Ecovillages Worldwide

We’re part of a worldwide movement!

Did you know that there are more than 10,000 ecovillage communities all around the world? [https://www.iberdrola.com/sustainability/ecovillages-alternative-ecological-communities]

In almost every country, on every continent, ecovillage projects have come to fruition or are in the planning stage. Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecovillage] says “ecovillages represent an international phenomenon.” Yet each community is distinctive! Ecovillages vary in size and they encompass wide-ranging cultural diversity.

The Benefits of EcoVillages

* La Montaña (Chile) has been operating since 1992. It offers voluntary jobs of from one to twelve months to integrate new members into community life.

* Yarrow EcoVillage (Canada) was founded in 2001, occupying an old, ten-hectare dairy farm. It is divided into residential and farming areas.

* The Ecovillage at Ithaca (NY) has been in existence for thirty years. It consists of three cohousing neighborhoods, each with its own Common House, and a variety of working farms.

* Las Gaviotas (Colombia) was founded in 1971 by a group of engineers and scientists aspiring to forge a sustainable lifestyle. From 1980 to 1990, they ran a hospital to care for the local indigenous population.

* Konohana Family (Japan) is a farming community of almost 100 inhabitants located at the foot of Mount Fuji!

* Crystal Waters (Australia) dates back to 1986. A decade later it received the World Habitat Award. It provides income from trade, tourism, and educational activities.

After move-in, Altair residents could consider joining the Global Ecovillage Network, “GEN,” [https://ecovillage.org], which has been in existence since 1995. That year the first international conference of ecovillage members, “Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities for the 21st Century,” was held at Findhorn, Scotland. The movement and the organization grew rapidly following that conference.

This year GEN is celebrating its 30th anniversary. [https://ecovillage.org/gens-30th-anniversary]  It’s grown into a thriving ecosystem of initiatives, projects, and communities dedicated to ecological and social regeneration. GEN professes and promotes the message that ecovillage living is surely the wave of the future!