulo Mellett was an activist and visionary for ecological crisis intervention throughout the world. With his expertise in permaculture and other sustainability techniques he was constantly travelling around the planet to support projects in the Global South, fund them and share skills. Tragically, he passed away in 2014. During his funeral, his wife Ruth Andrade gathered … Read more
October 8-11, 2015. Youth Ecovillage Summit North America!
Join us for the 2nd annual Youth Ecovillage Summit North America! October 8-11, 2015. Communitarians, students, sustainability enthusiasts, and anyone seeking to live a more connected and conscious life, come and join us! This year’s gathering will be held at Earthaven Ecovillage, a community of eighty residents living close to the land in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. Over three days we will immerse ourselves in community life at Earthaven, sharing meals and … Read more
New Threats Against the Peace Community San José de Apartadó / Colombia
In 1997, more than 1000 farmers and refugees declared themselves as neutral in the conflict between the Guerilla army and the Paramilitary. They formed the Peace Community, giving themselves guidelines of non-violence and trying to protect each other from being expelled from their remote parishes and farms. In the following years, more than 200 of them were killed brutally in the merciless fights for land, strategic advantage and resources in that region. But still they stayed together and … Read more
In the Heart of Palestine The First EDE Course in Palestine: Sustainability
From18-27 November and 03-12 December 2015, Global Campus Palestine together with The Holy Land Trust, will be offering a 128 hour EDE Course. The aim is to train Palestinians to become knowledge carriers for sustainability: to inspire and support young Palestinians and community leaders to implement resilient solutions as an answer to the occupation. It is the first Ecovillage Design Education in Palestine. The idea is to provide an excellent standard of education, certified by GAIA … Read more
Global Campus 2015 in Tamera: On the Way to Form a Global Community
During the GEN summit, GEN International and Global Campus became partners. In this report, Leila Dregger shares about the last Global Campus gathering from July 18th to August 15th, where 30 members and representatives of the base stations of the Global Campus met in Tamera, Portugal, studying and sharing peace knowledge, exploring new skills and experiencing community. While the global crisis threatening their home regions every day remained to be in our focus, they lived in the Solar … Read more
No One Leaves Home The tragedy of refugees.
No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark you only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well your neighbors running faster than you breath bloody in their throats the boy you went to school with who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory is holding a gun bigger than his body you only leave home when home won’t let you stay. no one leaves home unless home chases you fire under feet hot blood in your belly it’s not something you ever thought of … Read more
Walking for Water in California The Way of a Pilgrim
Walking Water is a journey of exploration and co-creation from the source of the water in the magnificent Sierra Nevada mountains near Mono Lake, to the place of end use around 560km away in the Greater Los Angeles Area, which is home to some 18 million souls. As a pilgrim I discover the mystery, the magic, the meaning and the magnificence of life, in every step I take, in every sound I hear and in every sight I see. Satish Kumar, spiritual and ecological activist. It seems especially … Read more
