Ecovillages: pathways to a regenerative world
GEN EUROPE’S BLOSSOMING COMMUNITIES
ECOVILLAGES In an age of transition and upheaval, Europe’s ecovillage communities serve as much-needed beacons of hope and inspiration. They are focal points for community-led activities pioneering solutions to the social, environmental and economic challenges of our time. Characterised by participatory processes and a focus on the four dimensions of sustainability - the social, cultural, economic and ecological - ecovillages are consciously designed settlements engaged in the regeneration of their environments.
From local currencies to alternative energy generation, from participatory governance practices to regenerative farming, ecovillages offering pathways to a better world sustained by engaged, empowered, and connected citizens. The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) was created in 1995 to help spread the work of communities and ecovillages worldwide and to support the creation of new sustainable settlements. As GEN’s European regional network, GEN Europe’s mission is to connect communities, build capacity for
ecovillage development, and promote ecovillage lifestyles as part of the transition to a resilient society. The strength and diversity of our members lies at the heart of our strategy.
Ecovillages in the wider world Our vision is that of a conscious, resilient and sustainable Europe where ecovillage and community values and lifestyles are widely adopted. In this booklet, you’ll find examples of communities that are working to welcome this vision into the world. Far from being remote pockets of alternative lifestyle, the ecovillages that make up GEN Europe are often deeply engaged in their local areas, with an eye to their impact on the wider world, responding to the call to ‘think globally, act locally’. Many of projects are reversing patterns of rural exodus, revitalising Europe’s depopulated rural areas. Youth exchanges and education projects, spread the message of regenerative living to new audiences. Some ecovillages are working with refugees and migrants, in recognition of the fact that the desire for a better life and a better world knows no borders. With decades of practical experience in sustainability, ecovillages are also responding to the needs of the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, working with governments and municipalities on strategies to meet climate targets through community-led, participatory solutions. Our members serve to inspire and to demonstrate replicable models of sustainable living. Together, they form a movement that is flourishing, spreading steadily across Europe. Welcome to GEN Europe’s blossoming communities.
The Sustainability Mandala and Ecovillage Principles The Global Ecovillage Network embraces a holistic approach to sustainability, integrating the Social, Cultural, Ecological and Economic dimensions of existence. At the centre, we place the practice of whole systems design. The Sustainability Mandala, developed by GEN in partnership with Gaia Education, is a road map for the creation of ecovillages. It reflects the dimensions of sustainabilty, and within them, the thirty Ecovillage Principles - six within each dimension. These principles - from empowering participatory leadership and governence, to innovating and spreading green building technologies - serve as a guide and inspiration for individuals and communities at any stage in their development to formulate participatory and regenerative projects.
Suderbyn A Living and Working Community Imagine a small but very intercultural community with a strong youth spirit and constant flow of projects and people, living on an island in the middle of the Baltic Sea. This is Suderbyn, an ecovillage founded in 2008 based on the principles of cultural diversity, voluntary simplicity, horizontal structure and non-violence, discovering ecologically and socially regenerative ways to live. It is a fluid and dynamic community, usually around 20-25 people from a dozen of different countries, with the majority being youths, and living in the impermanence of a learning centre. A core group is always complemented with newly arrived residents, interns, short- and long-term volunteers and visitors. In Suderbyn we live and work together: we grow a part of our food in the permaculture garden, build unconventional constructions, develop our renewable energy production and closed loop systems, compost and recycle everything we can, run a biogas carpool, organise learning programs, workshops and crossborder research projects. We also take an active part in European and global pro-change networks. Living on a common land in shared spaces with one main house, we explore what a different – more
collaborative – human culture could be. We question normatives and patterns of consumption, social structures and stereotypes. We empower each other to be true selves, to learn and grow individually and collectively. We experiment with innovative technologies and traditional knowledge in the attempt to create a resilient community and place to live. And we prototype a model of a valuesbased regenerative society with authentic care for people and nature. We learn. We experiment. We make mistakes. We learn more. We laugh. We dance. We engage. We cultivate a social environment of trust,
