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
North America
Earthaven, USA Almost Fossil-Free: The Hut Hamlet Neighborhood at Earthaven Ecovillage
Could Earthaven Ecovillage in the southern Appalachian Mountains of the US become, as GEN advocates, “Fossil-Free by 2020”? Diana Leafe Christian reports. … Read more
Ecovillages North America: The ABC of a Community’s Garden Orchestra
In the modern world, many people generate music by flicking a switch, pressing a button, turning a dial, or tapping a keypad or touchscreen. And many of us obtain food by swiping a card or lightening a wallet. Others, however, create music by picking up instruments or using their own voices. And some people grow at least a portion of their own food too, participating intimately with its creation in a garden or on a farm. Chris Roth, former gardener and now editor of Communities Magazine, names … Read more
October 8-11, 2015. Youth Ecovillage Summit North America!
Join us for the 2nd annual Youth Ecovillage Summit North America! October 8-11, 2015. Communitarians, students, sustainability enthusiasts, and anyone seeking to live a more connected and conscious life, come and join us! This year’s gathering will be held at Earthaven Ecovillage, a community of eighty residents living close to the land in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. Over three days we will immerse ourselves in community life at Earthaven, sharing meals and … Read more
No One Leaves Home The tragedy of refugees.
No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark you only run for the border when you see the whole city running as well your neighbors running faster than you breath bloody in their throats the boy you went to school with who kissed you dizzy behind the old tin factory is holding a gun bigger than his body you only leave home when home won’t let you stay. no one leaves home unless home chases you fire under feet hot blood in your belly it’s not something you ever thought of … Read more
GEN +20 Summit Developing the New Story of Community
This year's Global Ecovillage Network Summit at Findhorn Ecovillage in Scotland, marked the organisation's tremendous growth and development since its emergence 20 years ago. Returning to the place where GEN was launched into the world in 1995, the founders Ross and Hildur Jackson were joined by other GEN legends, Declan Kennedy, Robert Gilman, Jan-Martin Bang and Helena Norberg-Hodge, in bearing witness to how their offspring has now developed contacts with communities on every inhabited … Read more
Kibbutz Lotan: Mud and Straw Homes Possible Answers for Earthquake Regions
Nepalese villagers are now faced with massive rebuilding projects following the April 25 earthquake. They could benefit from the lessons learned by eco-minded builders in Israel’s Arava desert. Marlene Dodinval reports. In preparation for future anticipated tremors, an Israeli ecovillage is taking a unique approach to safe and environmentally sound construction rather than the more common, but expensive and less effective, reinforced concrete method often relied on to withstand … Read more
GEN Celebrating 20 Years in Findhorn Ecovillages Gain More Positive Impact
A silent revolution is presently occurring on our planet. Outside the major conurbations – in villages, slums, and town neighbourhoods – citizens are joining together to assume responsibility for their surroundings, for the nature around them, for social themes, and for their ecological and economic behaviour. In living rooms, in bars and around kitchen tables, ideas are discussed and initiatives are born which directly reduce CO2 emissions, revive communities and create job perspectives. … Read more
Sociocracy in GENNA Sociocracy in North American Ecovillages and Intentional Communities
Sociocracy — which means “governance by peers or colleagues” (sometimes called “Dynamic Governance”) in the US — is an increasingly popular governance and decision-making method based on the principles of transparency, equivalency, and effectiveness. In Diana Leafe Christian´s experience, when an ecovillage or another kind of intentional community uses Sociocracy, their governance process tends to become far more effective and enjoyable than it was when they used consensus as their … Read more
9th Call of the Mountain Latin America: The 9th Call of the Mountain - Setting a Pace for our Social Movement
In January, at the South of Colombia, at the very heart of the country’s conflict zone, ecovillagers, indigenous, afrodescendants, peasants and citizens were all together dancing, communicating, sharing and envisioning under the fiery sun crowning the mountains of Guambia, territory of the Misak indigenous people. They were there to celebrate the ninth gathering of the Call of the Mountain - Llamado de la Montaña 2015 - the most relevant annual gathering of CASA Colombia. Jennifer Trujillo … Read more
