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GEN Celebrates our Jubilee!
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This week, we start the celebrations of 25 years of GEN! Established in Findhorn in 1995, the Global Ecovillage Network connects more than 10,000 traditional villages, urban neighbourhoods, and intentional communities. Together with our 5 regional networks and the youth arm, our members span over 100 countries worldwide. Over the next few months, leading up to our Online Summit, we will highlight this rich history and those who have shaped it. We also celebrate you, whether you represent an ecovillage, a project, or come to GEN as an advocate for living harmoniously with intention.
GEN showcases high quality, low impact ways of living that have led to some of the lowest per capita footprints in the industrialised world, and a healthy integration of heritage and innovation in more traditional settings, celebrating indigenous wisdom and diversity. With this 25 years of experience, GEN has a wealth of inspiration to offer, emphasising local solutions to global challenges and demonstrating that the creation of a different world is possible! We're ready to bring the New Normal and we thank you for joining us. To contribute to the continuation of this work, become a Friend of GEN.
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Hildur Jackson Award Winner: TI Ecovillage
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We share our celebration with TI Ecovillage, a unique enclave originally on the outskirts of Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Since 1995, they have been transforming the landscape and enriching quality of life in the community. Also an applicant for the award last year, they have been learning from feedback and have initiated deeper connections inspiring elders to make way for the next generation and new social innovations. As COVID brought youngsters back to the eco haven, they're now excited, enthusiastic and have more appreciation for their parents eco lifestyles. Here is the interview with several members as they share their journey and representatives of the jury highlight what made them stood out.
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Hildur Jackson Award Runners Up
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We also celebrate and highlight two other close contenders.
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Instituto Çarakura in Florianopolis, Brazil has been regenerating their land for almost 40 years. They've expanded their work to include education and inspiration to take forward this movement, by implementing participatory processes to bring the vision to reality. They've formed partnerships with academies, governments, private companies and citizens to ensure diverse and complementary approaches of traditional knowledge, alternative techniques, and sustainable living practices. Instituto Çarakura receives hundreds of volunteers every year, providing the opportunity to learn ecological techniques while supporting meaningful projects.
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Eco Clean Ghana is creating livelihood opportunities for women and youth in the management of COVID 19 pandemic effect in Ghana. They have directly organized empowerment training for 105 people in 5 communities, beneffiting over 2000 people. Cultivating mushrooms, producing soap and sanitizer, creating school bags from waste, and composting degradable materials into fertilizer for permaculture systems, the project collaborates with local education initiatives and government departments to create green business opportunities. They address waste issues, education and empowerment, as well as economic security all in one.
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Find out about the other incredible finalists and consider applying for next year - applications are already open for October 2021 here.
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Friends of GEN - Building the New Normal!
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Every day ecovillages and communities around the world are building a more authentic, connected and regenerating way of life. They want this to be their normal, and rather than wait for the world to catch up, ecovillagers go ahead and build it themselves. They know in their hearts that it is not only possible - it is also destined to be.
With the story below, we are launching a campaign to celebrate the many people seeded around the planet who are building their own “new normal” through the very lives they live. Each one forms the bedrock of the Network, the Movement we are - saplings of regenerative planetary cultures. This campaign is a statement, a challenge, as well as an invitation to take action or join hands. We flourish together.
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Aldeafeliz Ecovillage
"My name is Camila. I live with my two children Miguel and Gabriel in Aldeafeliz Ecovillage in Colombia. One of the things I love about our community is our dedication to construct our homes in a way that protects nature. It teaches us how to tap into the power and creativity of the community as a whole while building together. In this way we don’t only build a home, we also work on ourselves, and we regenerate our planet. It really feels so powerful!
We started building our home six years ago. It was quite a “creative party”. More than 70 people from around the world joined us and we ran courses on sustainable construction. There is a beautiful word in one of our Colombian indigenous languages: “Minga” - how the community unites for a shared purpose of building a space as a “being in gestation”. I can’t express how profoundly true this feels to me, referring to my home as a living being – the gestation of which challenged us, and consequently endowed us with forces we didn’t know we had within us.
Now I know that we all have a power innate in us to develop the skills to actually build and sustain our own lives. That is what I want to celebrate today about the way I live, building the “normal” I want to live in, and my children to grow up in!"
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GEN Online Events and Webinars
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Note the a range of times offered. As a Global network, we reference UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). Please check your local timezone and reach out to the event organisers directly with any questions.