acceptance, friendship and diversity, regenerating connections between people and between people and nature. www.suderbyn.se
Amalurra A container for transformation and change Amalurra, Mother Earth in Basque, is a project of intentional communities located in Artzentales (Bizkaia), Caparacena (Andalusia) and Can Cases (Catalonia). About 150 people, including children, youth, adults and seniors, are part of this project that was born in the 90s in the Basque Country. Her founder, Irene Goikolea, initially envisioned the community as a platform for transgenerational healing, consciousness transformation and people’s care and well-being; that is, as a space of coexistence to endow individual gifts with a social projection. Thus, the healing processes undertaken at different levels - physical, emotional, mental and spiritual - could have an impact on the healing of the transgenerational wounds of the Basque Country. This vision’s pillars have been: the recovery of the ancestral bond with Mother Earth, shadow work, awakening to the deep feminine and awakening to the ancestral wisdom of the culture to which each community belongs, by understanding and integrating their symbols. Living in community was mostly a family initiative, together with individuals who resonated with the project. The commitment that united us was to explore new ways of manifesting our
highest potential to create a collective field of inspiring influence. The community materialization was based on a process of inner work focused on promoting a sustainable coexistence at all levels (ecological, economic, social and cultural), through awakening to the sacred or essential aspect of life: the quality that includes every polarity in order to face current challenges in an innovative way, thus contributing to a culture that prioritizes collective well-being. In Amalurra, we cooperate through volunteering, personal relationships
and common work objectives, fostering mutual help and conflict resolution. Decisions are made by propitiating spaces where we can observe the issues that emerge from the field in order to become aware, work internally and then decide accordingly. The hotel resort (hotel, hostel, wooden cabins, cafeteria, spa and treatment parlours) turns Amalurra into an excellent retreat centre. Our facilities are open to meetings of all kinds, especially those that resonate with the fundamental values of our project. www.amalurra.org
ZEGG A place for living and learning It is time to tell new stories. Stories of love, cooperation and interconnectedness. ZEGG is a place where over 100 people live, work and learn together, organising their daily work, taking decisions, shaping their love-life or creating ecological economic cycles. ZEGG has a focus on inner growth, relationships and communication. It was founded in 1991. Throughout the year, ZEGG offers training courses, seminars and festivals: you can learn about love and relationships, practice new forms of communication, or take another step on your path of personal growth. Events for working guests enable a direct experience of ZEGG as an ecological
pioneer project and, in fact, all of our seminars and festivals are examples of “small-scale community”, making it possible for you to directly try out a holistic way of living. In many ways, a sustainable way of living makes life’s abundance more visible. For example, when sunlight and regenerative resources become energy. Or when a poor, barren piece of land becomes a rich, diverse biotope. Or when our interconnectedness becomes tangible – with nature, other people and the whole. The ZEGG community is helping to create a healthy, ecological, living organism right here where we live and work.
The facilities on the 40-acre site include: housing for community members, some clay buildings, a meditation room, artists’ studios, a Cafe, the Children’s Building and a range of Los Portales other rooms and facilities for events and seminars. ZEGG is located in Bad Belzig (an hour from Berlin). www.zegg.de
La Comune di Bagnaia A historical commune and ecovillage La Comune di Bagnaia was founded in 1979, when two secular communes merged with the intention of realising ideals that in the years following 1968 were widespread: abolishing private property, solidarity and equality, self– sufficiency, return to the earth; these are some of the principles that continue to be our inspiration and guide in our daily lives.
The commune is situated in the Tuscan hills, only about fifteen kilometers from Siena, an especially beautiful area of Italy. Approximately eighty hectares of land, part of which is woods, is occupied by restructured traditional stone buildings as well as our organic farm. Many of our members farm our land, while others work or used to work in professions or arts outside the commune. Salaries, pensions as well as other assets are pooled, while those who work the land provide for our sustenance so that we are almost completely self – sufficient in food and energy. At present there are about twenty people in the commune. Equality among us is guaranteed by the absence of leaders and the practice of consensus decision making, a process which at first was adopted spontaneously and which has been developed with a greater awareness and commitment to using ecological communication.
