On a global level there is an increasing and urgent need for positive models of viable, sustainable human settlements. ’Ecovillages’ or ’sustainable communities’ address this need, providing sustainability not only on environmental terms, but also socially, economically and spiritually.
The ecovillage model is a conscious response to the problem of how to move the planet towards a society ofsustainable communities. Its principles can be applied equally to urban and rural settings, and to developingand over-developed countries. The Ecovillage model provides solutions to human and social needs, whilst protecting the environment and offering an enhanced quality of life for all.
An ecovillage is a community of between 50 and 2000 people united by a common ecological, social and/or spiritual perspective. Working with the simple principle of not taking from the Earth more than one gives back, ecovillages are potentially sustainable indefinitely.
The training is based at the Findhorn Foundation’s demonstration ecovillage is in 8 separate modules, which may be attended as a whole or separately. It is a capacity building programme, designed to make optimum use of the information available from the Foundation’s Ecovillage Project, and to provide a practical forum for learning, and for developing action plans.
The Ecovillage Training is designed for those who wish to be involved in shifting humankind towards a more sustainable existence. It will serve individuals involved in green issues and in building and sustaining communities ; students and professionals in architectural, engineering and building careers ; permaculture and horticultural researchers ; alternative technologists ; business people interested in ethical development ; local and central government officers, members of NGOs and CBOs.
We invite you to join the ecovillage movement, a global movement that is uniting North and South, East and West in a common agenda. Thousands of individuals and hundreds of Ecovillage initiatives and existing ecovillages have joined the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) since its creation in 1995, becoming what has been called the ’Habitat Revolution’.
This program is coordinated by May East, Craig Gibsone and members of the community
Modules Include :
Ecovillages and the Emerging Paradigm : February 22 - 24
Building Effective Groups : Democracy, Empowerment and Creativity : February 25 - 27
Permaculture : Design for Sustainability : March 1 -3
EarthShare : Food, Farming and Community : March 4 -6
Building for the New Millennium : March 8 - 10
Right Livelihood : Towards a New Social Economy : March 11 - 13
The Healing Power of Community : March 15 - 16
Deep Ecology, Wilderness & Ecological Restoration : March 17 - 19
Full programme ends on Friday March 21 at 5:00pm.
Training fees : £1190 for the whole programme - £180 per module - Fees include tuition, accommodation, vegetarian meals and field trips.
Please bring a 10 - 15 minute presentation of your community/Ecovillage project.
Training fees are £1190 for the whole programme, £180 per module. Fees include tuition, accommodation, vegetarian meals and field trips."
For the fourth consecutive year, GEN-Europe is happy to offer financial support to members who would like to participate in the Findhorn Ecovillage Training Programme scheduled for March 2003. In 2002 we had the pleasure to support Pedro Macedo (Portugal), Jean Luc Girard (France) and Marketta Horn (Finland) who attended the whole course.
GEN-Europe and the Findhorn foundation can offer support up to 60% of the total tuition cost. We request that the chosen participants cover the remaining 40% and all travel expenses with personal resources. The selected applicants will be asked to sign an agreement with GEN-Europe prior to the course.
Please apply at the GEN-Europe secretariat (info@gen-europe.org) before January 10 ; we reserve the right to select the candidates according to our own criteria and budget limitations.
Hoping to hear from you soon, we send our best regards.
For GEN-Europe Lucilla Borio.
Lucilla Borio GEN-Europe Secretary and Office Manager GEN Communications Secretary Via Torri Superiore 5, 18039 Ventimiglia, Italy tel. : +39 0184 215 504, fax. : +39 0184 215 914 e-mail : lucilla@gen-europe.org internet site : www.gen-europe.org
Note : this info is a quotation from the Findhorn brochure. http://www.ecovillagefindhorn.com/training
