GEN International Newsletter September 2015

Ecovillages Responding to Disasters and Crises

Dear Friends and Members of GEN,Dear change­makers throughout the world,

With thousands of refugees and migrants arrivingon the shores of Europe on a daily basis, the painand crises in the world are becoming increasinglyimpossible to ignore, even in those regions whichhave felt relatively sheltered for a long time. It is aprecious moment in history: the connectednessbetween all people of the world is becomingpalpable in a new and urgent way. In many placesall over Europe, people like you and me areopening their hearts, neighbourhoods and, insome cases ecovillages, to those who have lostso much that was dear to them. The sheermagnitude of the streams of people traveling andfleeing, often risking their lives in the hope of apossible future, are forcing politicians and civilsociety to face the consequences of man­madewars, natural disasters and extreme poverty. Morethan ever, we are called to take responsibility forour choices and to explore how peace, justice andprosperity may become a reality for all. Thesupport of ecovillage strategies offers a holisticway of participation in such an exploration.Ecovillages in the Global South are helping tosolve some of the problems that drive people toleaving their country. And ecovillages in the GlobalNorth are attempting to transition lifestyles that lieat the cause of injustice and wars in the firstplace. Both are living and learning centers forsolutions in all dimensions of sustainability.

In this newsletter, we share some of theinspirations from the GEN+20 Summit, which tookplace in July in Findhorn, Scotland, to celebrate20 years of GEN and 10 years of Gaia Education.More than 330 people from 65 countries and allcontinents came together to celebrate, reflect andco­create future strategies for GEN. In timelysynchronicity, Gaia Trust, which has beensupporting GEN’s work since the onset, decidedto increase core funding to both Gaia Educationand GEN in the coming years in order to liftactivities and impacts to a next level. These areexciting times in more than one way. One of thestrands at the Summit focussed on EmerGENcyProtocols, elaborating how ecovillages haveresponded and can respond to humanitariancrises and natural disasters. Many ecovillages

As always, we ask you to read and share thenewsletter widely with all those interested as wellas media representatives in your region. Pleasetake a moment to invite them to sign up here sothat we can send the newsletter directly to them inthe future. We welcome comments and feedback!May our network come alive with meaning­makingand information­sharing! May we realize more andmore that we are one global movement, incommunity with other global movements. Enjoyreading!

Kosha Joubert, Leila Dregger, Jenefer Marquis(editors)

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Please email feedback about the newsletteror suggestions for our next issue to:leila.dregger@snafu.de

Hildur Jackson – In Memory of a Life Well LivedIn this newsletter, we share in the celebration of Hildur, motherof GEN and Gaia Education, in memory of a life well lived, andin grieving of her passing. Hildur’s life was a song for justice andhuman dignity. Remembering her, it seems her voice wassinging rather than speaking: singing about togetherness; aboutthe simple beauty of planting and harvesting; about taking careof the children, of the earth and of each other. She believed inthe deep inherent power of people to come together incommunity in order to change the world into the beautiful placewe know in our hearts it can be. A special place in her heartwent out to women, and to Africa.Read more.

The tragedy of refugeesNo one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark, you

have dedicated their work, expertise andexperience to disaster relief or prevention ­ and inthe future, we imagine that this will become one ofthe core areas of engagement of our movement.You will find many examples in this newsletter.

September Newsletter Topics

General topicsHildur Jackson, a Life well livedThe Tragedy of RefugeesMinutes a Day ­ a Practice for World CitizenReport GEN+20 SummitGEN+20 Strand report: Deep ExchangeGEN+20 Strand report: Gender DialogueGEN+20 Strand report: EmergenciesEcovillage ­ 1001 Ways to Heal the Planet

Main topic: Ecovillages Responding on Crises in allcontinentsWhat is EmerGENcies protocolsBlueprintJapan in TransitionSpiritual Disaster PreventionNepalEmergency in Europe: GreeceSkala EcovillageGlobal CampusEcovillages as Perspective for RefugeesTsunamika from AurovilleWalking WaterChile: When Mother Earth SpeaksChile: What to do in DisastersPermaculture Zimbabwe

More News: GENNA ­ Global Ecovillage Network NorthAmericaNextGENNAGarden Orchestra

GEN Africa:Bafut Ecovillage Cameroon

Gaia Education:In the Heart of PalestineBangladesh

CASA ­ GEN Latin AmericaNew Threats against the Peace Community SanJosé de Apartadó

GEN International:Sociocracy in ColombiaSociocracy

GEN Europe:Learning Village Suomenlinna in FinlandThe First Earthship Building in GermanyVillage Trade Center

GENOAMultiple occupancy zonings being ‘abolished bystealth’ in Australia

only run for the border when you see the whole city running aswell... Poem by Warsan Shire is a Kenyan­born Somali poet.Read more.

