Dear GEN-Network, dear friends of ecovillages in the world, The Global Ecovillage Network was founded in Findhorn, Scotland in 1995. Gaia Education grew out of GEN and was founded in 2005. This year, GEN and Gaia Education will celebrate our 10th and 20th anniversaries together. From 6-11 July 2015, we will return to Findhorn for a focused time of reflection: where has GEN come from, where do GEN and Gaia Education stand now and how can we serve best into the future? What is the future … Read more
urban ecovillages
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
GEN Desk at Auroville An Update
GEN (Global Ecovillage Network) and Gaia Education in Auroville Since the beginning, the Global Ecovillage Network has had an informal presence in Auroville with many Aurovilians connected to the network and establishing informal partnerships and EDE (Ecovillage Design Education) courses. Following the GEN +20 Conference in Findhorn in early July 2015, the GEN desk was officially started in August 2015 as ‘Pitchandikulam … Read more
Join Friends of GEN Support what is close to your heart: GEN Small Projects Campaign
You can be part of making sustainable dreams come alive in 2016! All around the world there are communities and people doing amazing work to take care of people and the planet. There are incredible examples of the restoration of degraded ecosystems, rivers and lakes; the rebuilding of community support ‘nets’; the recognition of elders knowledge and ancestral wisdom; the development of economic activities and systems that create solutions and not just problems, to name a few. In … Read more
Gaia Education at COP21
Learn more at gaiaeducation.org GAIA Education will be present in the Climate Generations Area at Stand 15B within the Conference Campus at a stand organized by Ecolise and shared with GEN, if you are around then make sure you pop in to say bonjour! Read their Position Paper Gaia Education has held more than 190 EDE programmes in 34 countries on 6 continents, reaching more than 5 thousand people. Its programmes have been offered in settings ranging from tribal women and … Read more
Zimbabwe: How Permaculture Can Restore Ecosystems & Communities
Maddy Harland, publisher of the Permaculture Magazine (UK) tells the story of the Shona African community who healed their damaged ecosystems. They restored their springs, rebuilt their soil, regenerated their agriculture and alleviated poverty and malnutrition. Permaculture farming has proven effective all over the planet. In the rural Shona African community in Zimbabwe, five villages of 7,000 people have joined together to form the Chikukwa Project, named after their local chief. Twenty … 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
Strand Report “Emergencies” Responding to a World in Crises the Whole Systems Way
"How are we responding to crises using a whole systems and regenerative approach?” This was the question that a group of ecovillagers, consultants, volunteers, and other interested participants gathered to explore during a week-long session during the 20th Anniversary of the Global Ecovillage Network in July. Facilitator Sarah Quebatlin and Leila Dregger report. Natural disasters triggered by climate change are responsible for 150,000+ deaths every year and cause millions of people to have to … Read more
Australia Multiple occupancy zonings being ‘abolished by stealth’
The NSW Government is set to abolish a successful planning policy that has seen more than 120 intentional communities established across the state over almost 30 years, most of them in the northern rivers. The policy allows groups of people to establish Multiple Occupancies (MO) or intentional communities on land of 10 hectares or more in rural or non-urban zones. by Chris Dobney (first published in http://www.echo.net.au) Just three councils statewide will be exempt from the … Read more
Japan in Transition: Free Money Systems Create Social Sustainability in Post-Tsunami Relief
In 2011, Japan experienced a mega-earthquake with a resulting tsunami in the vast northeastern area of the country. Hiroko Katayama from the urban ecovillage, As-One, reports on the observation that the mutual support among victims is more sustainable when they can maintain money-free exchanges. In March 2011, the nuclear power plants on the seashore of Fukushima experienced a meltdown. Since that time, large amounts of radiation have been leaking from the sites into the atmosphere, the ocean … Read more
