Communities are models of sustainable living in both cities and rural areas. The Global Ecovillage Network offers a network meeting as a platform to get to know each other, to exchange knowledge and to connect. The next meeting will take place from the 8th -10th of November, 2013, in the ecovillage Schloss Tempelhof.
All over the planet, more and more ecovillages and communities are emerging. In times of climate change, economical crisis, and isolation in cities and in rural areas they are increasingly attracting attention. Ecovillages are real utopias: Communities that organise themselves, consciously establish social and ecological rules, and approach challenges together.
In the German-speaking region, there are many large and small communities in both urban and rural areas. They are models for sustainable living, regional information, education centres for decentralized energy production, organic building, organic farming, fair economy and vibrant community life. Ecovillages can be seen as laboratories of the future, as ways of approaching rural depopulation, and as models for an ecologically and socially compatible economy.
Ecovillage Information:
The ecovillage Sieben Linden in Poppau is the only growing community in the whole state of Saxony-Anhalt.
The Findhorn Ecovillage has the lowest ecological footprint in all of Scotland.
The “Federation of Communities of Damanhur” in northern Italy has its own currency which is used by over 1500 members, guests and companies to buy and sell goods and services.
The government of Senegal has decided to transform 14.000 traditional villages to ecovillages.
Together with the German Environmental Agency and the Federal Environment Ministry, GEN Europe launched a two year campaign in the German-speaking region to connect ecovillages and urban community projects and share their knowledge with the wider public. A website has been created, and a database and comprehensive brochure are in the planning. Several day and evening workshops have taken place and more are still to be held, such as on 17th October in Cologne and on the 10th November in the community Schloss Tempelhof.
Kariin Ottmar, one of the organisers: “In the network meeting of the communities we want to support and enhance the networking and exchange of experience between existing communities, and develop projects and synergies together. Our goal is to support and to advance the establishment of a German-speaking community network.”
Network meeting of communites: 8.-10.11.13, Schloss Tempelhof
More information: www.gelebte-nachhaltigkeit.de and https://civi.gen-europe.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=9