5 Minutes a Day ­ A New Practice for World CitizensDo you often feel overwhelmed by daily news? Do you findyourself shying away from stark information, either byassimilating it on a purely rational level, or by stopping to reador watch altogether? Together, we aim to connect to what ishappening in our world in a different way ­ by allowing one pieceof news a day to truly touch us.Read more.

GEN +20 Summit: Developing the New Story ofCommunityThis year's Global Ecovillage Network Summit at FindhornEcovillage in Scotland, marked the organisation's tremendousgrowth and development since its emergence 20 years ago.Read more.

GEN +20 Strand ReportsDeep Exchange Gender Dialogue Emergencies

Ecovillage ­ 1001 Ways to Heal the PlanetDuring the GEN 20+Summit in Findhorn Kosha Joubert andLeila Dregger presented the new GEN book about ecovillagesworldwide, which they had written with the help of manylongterm ecovillage members who contributed their verypersonal stories, thoughts, experiences, adventures, failures,learnings and successes. The book can now be ordered in theGEN Office. Everybody interested in social and ecologicalchange and building a global alternative should know this sourceof experience and wisdom. Even the Guardian wrote about it.Read more and buy Read the article in the Guardian

What is EmerGENcies protocolsRead more

About the Blueprint InitiativeRead more

Japan in Transition: Free Money Systems CreateSocial Sustainability in Post­Tsunami ReliefIn 2011, Japan experienced a mega­earthquake with a resultingtsunami in the vast northeastern area of the country. HirokoKatayama from the urban ecovillage, As­One, reports on theobservation that the mutual support among victims is moresustainable when they can maintain money­free exchanges.Read more.

Japan: In Konohana Family, Every Full Moon is aDisaster Preparation DayNow that mega natural disasters have been occurring on Earth,what are the things we can do? Yoko Oki & Michiyo Furuhashishare the spirit of Konohana Family, Japan behind theirpractical workshops on emergency preparation.Read more.

Earthquake in Nepal: What Ecovillagers Can OfferHumanity and the Earth.On 25 April 2015, Nepal experienced the first of its devastatingearthquakes which left over 9000 dead and hundreds ofthousands of homes and communities destroyed. ChrisGibbings, representative from GENOA from Australia was invitedby the ecovillage network in Nepal to come and give a hand.Sunni Dawson reports.Read more

Supporting Skala Ecovillage in Greece to Become aTraining Center for SustainabilityThe participants of the GEN summit followed with growingindignation the political process around Greece: the EuropeanCommission forced new austerity measures on a country whosepeople are already suffering badly under the economic crisis. Aworking group was formed and together with the founders ofSkala Ecovillage, they planned a first crisis intervention. Duringa network meeting from August 22 ­ 30, a group of ecovillageexperts donated their ecological and social skills to build firsttechniques for sustainability. It was the start of a possiblelongterm cooperation to make people independent from globalsupply systems.Report by Leila DreggerA moving letter by Anna Fillipou

Main TopicEcovillages Responding to Disasters and Crises in all continents

Global Campus: On the Way to Form a GlobalCommunityDuring the GEN summit, GEN International and Global Campusbecame partners. In this report, Leila Dregger shares about thelast Global Campus gathering from July 18th to August 15th,where 30 members and representatives of the base stations ofthe Global Campus met in Tamera, Portugal, studying andsharing peace knowledge, exploring new skills and experiencingcommunity. The global crisis threatening their home regionsevery day remained to be in our focus.Read more

Integration Ecovillage in Sweden: A Solution forMigration and Eco­livelihoodsThe Syrian refugee, Fayez Karimeh, arrived last year in Europe.With the help of the GEN network he reached Sweden, wherehe now plans to build an ecovillage for migrants and refugees(we reported about him here.) Due to visa issues he could notattend the GEN summit in person, but was connected with theemerGENcies strand via Skype. Allan Stewart, Treasurer of thenew­found association SICE, reports.Read more

Tsunamika Doll: Auroville’s Symbol of Hope forTsunami SurvivorsAuroville, a community in South India aspiring towards humanunity, was among the many communities hit by the December26th, 2004, Indian Ocean Tsunami that was caused by anearthquake off the coast of Sumatra. From out of the disasterand devastation emerged many projects, bringing communityspirit back within Auroville and connecting Auroville to itsneighbouring Tamil villages. One of the beautiful stories is one ofa little doll named Tsunamika, shared by Kavitha UrvasieSelvaraj.Read more

