GEN South Africa met this spring for a strategy meeting, promoting sustainability and clear channels of communication across the region with the long-term goal of developing a path for building and sustaining national initiatives. … Read more
NextGEN
Welcome to Auroville Ecovillage India: Vision and Plans for 2016
By Nikethana Venkatesan and Kavitha Urvasie Selvaraj Photographer: Vinay Elumalai Following the GEN+20 Conference in Findhorn Ecovillage, Scotland in July 2015, the GEN Auroville Desk was established (August 2015) in the Pitchandikulam Forest, Auroville Ecovillage, India. The GEN Desk in Auroville has been gathering energy and momentum. As the team formed early in 2016, there were a flurry of meetings, discussing and outlining our imagined potentials. We had a beautiful series of sharing … Read more
For a Better World in Cameroon Bafut Ecovillage Receives Gaia Trust Award 2015
On the occasion of the GEN+20 Summit held in Findhorn Ecovillage, Scotland from July 5-11th, 2015 the Bafut Ecovillage won the Gaia Trust Award as the most inspiring Ecovillage project in Africa. By Sonita Mbah. Sonita Mbah and Joshua Konkankoh, both Better World Cameroon and African representatives said it is a dream come true. They express sincere joy and gratitude to GEN International and Gaia Trust for the priviledge. Sonita said “ I now feel that my 5 years of volunteering is paying off … 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
Ensuring Regional Food Autonomy Creating Links of City and Rural People in Kenya
Regional food sovereignty needs farmers who have access to health and education. Loubna Sadiki from Morocco, a representative of NextGEN, reports on a research trip to Nairobi, organized by the Kenyan organization, Africa Adaptation Villages. At the end of 2013, I traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, and worked on a research project with a local Food Security organization called Africa Adaptation Villages. Our project consisted of trying to answer many of Nairobi residents (and other areas), who … Read more
Establishing a New GEN Office The Joys and Challenges
With just a few weeks left until the GEN Europe General Assembly in Findhorn Ecovillage, Scotland, it seems appropriate to Robert Hall, Managing Director of GEN-Europe, to reflect on the current situation with the GEN 'office transition'. Perhaps, however, we can start with a historical perspective. GEN-Europe started off in 1996 in Germany at Lebensgarten, later moving to Torri Superiore in Italy. Then the office returned to ZEGG, in Germany, where our current German NGO was founded in … 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
Cameroon Cameroon: Bafut Ecovillage Sparks Entrepreneurship Revolution
About 20 km north of Bemenda, Cameroon, is the village of Bafut, where the traditional "fondom" (kingdom) community living structure remains intact. The goals for the future are ambitious, and inspiring. With the help of matching Permaculture principles with volunteer placements, Better World Cameroon (BWC) http://www.betterworld-cameroon.com is building an African green revolution based on youth, agriculture and environmental conservation. In just two years of linking up with the Global … Read more
The Story of NextGEN The Story of NextGEN: Youth Perspectives Impacting the Ecovillage Movement
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
GEN and Gaia Education GEN and Gaia Education – a Story of Love and Collaboration
A crucial part of the GEN history was the wish to create a global education for resilience and sustainability based on the experience of ecovillage. Kosha Joubert, President of GEN International, shares the story of Gaia Education. What a joy it was for me to be invited to the 2nd founding meeting of Gaia Education, taking place in Findhorn in 2004! I was one of 24 ecovillage educators to integrate, synthesize and write the core curriculum of the EDE (Ecovillage Design Education). I even … Read more
