The GEN 20+Summit in Findhorn is the occasion that Kosha Joubert, Leila Dregger and Clio Pauly took to write a book about ecovillages worldwide – with the help of many longterm ecovillage members who contributed thoughts, experiences, adventures, failures, learnings and success stories. The book will be published in German and English at the same time and be launched at the summit. Thanks to all those who helped so generously. Leila Dregger recalls the process of writing. When Kosha Joubert … Read more
urban ecovillages
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
Ecolise. Nara Petrovic The time when ecovillages were places faraway in the woods is over
What connects us, brings us joy and is good for all: for ourselves, for our communities and for the Earth? Can civil society think and plan further into the future than those that currently direct global development – primarily politicians and economists? Can an umbrella alliance represent community-lead local development and thereby long-term interests of people and nature, thus radically changing global development goals in Europe or even in the world? These are the questions raised by … Read more
Editorial GEN International Newsletter January 2015
Ecovillage Transition Strategies for Whole Systems Change - Can Countries and Regions Shift to Sustainability through Community-based Approaches? 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 … Read more
Inaugural GEN Israel Conference The Network of Eco-Villages and Eclogical Projects in Israel Gives Birth to GEN-Israel
The first public event of GEN-Israel, an all-day conference, was held on November 23 at Kibbutz Gezer. Participants included Kosha Joubert, president of GEN-International, Aida Shibli, coordinator of GEN-Palestine, and around 200 people from different ecological projects, communities and communities-networks. It was a new step which not only strengthens the existing network, but also stretches it further to local traditional Bedouin communities, some communes and networks coming from a socialist … Read more
Refugee Aid by Ecovillages – The Journey of a Refugee from Syria
Wars, climate change, economic and social injustices, have made millions of people refugees, with thousands dying, stranded on the borders of Europe, or the United States. At the recent GEN Summit in Dakar, Africa it was re-iterated that ecovillages are an effective alternative to migration, especially for young people. However, ecovillages of the Global North can also assist directly, by providing new opportunities for refugees. This is the story of Fayez Karimeh, from Syria - however, similar … 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
Japan’s AS-ONE Community: The Story of a 14-Year Community Creation Process
In 2001, some volunteers gathered in Suzuka, Japan, aiming to realize a happy society free from fighting and opposition, in harmony with nature. A borderless community named “AS-ONE COMMUNITY” has been created in an ordinary neighborhood of Suzuka, a typical middle-size city and also well known as a city of the Honda company. Hiroko Katayama, GEN ambassador reports. The name ‘AS-ONE’ was taken from a line of John Lennon’s masterpiece Imagine, ‘and the world will be as one'. Nowadays, 38 core … 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