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GEN Introduction Course - Self-paced, £10
As we develop our online learning opportunities, we are pleased to offer the latest as a culmination of those 25 years. Exploring the history and structure of GEN, tools, methodologies and resources developed over the past 25 years, as well as some projects, accomplishments, examples of well established ecovillages, and further opportunities for anyone to step (more) into GEN’s work. Set up as a 'self-paced' course, you can navigate the 25 hours of content based on your interests, at your own time, yet still post your insights with each section, and read those of other participants. We welcome those curious about our work and consider this a first stepping stone to becoming an Ambassador (with future courses to step in more on the way)!
Continuing with the 25 year theme, we are excited to offer 25 scholarships for people from the Global South, from a non-majority background and/or from a crisis area. Scholarships will be allocated according to country of residence/origin, gender balance, diversity of ethnic background and cultural heritage, meaningful role and service in your community. Apply for the scholarship here by 31 October.
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International Research Colloquium Series: Ecovillages and Resilient Lifestyles
21 October, 14:00 UTC (10:00 EDT, New York / 11:00 BRT, São Paulo / 16:00 CEST, Amsterdam)
Free - Registration required
Join us for a constructive dialogue among researchers that study ecovillages and resilient lifestyles. The 2nd of the series, we will present case studies and discuss the potential of Ecovillages as sustainability 'classrooms' that promote transdisciplinarity, collaboration, and self-knowledge.
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Introduction to Deep Ecology Workshop
Hosted by GENOA, Facilitated by Om Sunisa
21 October, 03:00 UTC / 14:00 AEST, Sydney
$10 - $40 USD
Generating a culture for sustainability cannot come from a superficial level, but from the depth of our spirit. Deep Ecology encourages us to ask deeper questions, combining with deep experience. It emerges deep commitment where our actions and way of thinking and living spring from that deep root.
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Global Impact Documentary - Online Premiere and Video Chat
22 October, 17:00 UTC - Free
Tune in to the free online premiere of a powerful short documentary about the Global Ecovillage Network, showcasing the impact of the movement from an outside perspective. It makes existing approaches to a holistic, sustainable society tangible and shows that ecovillage experience and knowledge is valuable for each of us. The premiere includes a video chat with the filmmakers and interviewees. Watch the trailer here or connect to the Facebook event page... or
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The Link Between Indigenous Wisdom, Biodiversity, and Health Webinar
31 October, 05:00 UTC / 16:00 AEST, Sydney
$5 - $30 USD
The cultural dimension of the ecovillage design framework is unique to systems design and solutions. It looks at the role of our mental models and the cultural beliefes that shape the systems we inherit or design. To change our system, our worldviews must change and reconnect back to nature and everything that surrounds us. In this webinar, we look into indigenous wisdom to help us in remembering this connection to the land and the ecosystem and look at integrative ways to see the relationship of our bodies and the earth to restore our personal and planetary health. Moderated by GEN Networking Director Trudy Juriansz and Regional Representative Sarah Queblatin.
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hosted by GEN Europe
7 - 8 November, full days starting at 7:30 UTC / 9:30 CEST
Minimum donation €20
What if... out of crisis, we created the more beautiful world our hearts are yearning for? What If? Ecovillage Solutions for Extraordinary Times seeks to explore the answers to this question through the transformative capacities of ecovillages. The two-day event will feature discussion, observation, intimacy and heart, with panels and workshops, and a Meet the Ecovillages event to make new connections and find inspiration for your own 'new normal'.
GEN International will also have a presence as we will offer the Ecovillage Transition in Action Workshop, Scaling-Up Regeneration: Ingredients for Successful Community-Municipality Collaborations.
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“The stories we tell literally make the world.” - Michael Margolis
The GEN community is abundant in stories of our striving to live in harmony with each other and all life. In this time of global unraveling, our personal and collective narratives can offer hope to the world that a better future is possible.
GEN Stories aims to support our GEN family in articulating and sharing meaningful stories that can uplift our communities, empower our networks and inspire the world. As an example, watch this 3-minute story about coming to community.
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Starting this November, Daniel Greenberg (GEN President, 2015-2019) and others will facilitate online storytelling events culminating in a virtual global summit in 2021.
What’s your story? How has living in community changed you … surprised you … challenged you? Complete this form to express your interest. You will then receive an invitation to join an intimate story sharing circle and support to further develop and share your story at the Summit, and beyond!
Let’s inspire and change the world through our tales of personal and cultural transformation!
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If you have any news or events to share in the next newsletter (mid November), you are welcome to connect with us at communications-team@ecovillage.org by 6 November.
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