Ecovillage Impact - Final ReGEN4All Colloquium

ReGEN4ALL Colloquium 6: Ecovillage Impact

Dec 14th at 11am UTC / 12pm CET

Registrations: https://tinyurl.com/3a4dse45

Explore Ecovillage Impact with the ReGEN4All project team! The sixth and final colloquium will bring light to the impact of Ecovillages in different fields and scales. Steffen Emrich (gASTWERKe, GEN Europe); Rebeca Roysen (EVIST project – University of Basel) and Margarita Hamatsu (Adventures for Students) will share their experiences and explore questions such as:

What is the local, regional and global impact of an ecovillage?

What can we learn from ecovillage practices to reduce harmful environmental impact and increase positive social impact?

How to evaluate the impact of ecovillages in the Global North and the Global South?

What is the impact of teaching ecovillage education in schools and universities?

Meet the Guest Speakers:

Rebeca Roysen is the coordinator of the research project “Ecovillages as Incubators for Sustainability Transitions” (. She has a PhD in Sustainable Development from Universidade de Brasília and an MSc in Social Psychology from Universidade de São Paulo. She is particularly interested in the role of grassroots innovations and movements in sustainability transitions. She is also a member of the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) Research Group and of the Instituto Biorregional do Cerrado (IBC), an NGO and ecovillage in Brazil.

Margarita Hamatsu – Presently, I am working as a preschool teacher in the municipality of Árborg in Iceland while running my little organization dedicated to sustainable education. For six years before moving to small town of Selfoss, I found myself deeply rooted in the daily life of the Sólheimar eco-village in Iceland, taking on the role of a project manager at its eco-center. I found fulfillment in overseeing the eco-center, crafting enriching programs for our guests, workshops, and playing an instrumental role in the economic progression of our village.

At the heart of my journey is an unwavering reverence for nature and the human spirit. Anchored by a steadfast commitment to engendering positive shifts, I envision a world where education, in all its rich facets, becomes the connective tissue, bridging diverse institutions, nurturing understanding, and fostering collaboration. My voyage of exploration, personal growth, and meaningful contributions to the broader tapestry of life remains ever evolving, guided by a genuine desire to leave a lasting impact.

Steffen Emrich has been living and working in housing projects and communities for over 30 years and for the last 14 years with his 2 children in the community gASTWERKe near Kassel in Germany. In addition to his work as a facilitator, sociocracy trainer and community consultant, he has been involved with GEN for many years. (i.e. GEN-EUROPE Council Member for 4 years and others) Through his work in and for communities, he has been able to visit and learn from many community projects over the years and despite occasional challenges, he still believes in the transformative power of community projects.

Did you know that GEN provides an Impact Assessment Tool for communities, groups and people to map, analyse and showcase their work for participatory cultural, social, ecological and economic regeneration?

Complete the Ecovillage Impact Assessment or explore the results here.