Diane Gilman (1945 – 1998) was an American painter, potter, writer and co-founder of the Context Institute. She played a key role in the initial development and coordination of the

Global Ecovillage Network 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 than is taken. Network members share ideas ...

, a support network for model communities to show how to live more

sustainably Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

on the planet, in urban, rural, developed and less developed situations. In 1991, she and her husband, Robert Gilman co-wrote ''Eco-Villages and Sustainable Communities'', a seminal study of ecovillages for Gaia Trust.

Biography

Born 1945, Gilman attended the University of California at Santa Barbara, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Art. A professional watercolor painter and potter, she founded the Context Institute with her husband, Robert in 1979. She was Associate Publisher of ''In Context'' magazine from 1983–1995 and coordinated citizen diplomacy work with the USSR for the Institute. She and Robert Gilman co-founded the Foundation for Russian/American Economic Cooperation, in Seattle, Washington.Context Institute
Diane A. Gilman
. Retrieved on: April 29, 2008. Gilman directed the Context Institute's Sustainable Community Program and coauthored a 1991 report on Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities around the world. The report included guidelines for the development of sustainable communities, along with case studies. Gilman co-facilitated a major Sustainable Community and Ecovillage Conference held at

Findhorn Findhorn ( or ''Inbhir Èireann'') is a village in Moray, Scotland. It is located on the eastern shore of Findhorn Bay and immediately south of the Moray Firth. Findhorn is 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Kinloss, Scotland, Kinloss, and abou ...

, Scotland, in October 1995. This conference was instrumental in giving shape to the

ecovillage An ecovillage is a traditional or intentional community that aims to become more socially, culturally, economically and/or environmentally sustainable. An ecovillage strives to have the least possible negative impact on the natural environment ...

movement.Global Ecovillage Network
The History of GEN, 1990-1995
Retrieved on: April 30, 2008. She was on the advisory board of the Ecovillage Training Center in Summertown, Tennessee as well as other organizations working to provide positive solutions for living in our times. Diane Gilman died of cancer in 1998.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilman, Diane 1945 births 1998 deaths American environmentalists American women environmentalists 20th-century American women 20th-century American people