Our many activities extend beyond our own selves; we are present in the area and in national and international projects that range from recreational, artistic and cultural to political, environmental and social concerns. To give a few examples: On May 1st we celebrate by joining neighbors and friends in the revived local tradition of May caroling: singers, musicians and poets roam from farm to farm exchanging their music for food and wine, a song feast that lasts a day and a half. One communard is presently a town councilman and as a group we defend the area with participation in local environmental committees. We host and are active in committees supporting refugees and we have promoted exchanges with the Brazilian SEM Terra movement as well as the Tatewelo project in Chiapas, Mexico. From 2005-2009 we hosted groups of Israeli and Palestinians from the joint association Windows for Peace, for which we received the GEN Europe Ecovillage Excellence Award, and more recently we held a lecture and film with representatives from two joint organizations in Israel and Palestine. We have been active members of GEN and RIVE since the very start! www.bagnaia.ecovillaggi.it
Heilhaus Birth – Life - Death, all in one place Having a dream, discovering a vision and realizing it together with other people – this is how the House of Healing (Heilhaus) originated. Ursa Paul founded the Heilhaus in 1990 in the middle of Germany. She initiated a community together with 20 founding members that established and carried the House of Healing. Gradually a place developed where the cycle of birth, living and dying integrates into everyday life. In the meantime, the entire Heilhaus Community consists of 800 members in Germany and Switzerland. 130 people live in the settling that has developed next to the House of Healing in Kassel. We welcome people in all phases of life in the House of Healing. It provides room for spiritual searching, for the
community of young and old, for healing and recovery. Based on a holistic understanding of health we accompany people who seek guidance on medical, therapeutic, social and spiritual levels. Cultural events provide opportunities for inspiration and encounters. The spectrum of offerings includes midwifery, accompanying pregnant women and young families, as well as fostering children and adolescents. In addition, we offer consultation on health related matters; we support in life crisis situations, and support sick, elderly and dying people. In 2016 our House of the Center was opened in the middle of our settlement, it also contains Germany’s first intergenerational hospice. Community
is an essential foundation of the House of Healing. Since its inception, the House of Healing movement has evolved based on values such as compassion, education of the heart, and volunteerism in communitybuilding processes. Project work and implementation are also important drivers. Spiritual practice in everyday living is a central quality in everything we do. This comprises meditations, rituals or the provision of lunch based on the solidarity principle. In the past 30 years diverse community-based, spiritual and economical structures have developed. These structures include the Circle of Friends, the House of Healing Foundation Ursa Paul, the House of Healing company, an organization dedicated to construction work, an ambulatory care organization, and a community medical practice. All organization are non-profi t and sum up to 180 employees. A number of associated business and a large number of volunteers who work in different areas complement this. www.heilhaus.org
Cloughjordan Building sustainable community The seed of our ecovillage was planted in 1999 by a group of people intent on creating an ecologically, socially and economically sustainable community. In 2005 we purchased a 27-hectare farm in county Tipperary, in the centre of Ireland, adjacent to the village of Cloughjordan.
Our ecovillage was identified by EUfunded researchers as one of Europe’s most important examples of an initiative that provides lessons for a low-energy society. Our ecological footprint is the lowest measured in Ireland at 2 global hectares (gHa).
Today the community has 55 homes with over 100 residents. Homes are privately owned, with detached, semi-detached and terraced houses, and apartments. Construction types include timber frame, cob and hemp-lime. A further 75 homes are planned.
Our land includes very beautiful mature hedgerows and six hectares of young deciduous forestry. We are creating an edible landscape and have planted hazel groves, 70 varieties of native Irish apples, and numerous fruit bushes along the community’s pathways.
Homes are heated and provided with hot water by the community’s district heating system that runs on woodchip. In 2017 nine households installed roof-top PV panels generating 14kW of electricity.
We have a meandering biodiversity trail around the land that is walked daily by ecovillagers and local people alike. The local Scouts and soccer club also use
We have an enterprise centre, a pioneering wood-fired bakery, a 33-bed hostel and a 250-seat amphitheatre. This unique performance space was officially opened in 2017 by the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, with praise for the “inspirational vision” of Cloughjordan Ecovillage and the Global Ecovillage Network. Education has always been one of our key aims. We offer tours every weekend and have a steady trail of visitors and students who come to learn, with regular courses covering everything from permaculture to sustainable housing and facilitation.
