Table of contents |
2 Members 3 Aim 4 Regions 5 External Link |
Hildur and Ross Jackson from Denmark established the Gaia Trust, a charitable foundation, in 1991. Gaia funded a study by Robert and Diane Gilman of sustainable communities around the world. The report, “Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities,” was released in 1991. The report found that although there were many interesting ecovillage projects, the full-scale ideal ecovillage did not yet exist. Collectively, however, the various projects described a vision of a different culture and lifestyle that could be further developed.
In 1991 the Gaia Trust convened a meeting in Denmark of representatives of eco-communities to discuss strategies for further developing the ecovillage concept. That led to the formation of the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN). In 1994 the Ecovillage Information Service was launched (see Global Ecovillage Network link below). In 1995, the first international conference of ecovillage members, entitled Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities for the 21st Century, was held at Findhorn, Scotland. The movement grew rapidly following this conference. By 2001, GEN had obtained consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNESCO).
The network includes a variety of types of ecovillage:
The Global Ecovillage Network's aim is “to support and encourage the evolution of sustainable settlements across the world.” The network does this through:
GEN has offices and volunteers in each of its three Regions: GEN Europe and Africa, GEN Oceania, and The Ecovillage Network of the Americas.
History
Members
Aim
Regions
External Link