Los Portales is a group of people and a community that was founded in 1984 with the intention of developing innovative ways of life in different areas (organic agriculture, holistic education in healthy and co-creative relationship to nature, soft and alternative medicines, arts, clean energies, an economy based on sharing and generosity, and above all, the empowerment of each individual) progressing in this way towards greater sustainability and self-sufficiency. In close relationship to nature … Read more
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Ecovillage – 1001 Ways to Heal the Planet The Book on Ecovillages
"What a beautifully, lovingly constructed book! It conveys not only the variety and ideals of the ecovillage movement, but the heart of it as well. Kosha and Leila's book affirms the importance of ecovillages not just as an inconsequential alternative in the margins, but as an invitation to transform every place into an ecological collaboration between humans and the rest of nature." Charles Eisenstein The Ecovillage book by Kosha Joubert and Leila Dregger introduces a selection of ecovillage … Read more
What is Our Ecovillage? Reflections on the 35th anniversary of Huehuecoyotl Ecovillage in Mexico
When we were at University in 1966 and ‘67, I dreamt that my best friends and I would one day live together in a commune. We had read about some examples in the US, Israel, Europe and Cuba, but we had no clue of how we could materialize that dream. Then the year 1968 came. Suddenly, our vision became the quest of many thousands of us, baby boomers, and we started to hear that people our age were dropping out from “the System”, and moving from the cities to rural places everywhere. … Read more
Urban Ecovillages in North America These days, you can find ecovillages in more places than ever – including in places like Los Angeles or San Diego.
When you hear the word “ecovillage” you might think of a collection of rustic cabins on a rural farm. Or maybe you imagine a solar-powered suburb like the Ithaca Ecovillage in NY state. You might think living in an ecovillage is too remote or unaffordable. But these days, you can find ecovillages in more places than ever - including the 40-member Los Angeles Ecovillage near downtown LA and the Le Case community in San Diego. For two years, I lived in an urban ecovillage in SE Portland, OR, … Read more
Women Transforming Traditional Villages into Ecovillages in India
Differently from ecovillages in Europe which are intentional communities, in India “Eco Village Development” is about changing existing traditional villages into ecovillages by implementing in, and teaching the community - especially women - climate solutions which are needs based, low carbon and affordable. India has 600,000 traditional villages all over the country. The following example is a model on 6 villages in Uttarakhand. Its aim is to showcase these to the Government and other NGOs, and … Read more
Digital Nomads and Community in the Modern Age In times of globalisation, community does not only connect people who physically live together.
An ecovillage is nothing new. Throughout history communities of people have lived lightly on the same piece of land, sharing skills and resources, celebrating their culture and values. With the advent of agriculture, these villages have increasingly rooted to a single geographical area. The majority of people are settled, yet there has always been a distinct minority on the move. In various cultures these are the traders, sailors, gypsies, bards, messengers, explorers, philosophers, actors, … Read more
What is an Ecovillage? Reflections from the Network
An ecovillage is an intentional, traditional or urban community that is consciously designed through locally owned, participatory processes in all four dimensions of sustainability (social, culture, ecology and economy) to regenerate their social and natural environments. GEN’s definition of ‘ecovillage’ is broad, allowing for many different kinds of communities and projects to be recognised. Because each ecovillage is designed by the people who live there, according to their vision, … Read more
SIRCle Social Innovation for Resilient Communities
The Social Innovation for Resilient Communities (SIRCle) project uses adult education to address one of the most pressing needs of our time - how to marry our love for the planet with our capacity to make a living. An Erasmus+ funded strategic partnership, it involved a diversity of social enterprises, NGOs, cooperatives and academic institutions from Austria (Plenum/Pioneers of Change), Belgium (AEIDL and Still Consulting), Romania (Asociatia Romania in Transizie), Scotland (GEN and the … Read more
Intentional Ecovillages and Their Role in Global Transformation – Join Sabine Lichtenfels and Macaco Tamerice in an open GEN Webinar
Intentional Ecovillages and Their Role in Global Transformation - with Sabine Lichtenfels and Macaco Tamerice Thursday, 20 April 18:00 BST (British Summer Time) - Find your timezone here Register here and get your link to join! Ecovillages have long been places of alternative living and solutions, but what is their potential and impact beyond the village itself? Hear Sabine and Macaco tell the stories of two of the oldest and most established ecovillages: Tamera in Portugal and Damanhur in … Read more
Zambia Greening Schools
Using the innovative ILUD methodology www.seedingschools.org and EDEs the project works through schools as entry points to sustainable community development. Community-led resilience plans for 4 schools will be created and implemented. Children, teachers and local communities of Kapete School, Chongwi, Katuba School, Kapuri Mposhi, Nabukuyu School, Monze and Ashley Jewel School, Chilanga will engage with and benefit from the project. The project is scaling up from a Scottish Government funded … Read more