our land. Indeed our close ties with the wider community are an important and cherished feature of our ecovillage. Many people go about their daily business on foot or by bike because we are right beside Cloughjordan with schools, post office, pharmacy, supermarket, community café, bookshop and (very importantly!) pubs. When it comes to fresh food we are spoilt for choice. We have individual and communal allotments, a CSA farm, a grower who sells his produce directly and the fruits of our communal trees and bushes. In 2017 we had wonderful cherries, quite a treat by Irish standards! www.thevillage.ie
Guneskoy-Sun Village Planting the seeds of hope for a sustainable life Güneşköy Cooperative started in 2000 as the first environmental and non-profit cooperative of Turkey, in Ankara, with the goal of developing sustainable living experiences in rural areas and creating bridges between rural and urban regions. The early years of Güneşköy were busy with regenerating the land, which bore fruit when in 2006 its Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project was started with organic certification of its products. Having gained experience in organic vegetable cultivation and developed a sustainable economic model, farmers were employed from the neighbouring village to extend the scheme to the wider community. Güneşköy is an active member of GEN Europe, participating in its General Assembly meetings regularly and enjoying the mutual exchange of experiences it brings. This collaboration and inspiration can be seen through the architecture of one of our strawbale buildings, inspired from the mandala design of ZEGG community, another GEN Europe member. Use of vegetable oil as tractor fuel was also made possible through inspiration found at GEN meetings - now we work with a tractor modified to run on vegetable oil and ethanol, donated by a tractor manufacturer in Turkey. Our experience has not been without challenges. In 2014, work began on a fast train project passing through the center of Güneşköy, with 90 metre tall viaducts, and one hectare of Güneşköy land was expropriated by the state. The destruction
created a deep sorrow and some of our members decided to leave the community. Nevertheless, a core group has stayed and worked for its resilience, and countless numbers of volunteers have participated in Güneşköy activities. The CSA project restarted after 2 years of interruption, and last year vegetables were distributed to 67 families. In 2018 Dragon Dreaming planning of the project began, and each weekend 20-30 volunteers, mostly from the universities, visit Güneşköy and help us for the healing of the land. More than 100 trees were carried from the expropriated land by volunteers, and each week new trees and new vegetables were planted for the new season. Founding member Inci says, “As I enter the land I no longer see the huge, concrete structures but see only beautiful,
wild flowers”. Spring flourishes in nature and the songs of the the birds nourish our hope for a sustainable future. www.guneskoy.org.tr
Herzfeld Sennrüti
Getting aligned with the future, here and now Herzfeld Sennrüti is situated on the edge of Degersheim, a rural village in eastern Switzerland. It is made up of a lively group of around 40 adults and 30 children and teenagers, who have followed a holistic life concept since 2006. Key features include ecological living, sustainable economy, social structures, spiritual practice in everyday life, art and culture, and integration into wider society. We honor the diversity of each individual, encouraging personal development and inner growth. We have a sociocratic organisational structure and apply a customised decision making tool called “attunement”. This begins by sharing on a mental and emotional level, followed by a decision making group meditation. Here we access our intuitions and reach out to a higher wisdom, by opening ourselves to receiving information, visions, feelings and body sensations. By sharing these we find the conclusion in a natural way, resulting in collective clarity. To create and maintain healthy relationships in increased consciousness we meet regularly. Some of the tools we use include sharing circles, shadow work in triads, the Transformation Game, integral community training (Forum) and ho’oponopono. By following our intuition and experience we have also developed some of own tools. The integration of our children and youth is a crucial process. Our teenagers are
now growing into the next generation of our community. We are trying to follow the concept of “all mothers and all fathers”: by growing up together there is a shared paternal feeling, resulting in collective nurturing of the younger generation. Children can easily relate to other adults in the community and some choose their ‘own grandparents’. We run integration days with lots of fun and games. In 2009 we bought an empty sanatorium. We transformed the guest rooms into living spaces for singles, couples, families and groups. We used sustainable materials such as wood, straw, cork, wool, clay, sand and cellulose fibres, and installed thermal and photovoltaic panels, which means we have more than enough to power
the entire building with solar energy. Furthermore, rainwater is collected from the roofs and used for flushing toilets, washing machines and in the garden, reducing our water usage by 60%. Organic waste is collected and composted or used for making charcoal for the permaculture garden. We grow fruits and vegetables and are lucky to have organic farms nearby that can fulfill our additional needs all year round. We try to do all practical work that is needed with care and love. We often celebrate life, all good things, and ourselves. https://sennrueti.ch
