600 personalities, 119 workshops, 46 countries represented: here are the figures announced by the Global Ecovillage Network to define the Ecovillage Conference that took place from July 11 to 14, 2018 in Lilleoru ecovillage, in Estonia.
The Ecovillage Conference is the largest event bringing together, since 22 years, eco-villagers, seekers and activists from around the world to discuss innovative or traditional solutions that will enable us to live sustainably and happily on Earth.
At a time when the cries of alarm from scientists to politicians are not heard, citizens from around the world unite in parallel to, together, experiment and promote new lifestyles, socially and environmentally sustainable.
The “Steve Jobs of Sustainability”, Gunter Pauli, announces: “Ecovillages are pioneers”
Ecovillage communities are pioneers, more willing to take risks than the rest of society. These initiatives are necessary and must move from economic models based on scarcity to the abundance of locally available resources – declares Pauli, founder of Ecover and creator of the Blue Economy, present at the ecovillages conference
119 theoretical and practical workshops: from happiness to life with low ecological impact, from social innovation to green commerce
The participants at the Ecovillage Conference were able to get a glimpse of the wide range of topics studied in ecovillages. Permaculture, personal development, techniques for life in autonomy, but also economy, local or international politics or philosophies around the world: with sessions of one to three hours.
The conference was also an opportunity for many to experience life in community, so different from the individualism developed in the city.
For four days, at the end of the day, groups of eight people gathered to celebrate the day and exchange emotions and felt spent hours in “home-like groups”.
Far from judgments and criticism, these sharing circles make it possible to break the ice fast enough for more authentic conversations.
Film, yoga, music concerts, sweat lodges and other celebrations were also part of the program.
The Global Ecovillage Network: a global vision and the ecological, social, cultural and economic impact of 10,000 communities
Before the conference, the Global Ecovillage Network Europe met for its general assembly. The members met to discuss the upcoming roadmap and the results of past years, through different working groups: governance, advocacy, communication, youth, national networks, education, projects, events and finances.
The European network, in coalition with the global GEN network, ensures the development of more than 10,000 communities worldwide through the four dimensions of sustainability: ecology, social, culture and economy.
Since the politics and economy of today do not benefit everyone but only the richest, the Global Ecovillage Network’s mission is to empower eco-communities to become stronger and show how they go beyond the Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs – set by the United Nations in their daily lives.
GEN decided once again to focus its next mobilization on 22 September, the European Day of Sustainable Communities created by its partner Ecolise .
The next conference will take place in the community of Bagnaia in Italy in 2019, then in France in 2020, in partnership with the association Colibris.
See the Ecovillage Conference in video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXdm8lGN7Xg
See more
- Relive the event live on Twitter with #EcovillageConference
- How do the ecovillages achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations?
- Inventory of the ecovillages visited in 20 countries in Europe
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