Groups of people around the world are forming new villages to experiment with ecological and spiritual lifestyles. AMONG ALL LAYERS of society in all countries, there are groups and individuals who are working towards a new vision, some through personal development, some through environmental activism, some from within the system through shifts in policies and some simply by being good examples. Some are establishing intentional communities based on ecological, spiritual or social priorities.
I spoke recently to two women who do guided fantasies with groups. They told me almost identical stories of their recent experiences. Each asked their participants to imagine how they might be living some time in the distant future. In both cases there was a distinctive inability of the participants to form a clear vision. What is this telling us? Perhaps we are talking about such significant change, that it is not easy to envisage where we are going.
Some five years ago, we had a similar discussion in Gaia Trust, a Danish organization which was formed to help in the eco-spiritual transition. We asked ourselves: how can we best use our resources to help the cause? Can we envisage a strategy that has a possibility of success? We came to the same realization, that there is no clear vision available to us. We arrived at the conclusion that the world needed good examples of what it means to live in harmony with nature. Disgruntled mainstreamers needed places where they could go to see and partake in a more spiritual lifestyle. Architects and developers needed to see model settlements that could inspire replication. The first step we took in this direction was to commission The Eco-village Report, a global survey of existing eco-communities by The Context Institute of Seattle.
We became convinced that the eco-village concept was a key component in any new vision. The unique characteristic of eco-villagers is that they are out there grounding their vision, however vague it may be. They are the pioneers of our time, breaking new ground.
Eco-villagers find that it is much more empowering to be working towards a positive vision of the future than to fight a society that has lost its sense of values. An early meeting of a small number of eco-villagers in Denmark emphasized the importance of networking among the geographically dispersed experiments across the globe. It became clear to us that forging links was a vital part of the strategy. Thus began the Global Eco-village Network (GEN).
The GEN consists of Findhorn Community, Scotland; The Farm, Tennessee, USA; Lebensgarten, Steyerberg, Germany; Crystal Waters, Australia; Ecoville, St Petersburg, Russia; Gyürüfü, Hungary; The Ladakh Project, India; The Manitou Institute, Colorado, USA; The Danish Eco-village Association; and Gaia Villages, Denmark, which acts as secretariat.
With the kind of diversity seen in the GEN we are often asked, "Just what is an eco-village?" The fifteen or so communities fall into three groups: ecological, spiritual and social.
Each group is working on a positive alternative vision, reacting to what it perceives to be a major deficiency in mainstream society. The ecologically motivated tend to emphasize permaculture, and self-reliance in food production and energy. The spiritually motivated tend to emphasize taking responsibility for their own lives and personal development. The socially motivated tend to emphasize re-establishing "community".
Working together was a challenge for such a diverse group of people but, as time goes on, they seem to be integrating each other's values and experiences, and expanding their visions. I think that eventually the most successful eco-villages will incorporate all three elements.
The eco-village movement is a global phenomenon, cutting across national boundaries, ideologies, races, and religions. Diversity and individuality are valued highly. The emphasis is on building something new for the future rather than worrying about how we got into the mess and who is at fault. There is a sense that we are all part of the problem and must all be part of the solution.
We envisage a growing network of communities, made stronger by forging alliances and regional networks, exchanging experiences and information, lobbying for common causes, doing joint fund-raising, and much more.
Ross Jackson is chairman of Gaia Trust, Denmark.
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