The Findhorn Foundation Transforming human consciousness in everyday life The community at Findhorn was started unintentionally in November 1962 by our three founders, Peter & Eileen Caddy and Dorothy Maclean. As they rigorously followed their inner guidance, an extraordinary community grew up around them of people drawn by the founding spiritual impulse. In 1972, they established the Findhorn Foundation, a spiritual charitable organisation. Today the Findhorn Foundation employs 120 people as co-workers and is part of a growing community of 500 people in the local area, who support and practise spiritual and sustainable values, including small businesses and charities primarily working in education, the environment, healing and the arts. We are proud of our pioneering role, to actively co-create with others a new way of living on this planet. The Findhorn Foundation offers a variety of workshops, conferences and special events year round. Around 2,000 guests from all over the world travel to the Findhorn Foundation annually to take part in these events. Our Building Bridges team reached out to build links with businesses, charities and other like minded organisations. One of their initiatives, the Findhorn Bay Care Farm, provides a meaningful day service to adults with learning disabilities. We have a number of unique and famous
buildings: our concert and conference venue, the Universal Hall which was hand built by the community in the 1970s and 1980s, the nature sanctuary, a beautiful meditation space on our Park Campus and Cluny Hill College, a beautiful Victorian grand house formerly a hotel and spa. The Findhorn Foundation is an NGO associated with the United Nations Department of Public Information, holder of UN Habitat Best Practice designation and is co-founder of the Global Ecovillage Network and Holistic Centres Network. The Foundation is at the heart of a community of more than 500 people who every day support and live the vision of creating a better world by starting with themselves. We welcome anyone who wants to experience life in a community setting for a week or longer and work with our
three founding principles: work as love in action, inner listening and co-creation with Nature. The Findhorn Foundation is a dynamic experiment where everyday life is guided by the inner voice of spirit, where we work in co-creation with the intelligence of Nature and take inspired action towards our vision of a better world. We share our learning and way of life in experiential workshops, conferences and events that take place within a thriving community and ecovillage. The Findhorn Foundation is a transformational learning centre and many of our guests leave us having experienced a shift in their awareness, a greater sense of self, an opening to energetic and spiritual beings and deeper connection with humanity and the planet. www.findhorn.org
Arterra Bizimodu Sociocracy, co-housing and reinvention What started in 2013 as a small group of strangers determined to find a better way of living and educating their children has flourished to become Navarra’s first co-housing community, and a working model for sociocratic organisation: Arterra Bizimodu. Set in a tranquil valley, the project’s imposing building – a vast former seminary, amongst other things – belies the lively nature of the community within it. It’s not unusual to stumble upon a theatre rehearsal, a jam session in the tavern, a dance class or simply a spontaneous communal dinner while wandering its many passageways. A mix of around 40 permanent residents, volunteers, friends and visitors make up our day to day mosaic. We recognise and celebrate the differences in our community members, each of us living in our own apartment while sharing our ample common space and enjoying a home cooked lunch together in our shared kitchen every day (as well as the all-important coffee and sobremesa in the sunshine afterwards!). Once a month we come together to meet and share as a whole community, in our meeting called Promotor and do auzolan (community work). The range of projects in Arterra represents the diversity of passions and skills found in the community.
Since November 2014 we have hosted the GEN Europe office, as well as entrepreneurial initiatives such as our bakery, a Community Supported Agriculture project that provides us with abundant produce throughout the year, a natural cosmetics brand, a brewery, a recording studio, and Ecohabitar Magazine – Spain’s principal bioconstruction publication. Still more people work outside the community and contribute through cleaning, cooking, waste management, caring and parenting, community finance, communications, facilitation, maintenance… and all those other labours that are crucial to a community’s general well-being. One of Arterra’s defining characteristics is its experimental nature.We are an experiment in sociocratic organisation, a work in progress and a living
laboratory for group processes: new ways of decision-making and conflict management, engaging with power dynamics, and creating more effective and participatory organisations. Many of us are trained in sociocracy and facilitation, and we are all in a process of constant learning through our participation in this shared project. With a consciousness of all elements of sustainability we continue to innovate: developing a social currency, working on gender dynamics, starting our path to food and energy sovereignty. www.arterrabizimodu.org
GEN Europe Get involved If you’ve been inspired by the stories of these ecovillages, there are many ways to learn more about the European ecovillage movement and get involved from volunteering, to participating in our annual conference or attending trainings.
