Solution provided by Tamera, Portugal Humus and topsoil can absorb a large amount of water and release it slowly. In this way floods and droughts are prevented. But erosion has widely degraded both humus and topsoil in the landscape. In order to restore the water cycle, we need to enable rainwater to be absorbed by the earth even without the topsoil layer. Water Retention Landscapes are systems for the restoration of the full water cycle by retaining the water in the areas where the rain … Read more
Europe
USA/Europe (GENNA/GEN Europe): Soil Restoration and Carbon Sequestration using Biochar
The future starts with the dirt beneath our feet. Soil is the earth’s fragile skin that anchors all life. However, half of the topsoil on the planet has been lost in the last 150 years. Soil restoration is a major concern of farmers and of all of us who depend on vegetation. Soil restoration using Biochar (as with Terra Preta), is carbon negative by sequestering the carbon in biomass for thousands of years. Biochar incorporated in soils offers numerous benefits, such as improved soil … Read more
Synergies between Degrowth and GEN Synergies between Degrowth and the Global Ecovillage Network
One of the most controversially discussed key tracks during the 5th International Degrowth Conference 2016 in Budapest was “Degrowth and other social movements”. Can degrowth be considered a movement? Does degrowth embrace all kinds of movements struggling for a sustainable future? On one hand, the notion of “degrowth movement(s)” was rigorously criticized for fragmenting the political struggle. It was also critiqued as umbrella concept for creating incongruous hierarchical relations between … Read more
Ghana: Country’s First EDE February-March 2016
GEN Ghana held its first ecovillage design education course (EDE) this spring. Sponsored by the Danish Ecovillage Network and Danish Civil Society Fund, the partnership seeks to develop sustainable solutions and ecovillage models in Ghana and Denmark. … Read more
10th Earth Summit "10th Earth Summit: Creating the Earth for a New Era," Japan (July 16-18, 2016)
“Creating the Earth (Kuni-Tsukuri) for a New Era” Dawn of the Era Hundreds of years ago, the universal wisdom came down to a monkey which is said to be our human ancestor, and then he began to use tools for the first time. As a result, the monkey evolved into a human (HITO). This is how our current advanced civilization exists. As a result of evolution, a materially rich society has been brought into the modern era. However, it has created conflicts among humans, brought confusion to … Read more
Report – CASA Mexico "The Call of Salvia, 14th Council Held in Mexico Visions," November 21-28, 2015
By Coyote Alberto Ruz, Ecoaldea Huehuecoyotl, Mexico House From November 21-28, 2015 took place the 14th Vision Council, "Call of the Salvia," in Teopantli Kalpulli intentional community in the municipality of San Isidro Mazatepec, in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. The movement started in the early 1990s, with the Vision Council of Guardians of the Earth and it has bloomed to germinate many projects in communities, ecovillages, permaculture centers, networks and environmental groups, … Read more
ICSA Conference 2016 in Tamera “Community Approaches Towards Inner and Outer Peace”
ICSA Conference 2016 in Tamera Ecovillage (Portugal) July 1st-3rd, 2016 From July 1st-3rd, 2016, the International Communal Studies Association (ICSA) Conference will take place in the peace research community center in the Tamera Healing Biotope Ecovillage in southern Portugal. This year’s theme is “Community approaches towards inner and outer peace.” ICSA was formed in 1985 during an international conference held at Yad Tabenkin, the Research and Documentation Centre of the Kibbutz … Read more
March 2015 Celebrating 20 Years of the Global Ecovillage Network
We stand at a critical moment in Earth's history, a time when humanity must choose its future. To move forward we must recognise that, in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms, we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny. Established in Findhorn in 1995, the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) today connects more than 10,000 villages, urban neighbourhoods and intentional communities in more than 100 countries worldwide. Spanning all continents, … Read more
Curso gratuito sobre sostenibilidad para jóvenes
Curso gratuito de Innovación social hacia la resiliencia dirigido a personas que trabajan con la juventud y a los jóvenes Un consorcio de siete organizaciones asociadas europeas están colaborando en la creación de una plataforma de formación on-line para promover la participación de los jóvenes en las iniciativas de sostenibilidad. Dirigida por jóvenes societal Innovación para el proyecto de resiliencia, un proyecto financiado por la Unión Europea dentro del programa Erasmus +, tiene como … Read more
‘“Invernaderos”
“El capitalismo global moderno (o como se le quiera llamar), impulsado por combustibles fósiles, está consumiendo la diversidad natural, agrícola y cultural humana, sustituyéndola con un monocultivo global a todos los niveles”. D.Holmgren El número de “invernaderos” en la Republica Dominicana,ha crecido exponencialmente desde el 2004, Se dice que en la actualidad ocupan más de 7 millones de metros cuadrados ; evidenciando la continuidad de una política agraria al servicio de las … Read more
