For the past several years, a group of empowered young people have been creating an inspiring movement within the existing ecovillage network. NextGEN is a youth-focused and youth-directed part of the Global Ecovillage Network. NextGEN is building youth-oriented projects in every region of GEN and its members represent a wide diversity of youth from around the world. This article by Ethan Hirsch-Tauber will share some of the different voices, in order to give a window into what NextGEN is, and … Read more
North America
GEN History The History of the Global Ecovillage Network: 1991-2015
Ross and Hildur Jackson from Denmark were the driving forces in creating the GEN network twenty years ago. For the first time they share the full story from their perspective. All there experience and information is a great gift especially to the young people who now take over the responsibility for the network. The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) has now existed for 20 years and Gaia Education, which began as a GEN project, is celebrating its 10th year in teaching the principles of living … Read more
Editorial Newsletter March 2015 Editorial Newsletter 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, GEN … Read more
Editorial Newsletter 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, GEN … Read more
EcoVillage at Ithaca: National and International Recognition for TREE Neighborhood
Over the past year, ecovillagers moved into 25 completed townhouse-style homes in TREE, the long-anticipated and award-winning third neighborhood at EcoVillage at Ithaca, the largest, and perhaps most well-known ecovillage in North America. In November, 2014 TREE was awarded a coveted Zero-Energy Ready Home certification by the US Department of Energy (DOE). Diana Leafe Christian, GEN-NA – Eastern US, reports. … Read more
Ecovillage Transition Scaling Up Community Led Change Processes
In order to support societal transition, and the scaling up of 'grassroots' solutions to climate change, we need to couple 'bottom-up' with 'top-down' processes, says Kosha Joubert, President of GEN International. In April 2014, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published the third part of a trilogy of reports, compiled by thousands of the world’s most eminent scientists, giving the most accurate and up to date account of climate change. The first report, released in … Read more
About Ecovillages
What is an Ecovillage? An ecovillage is a human-scale settlement consciously designed through participatory processes to secure long-term sustainability. Ecovillages are rural or urban, intentional or traditional communities with vibrant social structures, vastly diverse, yet united in their actions towards low-impact, high-quality lifestyles. Ecovillages are consciously designed through local participatory processes, integrating the four dimensions of sustainability (ecology, economy, … Read more
Three “Organized Urban Neighborhood” Urban Ecovillages in North America
Diana Leafe Christian reports about intentional communities in North American cities. She believes creating community in your existing neighborhood is a growing trend. In a few years we may have more organized-neighborhood projects to report on. … Read more
USA: The Farm Midwives 30 Years of Teaching Natural Births
The Farm in Tennessee, USA, is one of the oldest and most famous ecovillages worldwide. Even before there was a place called The Farm, the seeds of community began to grow when the first babies were brought into the world by the women - later to become known as The Farm Midwives. The babies who were born on the road during the long journey from California to Tennessee, brought forth a wave of energy, which established a bond, not only to their immediate family, but to the group as a whole. The … Read more
Why Dancing Rabbit Changed its Gover (Part two of Ecovillage changing Governance)
In the summer of 2013 Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in Missouri made their own dramatic change in governance — shifting from whole-community business meetings to a representational system with seven elected members. Dancing Rabbit began thinking about change in 2009, when they realized how their growth in membership had altered their social structure. In earlier years everyone ate together in the same place at the same time, giving them frequent daily opportunities to connect and talk informally … Read more