EVS Volunteering and Youth Exchanges Many of GEN Europe’s member ecovillages are encouraging youth participation in regenerative lifestyles through the EU-funded European Voluntary Service programme (EVS). Through EVS and shorter youth exchanges, young people aged 1830 have the chance to experience living and working in a new country and culture, gaining skills and rich experiences through non-formal learning activities. In ecovillages, EVS volunteers might work on an ecoconstruction project, take on events management, or learn how to tend a biodynamic garden - the opportunities are endless! To find out more about EVS in ecovillages, visit https://gen-europe. org/get-involved/evs-volunteering/
Volunteer in an ecovillage While EVS focuses on youth, volunteering in ecovillages is for everyone! Almost all our members have some kind of volunteering
programme - be it WWOOFing, work exchange, volunteering seasons, or one-off projects. To find your nearest opportunity, browse our ecovillage map, find the project that interests you, and contact them directly to find out how you can get involved.
Develop your skills Through our projects, GEN Europe and member ecovillages have developed a rich variety of learning materials that are free to access for anyone seeking to develop skills in the four dimensions of sustainability. The Community Learning Incubator Programme (CLIPS) supports new projects with all the tools needed to create and sustain a successful community project, while members often run trainings in tools such as Sociocracy, Dragon Dreaming, and facilitation. Keep an eye out on the GEN Europe website and social media channels for new opportunities.
GEN EU Members GEN EU Aspiring Members
GEN Europe‘s National Networks GEN Europe’s members include over one hundred aspiring and full member communities, and over twenty national and bioregional ecovillage networks spread across the continent. These networks
unite ecovillages with a wide variety of actors working on community empowerment and sustainability. They also provide invaluable support for civil society engagement by organising national network gatherings as platforms for networking, exchange of best
practice, and project development. They build bridges between ecovillages and civil society initiatives, policy makers, academia, green business and practitioners, strengthening and promoting the ecovillage movement at a national level.
Contact Sectretariat: Arterra Bizimodu, Calle Abajo 1, 31480 Artieda, Navarra, Spain Legal seat: ZEGG, Rosa Luxemburg Strasse, 14806 Bad Belzig. Germany www.gen-europe.org info@gen-europe.org www.facebook.com/geneurope Sign up to our newsletter via our website to receive regular news and updates.
European Day of Sustainable Communities As a founding member of ECOLISE, the European organisation for community-led initiatives on climate change, we support the European Day of Sustainable Communities. Held annually in September, it’s a chance for ecovillages and other sustainable communities to celebrate their work with special activites and events.
Global Ecovillage Network
The European Ecovillage Conference takes place in a different ecovillage every year. It’s a gathering for GEN Europe members, but also a window into the world of ecovillages for anyone who’s interested in regenerative lifestyles. Everyone is welcome!
GEN Europe is one of five regions in the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) alongside CASA Latina in Latin America, GENOA in Asia and Oceania, GEN Africa and GENNA in the USA and Canada. Our umbrella organization is GEN, where a Board with regional representatives overview the global network development. www.ecovillage.org
Become a member
Become a Friend of GEN
European Ecovillage Conference
As a membership-based organisation, at the heart of GEN Europe are the dozens of communities that have decided to actively contribute to our shared vision. To date, over 110 ecovillages have joined our movement, benefiting from unique networking opportunities, funding opportunities, training, and much more. Find out more at https://gen-europe.org/get-involved/become-a-gen-member
As a Friend of GEN, you become a sustaining contributor to the work of the Global Ecovillage Network. Together we can continue to implement sustainable solutions and help catalyse the power of community for a regenerative future. By becoming a Friend of GEN, you‘re supporting the whole GEN family: from Europe to Oceania, from North America to Africa. www.ecovillage.org/friends/europe