On the quest to find alternative ways of living, Marc Domingos, 26, threw himself into a road trip to discover Europe’s eco-villages. This story traces ten months spent on the roads in the search for inspiring, self-sufficient, humanist and ecological ways of life.
Interviewed by Jeanne Pouget, published on Konbini.
Passionate about the environment, digital nomad and freelance in communication, Marc Domingos begun his tour of Europe at the beginning of 2017 in order to live among self-sufficient communities and live in a way that is both ecologically sustainable and in harmony with nature.
His new acquaintances and discoveries gave him the desire to create Ecovillages Europe, a website that provides information on European eco-villages, and is full of articles, interviews and advice. As well as having travelled more than 30,000 miles, Marc has lived and volunteered in thirty communities in ten countries – and he isn’t planning on stopping there.
Throughout these last few centuries, humans have massively changed the landscape and environment without being aware of its consequences. Right now, we know this, yet act as if we don’t.
Marc’s website wants to show that these alternative and sustainable ways of living exist in Europe, opening the way for alternative economic models and societies to flourish. Through permaculture, ecological building, well-being, the environment and even vegetarian or vegan diets, each community offers a different way of living, connected to the environment.
We spoke to Marc about his travels, how they are both inspiring and open up the path to other possibilities.
Konbini: Can you explain to our readers what an ‘eco-village’ is?
Marc Domingos: The term ‘eco-village’ has become more and more common since the 1990s. It refers to communities that want to escape consumer society, that come together to live more simply, to be closer to nature, and, in doing so, reduce their impact on the environment.
Eco-villages are now on every continent, and can be formed of anywhere between ten to six hundred members. These are societies where ecology and economy are compatible.
There’s still no exact label to class them, and they can really vary from eco-village to eco-village. What they do have in common though, is that they all share the desire to live self-sufficiently, living off their own organic food (often grown with permaculture) and building their own ecological houses (with eco-construction).
The differences that the eco-villages acquire are a strength, because, thanks to their cooperation, they go beyond the standards of ‘normality’ that society tries to impose on us.
In eco-villages, you very rarely find shops where you use money, which allows residents to completely disconnect from consumer society for a few weeks, months, even years.
Most of these communities are vegetarian or vegan, therefore eliminating the mistreatment of animals, one of the plagues of our society. Meditative activities such as yoga are often practised in eco-communities, which connect your mind and body in total harmony, and promotes well-being. Visitors stop by just to revitalise.
How did you end up having the idea to leave for a road trip to visit eco-villages across Europe?
After travelling to Australia and Brazil, I discovered all the solution that eco-villages have to offer humanity in this time of climatic crisis. They’re almost a secret, because, unfortunately, they’re still not well known!
After looking a little harder, I realised that they’re everywhere in the world, including lots in Europe, which is my ‘home-continent’ twice because I’m French and Portuguese. It therefore seemed obvious to me to leave in order to discover them.
Where does your interest in ecology come from?
I think that we are all concerned about the planet, to varying degrees depending on the relationship you built with it during childhood. For me, my parents always taught me to awe and respect nature.
Also, this passion grew when I begun working for an environmental NGO. At the Tara Expeditions Foundation(Tara is the name of the French schooner dedicated to scientific research for environmental causes, editor’s note) or for the Ocean and Climate Platform, one of my tasks was to create a weekly newspaper on ecological, scientific and climate change related current affairs.
The world is more complex and diverse than what’s presented to us on TV (…) we should be open and learn about alternative ways of life, that sometimes seem contrary to our own benchmarks of normality
This probably awoke in me an awareness of what’s at stake in terms of our climate crisis. Animals, plants, trees, the sea, the soil… over the last few centuries, we have profoundly impacted on the environment without fully realising the consequences of our actions.
Today, we know this and yet we act as if we don’t. Therefore I decided to do what I could… and created the website Ecovillages Europe to raise awareness about other more sustainable ways of living.
Which ways of living are you hoping to promote through this website?
What fascinates me the most about eco-villages, is the way in which they encompass all of the essential elements of human life to achieve well-being: nutrition, accommodation, farming, relationships… They prove that other sustainable ways of living are possible.
By growing their own food and creating their own renewable energy, eco-villages manage to halve their CO2 emissions. The European study TESS confirmed in 2016 that “If only 5% of the European Union embarked in communal projects to reduce climate change, this would be enough to fulfil 85% of the objectives to reduce emissions by 2020”, which is amazing!
Is there an eco-village that has particularly inspired you?
That’s quite a tricky question to answer because they’re all so different that they have all inspired me in one way or another, either by their ecologist or humanitarian focus.
The four that I would say have probably moved me the most are, firstly, Tamera in Portugal, with their work on water, permaculture and free love for 40 years. Damanhur in Italy, too, with its spiritual even extra-terrestrial quest which makes good sense when you find out more about it. Or Valle de Sesaciones in Spain, an experiment in polyamory and finally Eotopia in France, where they try to live on donations and favours rather than on money.
Overall, what did you take in from your travels?
It made me understand that the world is more complex and diverse than what’s presented to us on TV, and that we should be open and learn about alternative ways of life that sometimes seem contrary to our own benchmarks of normality. These alternatives are everywhere, often right under our noses, but invisible to those who aren’t looking.
The differences that the eco-villages acquire are a strength, because, thanks to their cooperation, they go beyond the standards of ‘normality’ that society tries to impose on us. The residents learn to live together instead of being afraid of anything different to them…
For me, eco-villages are a ray of hope in this evolving world. The soon-to-be end of fossil fuels and global population of 10 billion is forcing us to reconsider our habits and the way we live with respect to Earth. Eco-villages experiment lots of different solutions that will help us adapt to these changes. We should be talking about them more!
What are your upcoming eco-village destinations?
I’m currently hibernating among Portugese eco-communities. In the spring, I’ll leave to explore more Eastern Europe, mainly Serbia, Hungary, Greece, Bulgaria and Estonia. I’ve heard that lots of communities over there are taking in refugees… I want to see how they do it.
To find out more, visit Marc Domingos’ website www.eco-villages.eu
Interviewed by Jeanne Pouget, published on Konbini.
