The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) is a global
association of people and
communities (
ecovillages) dedicated to living "
sustainable plus" lives by restoring the land and adding more to the
environment
Environment most often refers to:
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* Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally
* Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...
than is taken. Network members share ideas and information, transfer technologies and develop cultural and educational exchanges.
History
Hildur and
Ross Jackson from Denmark established the
Gaia Trust, a charitable foundation, in 1991. Gaia funded a study by
Robert Gilman and
Diane Gilman of
sustainable communities around the world. The report, ''Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities'', was released in 1991. The report found that although there were many interesting ecovillage projects, the full-scale ideal ecovillage did not yet exist. Collectively, however, the various projects described a vision of a different culture and lifestyle that could be further developed.
In 1991 the Gaia Trust convened a meeting in
Denmark
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of representatives of eco-communities to discuss strategies for further developing the ecovillage concept. That led to the formation of the Global Ecovillage Network. In 1994 the Ecovillage Information Service was launched. In 1995, the first international conference of ecovillage members, entitled Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities for the 21st Century was held at Findhorn, Scotland. The movement grew rapidly following this conference.
By 2001, GEN had obtained consultative status at the
United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). In October 2005, at the conference to celebrate the tenth anniversary of GEN, a group of young adults joined to found NextGEN (the Next Generation of the Global Ecovillage Network). GEN does not have a verification procedure to select ecovillages or member subscriptions on its website. A Community Sustainability Assessment Tool has been developed that provides a means to assess how successful a particular ecovillage is at improving its sustainability.
Members
The network includes a variety of types of sustainable settlements and ecovillages:
*Eco towns, such as
Auroville in South India and the
Federation of Damanhur
The Federation of Damanhur, often called simply Damanhur, is a commune, ecovillage, and spiritual community situated in the Piedmont region of northern Italy about north of the city of Turin. It is located in the foothills of the Alps in the ...
in Italy;
*rural ecovillages, such as
Gaia Asociación in Argentina and
Huehuecoyotl, in Mexico;
*
permaculture
Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. It includes a set of design principles derived using whole-systems thinking. It applies these principl ...
sites, including
Crystal Waters, Queensland, Australia,
Cochabamba, Bolivia and
Barus, Brazil;
*urban rejuvenation projects, such as
Los Angeles EcoVillage and
Christiania in Copenhagen, and
*educational centers, such as
Findhorn Foundation
The Findhorn Foundation is a Scottish charitable trust registered in 1972, formed by the spiritual community at the Findhorn Ecovillage, one of the largest intentional communities in Britain.''The Dictionary of Alternatives: Utopianism and Org ...
in Scotland, the
Centre for Alternative Technology
The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) ( cy, Canolfan y Dechnoleg Amgen) is an eco-centre in Powys, mid- Wales, dedicated to demonstrating and teaching sustainable development. CAT, despite its name, no longer concentrates its efforts exc ...
in Wales, and the
Ecovillage Training Center in Tennessee.
Aim
The Global Ecovillage Network's aim is "to support and encourage the evolution of sustainable settlements across the world." The network does this through:
*Internal and external communications services; facilitating the flow and exchange of information about ecovillages and demonstration sites;
*Networking and project coordination in fields related to sustainable settlements, and
*Global cooperation/partnerships (UN Best Practices, EU Phare,
EYFA, ECOSOC).
Regions
GEN is composed of five global regions: Africa (GEN Africa), Europe (GEN Europe), Latin America (CASA), North America (GENNA) and Oceania & Asia (GENOA).
Notes
References
The History of GEN, 1990-1995The History of GEN 2000-2001
External links
*
German Info: Global Ecovillage Network
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International sustainability organizations
Ecovillages