Walking Water: The Way of a PilgrimWalking Water is unfolding at a time when California, the UnitedStates and much of the world is gripped by drought and a watercrisis of epic proportions, necessitating urgent measures and anopen­hearted spirit of cooperation.Read more

Chile: When Mother Earth SpeaksAfter a flood in the Atacama desert in March 2015, a huge areawas covered with poisonous mud produced by the miningindustry. The Aldea Domo community could help with geodesicdomes. Carolina Miranda and Felipe Baltra found out that a

disaster is a huge lesson from Mother Earth.Read moreRead more

Zimbabwe: How Permaculture Can RestoreEcosystems & CommunitiesMaddy Harland, publisher of the Permaculture Magazine (UK)tells the story of the Shona African community who healed theirdamaged ecosystems. They restored their springs, rebuilt theirsoil, regenerated their agriculture and alleviated poverty andmalnutrition. Permaculture farming has proven effective all overthe planet.Read more

The ABC of a Community’s Garden OrchestraIn the modern world, many people generate music by flicking aswitch, pressing a button, turning a dial, or tapping a keypad ortouchscreen. And many of us obtain food by swiping a card orlightening a wallet. Others, however, create music by picking upinstruments or using their own voices. And some people grow atleast a portion of their own food too, participating intimately withits creation in a garden or on a farm. Chris Roth, formergardener and now editor of Communities Magazine, names theabundance of a community garden and shares the secret ofwhat the plants like and what they don´t.Read more

Youth Ecovillage Summit North America!Join us for the 2nd annual Youth Ecovillage Summit NorthAmerica! October 8­11, 2015.Read more

Cameroon: Bafut Ecovillage Receives Gaia TrustAward 2015.On the occasion of the GEN+20 Summit held in FindhornEcovillage, Scotland from July 5­11th, 2015 the Bafut Ecovillage

News from the Regions and NetworksGENNA ­ Global Ecovillage Network North America

GEN Africa

won the Gaia Trust Award as the most inspiring Ecovillageproject in Africa. By Sonita Mbah.Read more

Sustainability in the Heart of PalestineFrom18­27 November and 03­12 December 2015, GlobalCampus Palestine together with The Holy Land Trust, will beoffering the first EDE Course in Arabic.Read more

Bangladesh: Community Leaders Engage in a 10 dayClimate­smart Agriculture Programme.In May, Gaia Education, together with CIFAL Scotland andBangladesh Association for Sustainable Development,conducted a 10 day Permaculture Design Course to 23community leaders from the Banishanta, Sutarkhali and Monglaregion of Southern Bangladesh.Read more

New Threats against the Peace Community San José de ApartadóRead more

How Sociocracy Rescued Aldeafeliz EcovillageThe name Aldeafeliz means “happy village.” But the ColombianEcovillage Aldeafeliz, founded in 2006, had not been very happyfor quite some time. Since 2014, they are using Sociocracy asa tool to make decisions and governance. At the end of a recentmeeting one of the members said, “If we continue like this, notonly will we be happy but also millionaires!” By co­founderAnamaria Ariztiabal. (The article originally appeared in theSpring, 2015 issue of Communities magazine.)Read more

Sociocracy Online Course for GEN International

Gaia Education

CASA ­ GEN Latin America

GEN International

On October 20, GEN International will host a 12­week onlinetraining in Sociocracy, a governance and decision­makingmethod. The purpose of the course is to train GEN Councilmembers, Steering Group, staff, and Representatives from thefive Regions in the basic structures and processes ofSociocracy and how to implement it, and for interested GENmembers to become in­house Sociocracy trainers or coachesfor their own GEN Regions and national ecovillage networks.The instructor is Diana Leafe Christian.Read more

Netherlands: Village Trade CenterThe time of the World Trade Centers is over, we will have VillageTrade Centers instead! A Village Trade Center (VTC), is thesimple idea of stimulating local production based on the talentsof people in the villageRead more

Learning Village Suomenlinna in FinlandRead more

The First Earthship Building in GermanyRead more

Australia: Multiple occupancy zonings being ‘abolished by stealth’ in Australia: Multipleoccupancy zonings being ‘abolished by stealth’The NSW Government is set to abolish a successful planning policy that has seen more than 120 intentionalcommunities established across the state over almost 30 years, most of them in the northern rivers. Thepolicy allows groups of people to establish Multiple Occupancies (MO) or intentional communities on land of10 hectares or more in rural or non­urban zonesRead more

GEN­Europe

GENOA

The Global Ecovillage Network is a registered charity: SC043796 and has consultative status in the UN – ECOSOC.

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