30 Years of Regeneration: Celebrating GEN’s Anniversary Year
Thirty years ago, a vision took root.
A vision of communities living in deep connection—with each other, with the land, and with the future. A vision of ecovillages as a symbol of hope for our planet.
That vision became the Global Ecovillage Network.
Three decades later, GEN has grown into a thriving ecosystem of initiatives, projects, and people dedicated to reimagining how we live. Dreamers have boldly reimagined communities as living laboratories for regeneration that is both ecological and socioeconomic. Across continents, ecovillages have restored landscapes, pioneered new governance models, and built economies rooted in care. Together, we have proven that another way is not only possible—it is already happening.
Read the stories of this journey in our anniversary e-book, GEN30.
GEN30 traces the roots and ripples of the ecovillage movement — from its birth at Findhorn to the thriving global network it is today. Through stories of communities, gatherings, and changemakers, this book captures three decades of regeneration in action.
To mark this milestone, you can also read October the 18th: The 30th Anniversary of the Global Ecovillage Movement, a reflection on how a single gathering at Findhorn in 1995 sparked a movement that continues to ripple across the world today.
Below is a picture of GEN’s founding day at Findhorn, with representatives from ecovillages all over Europe and North America:
Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) made 14-18 October 1995
Throughout 2025, communities across the GEN network have gathered to celebrate 30 years of shared learning and action. One of the year’s most memorable moments was the European Ecovillage Gathering, held in August at Manas Garden, Hungary.
The Gathering brought together ecovillagers, changemakers, and allies from around the world — a living mosaic of stories, songs, and shared visions for the next thirty years. Thanks to sponsorships from GEN and our regional networks, many voices that are often underrepresented were able to take part, enriching the collective dialogue on sustainability, equity, and regeneration.
Workshops, rituals, and conversations reflected the depth of our movement’s evolution — from early dreams of alternative living to mature practices of cooperation, ecological restoration, and community resilience.
This year, we also celebrate a vital part of GEN’s ecosystem: 20 years of Gaia Education. Since its inception, Gaia Education has empowered thousands of people with the knowledge and tools to design regenerative communities and lifestyles.
Rooted in the Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) framework, Gaia Education offers transformative learning experiences that integrate social, ecological, economic, and worldview dimensions of sustainability. The EDE has since been taught in 55 different countries. From in-person courses in ecovillages around the world to online programs that reach a global audience, Gaia Education has been instrumental in spreading the wisdom of ecovillages far beyond their physical boundaries.
As we mark this milestone, we honor the educators, facilitators, and learners who have carried this vision forward, especially our shared founder, Ross Jackson, and the members of the founding team, May East, Declan Kennedy, and Jonathan Dawson, among others. The work of Gaia Education continues to inspire and equip the next generation of changemakers to build a thriving future—one community at a time.
As GEN turns 30, we celebrate not only our history but the living, evolving movement that continues to grow from it. The challenges we face today demand courage, deep collaboration, and imagination — and the ecovillage movement remains a wellspring of all three.
As we celebrate this milestone year, we are also preparing for the next chapter in GEN’s evolution. In 2026, we will launch a new digital platform designed to weave our global network even closer together — making it easier to connect, learn, and collaborate across regions.
This platform will deepen the sense of belonging and exchange that has always been at the heart of GEN, supporting the next generation of communities and changemakers working for a regenerative world.
Together, we step into the next 30 years — rooted in community, guided by regeneration, and connected through a global network of care and possibility.
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A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
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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