Photo credit: Ciska van Stuijvenberg For the article at its original source, please visit Marc's blog @ https://eco-villages.eu/en/2018/10/03/when-the-next-generation-of-the-ecovillages-play-the-game-of-the-talanoa-dialogue/ Intro: Jake, Clara, Lara, Lars, and Riccardo are members of the core group of NextGEN Europe, the youth arm of the Global Ecovillage Network in Europe (GEN Europe). They recently took the time to experiment a Talanoa Dialogue, a method based on the Pacific concept of … Read more
Europe
Finding Consensus Through Storytelling A Reflection from GEN's Talanoa Dialogue for the European Day of Sustainable Communities
A night of storytelling to share thoughts, knowledge and experiences related to climate change. The aim of the Talanoa Dialogue organised by the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) and the Findhorn Foundation, held in coordination with the European Day of Sustainable Communities, was to build consensus and unfold the complexity of a global situation that requires absolute openness and cannot be avoided. As highlighted in a recent speech by the UN Secretary General António Guterres, when thinking … Read more
Empowering the Next Generation Children in Permaculture Consortium grows in Europe
"How would your life be now if you were introduced to Permaculture as a child?" The question posed to participants at the Children in Permaculture (CiP) conference in May invited emotional responses: “I’d be farther along at implementing my work [in ecological and social restoration];” “I’d be less anxious as an adult;” “I would be more connected to nature and have a clearer framework for my life.” The undeniable social and ecological challenges of the present and future … Read more
New Ecovillage Development pilot in Europe seeks to reverse rural exodus A partnership between the Iberian Ecovillage Network and Spanish region of Navarra aims to regenerate depopulated rural communities
The Framework by Alfonso Flaquer Carreras, Ecovillage resident and GEN Elder One of the biggest problems facing governments in many European countries is rural exodus, with the majority of the world's population dreaming of life in cities. In opposition to this trend, certain ecovillages and communities, mostly established in degraded or abandoned rural areas, have reversed downward population trends in certain municipalities and their peculiar development style is reflected in increased … Read more
Deep Democracy in Communities Processwork and Worldwork workshop at Findhorn and beyond
Inspired by a recent workshop on Worldwork and Process Orientated Psychology led by Ana Rhodes Castro at the Findhorn Foundation, it seemed appropriate to look further into the relevancy and applicability of these processes to communities- including those in GEN. Worldwork was developed by Arnold Mitchell in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It has since been applied to groups, organisations and international events as a way of ensuring that everyone’s voice is heard in the creation of deeply … Read more
Re-imagining the World through Ecovillages Insights from the Youth - Part of a series of curated blog posts and articles written for, by, or shared with the NextGEN Europe team on this years GEN Europe Conference.
Thoughts and Words by: Grace McGrade - Photo Credits: Ciska van Stuijvenberg Imagine an alternate universe, where people are self-governing, sovereign, and focused on nurturing environmental and social change. Imagine alternative currencies, gift economy and a “we” focus. Relationships with substance and joint purpose. Imagine quitting your nine to five and having the leisure to focus on delving into the subconscious, on growing what you love and building a system that serves … Read more
Reports from the CASA Conference 2017 Sharing reports from the 2017 ECCO Conference
Below are reports of the ECCO Conference held in 2017 in Brazil. Here you can download the various presentations and other relevant information on the conference.You can also read more about CASA’s activities in the 2017 Annual Report. ECCO2017 brought valuable and profound learnings to everyone involved and successfully accomplished its main objectives, particularly, supporting and strengthening the network of sustainable settlements in Brazil and connecting it with the global network. Below … Read more
Community Research Project – Inspiring a New Way
This blog is continued from Susanna's first post, here. Susanne Ratka is a GEN Ambassador, seeker and community researcher who has recently spent 2 weeks supporting the GEN team in the Findhorn office. Simultaneously, she has embarked upon a journey to connect and inspire with her Community Research Project. Here, in the second part of Susanna's article, she generously shares her path to community research and some of her learnings along the way. Community Research Project - Inspiring a … Read more
Cloughjordan models sustainability Irish Showcase Ecovillage measures its climate impact in four dimensions of sustainability
Cloughjordan ecovillage measured its ecological footprint in 2014. The ecological footprint of the average ecovillager was found to be 2 gha (the "gha" or global hectare is a measurement unit for the ecological footprint of people or activities related to the biocapacity of the earth), compared to an average of 4.7 gha for the average Irish person. This gives evidence that the ecovillage is modeling the transition to a low-carbon society through developing its own unique ecosystem of innovation … Read more
Celebrating our Annual Report 2017 How we Innovate, Catalyse, Educate and Advocate in Global Partnership
Celebrating our Annual Report GEN just completed several months of hard work co-creating our 2017 Annual Report! It is a beautiful and many-faceted document and so we will take this opportunity to share some highlights from our programmes and partnerships over the last year that continue today! Since our mission is "to innovate, catalyze, educate and advocate in global partnership with ecovillages and all those dedicated to the shift to a regenerative world," we offer the following examples … Read more