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Torn Between Russia and the West Is There a Third Way for Ukraine?
"Imagine a revolutionary group would spread a message around Maidan Square and over the Internet calling out to the youth and students, workers and activists, "Let's continue fighting on the streets, comrades! But above all, let's move to the countryside and start building the new culture." -- by Martin Winiecki As the standoff over Crimea threatens to escalate into an open military confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, more and more evidence shows how the popular Maidan … Read more
GEN Europe Conference July 9 - 13, 2014, in ZEGG, Germany
The annual GEN Europe Conference is more than a meeting place for GEN Europe members. As the ecovillage movement is merging with other movements for decentralized solutions and applied sustainability - such as Permaculture or Transition Towns - it is a place where the most interesting developments are shared, discussed, further developed, and presented to an interested public, to community seekers, founders, and change makers of all kinds. You are warmly invited to join us and get an updated … Read more
Legislation for Regional Abundance Tamera Applies for Land Use Change
The region Alentejo, Portugal, is in an economical and ecological crisis. Alternatives are needed to create a way for people to return to the countryside, heal the landscape and create abundance in cooperation with nature. However, the legislation does not support alternatives - yet. In close cooperation with its county municipality, Tamera has started the official process for a land use change. It could be a pioneer process for many other ecological initiatives - in particular for growing … Read more
USA From Occupy Village to Opportunity Village Eugene - Pioneering New Solutions for the (Formerly) Homeless
When the city of Eugene broke up the Occupy camp in December of 2011, they promised to give the homeless another piece of land. Dan Bryant, a minister who wears a leather jacket and drives a motorcycle; Jean Stacey, a fiery lesbian advocate for the homeless; and Andy Heben, a young urban designer who wrote his thesis on homeless camps that he visited around the country, went around touting the idea of Opportunity Village. Alex Daniell found out that "If you give a homeless person a home then … Read more
Israel Rise up My Beloved! The Song of Songs is a Song for Peace
Emma Sham-Ba Ayalon, Israel, is part of a group that holds the vision for building a Peace Research Village in the Middle East. She felt that peace between the genders is a crucial base for peace between the nations and religions. Looking for inspiring wisdom to develop this deep level of peace, she connected to the most erotic text of the bible, the Song of Songs. Lately, I have worked on translating the Song of Songs. It is the most erotic text in the bible. It shows how eros and nature are … Read more
Palestine Between Mona and my Grandmother - Changing the Story of Pain of Women
Women in Palestine are under two types of occupation: occupation by Israel, and occupation by the patriarchal society. Aida Shibli, longterm Palestinian peace and freedom worker in both fields, founding member of GEN Palestine (to come), and the Peace Research Village-Palestine (to come), found that creating ecovillages and autonomy on the land is a way to freedom under both occupations. "My soul gets wings when I see you live a life of freedom. I cannot live a free life, I am under many … Read more
Africa, Togo Women´s Projects against Rural Exodus - The Example of Tiyeda Abalah, Togo
"Africa will become independent when the intellectuals of the continent connect to their roots. When academics, instead of taking a white collar job, share and improve the lives of the people in their home villages." Following the completion of her studies in Literature at the Sorbonne in Paris, France, 30 years ago, Tiyeda Abalah, (56, from Togo), moved with her husband Séda into his home village Baga. During the last GEN Africa conference, CIDAP in Baga was elected Ecovillage of the … Read more
Colombia "With a Hope that Open Roads" Daira Quiñones´ Story of Hope and Perseverance
Daira Elsa Quiñones is a beautiful Afro-Columbian woman who has experienced great bereavement in her life. She is a great singer, a dreamer, and a wave of hope. Margarita O. Zethelius, from CASA, shares her story. In the 5th gathering of Call of the Mountain (the ecovillages gathering of Colombia), Daira came to tell us the story of a dream and a project, and surprised all with her great charisma. She is an ambassador of Afro-Colombian culture, of hope and strength. She brings to the CASA … Read more
Ecuador: Women’s Empowerment by Weaving with Native Cactus Fiber
Asociación Mujer y Medio Ambiente, or the Women and the Environment Association, is a group of women who produce 'cabuya' handicrafts as a way of generating income and sustainable tourism in Plaza Gutierrez, a mountain village in the Intag region of Ecuador. Letícia Regatti and Ryan Luckey visited them on one of their EcoCaravan Journeys. The Association began in 1995 when a foreigner in town brought together a group of women to learn and practice weaving and embroidery. The meetings … Read more
For Margit Frederica Miller, remembers her
Margrit Kennedy, German architect and ecovillage pioneer, ecologist, writer, financial expert, and a visionary of an interest free economy system, died on December 28th at the age of 74. Her Norwegian student, Frederica Miller, remembers her. As a young architecture student, I first met Margrit when she came as an invited guest lecturer to a seminar we gave at the Oslo School of Architecture, called: 'Women, Ecology and Architecture in the early 80's'. She gave a brilliant lecture called "Gyn … Read more
