Ecovillages give birth to new Global Education for Sustainable Human Settlements

'Education for Sustainable Development is an investment in our future' –
World Summit on Sustainable Development: Plan of Implementation (2002)

A new worldwide educational programme for sustainability created by the Global Ecovillage Network was born when 23 educators from ecovillages on all continents met at the Findhorn Ecovillage the last week of May. They came from Brazil, the USA, Australia, Africa and all parts of Europe. During a synergistic meeting, an ‘ecovillage of ecovillages’ was created where silence, dance, chant, dialogue, planning, meditation and love were woven together into a beautiful tapestry. There was common feeling among the ecovillage educators that a new chapter in the history of the ecovillage movement is now opening.

The ecovillagers agreed on a curriculum covering all aspects of sustainability: ecology, social and economic sustainability and spiritual/cultural dimensions and on a pedagogy developed in ecovillages called Living and Learning. It means you are immersed in and live what you actually learn. The working title of the education is: Ecovillage Designer. It will be a one month's introduction to all the important principles of what is needed to transform our human settlements and heal the Earth. The plan is to later expand this into a longer educational programme. It has already been tested out in several ecovillages in last few years and is now ready to be offered in many parts of the world with a common curriculum, as well as mechanisms for providing accreditation for ecovillage-based education.

This new approach to education is what the world needs. People from the grassroots are defining and teaching what sustainability is and how it can be achieved through practical experience. The initiative is aimed at a broad audience that includes individuals involved in building and sustaining communities; students and professionals from 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, general public, eco-tourists, and of course all young people.

The next steps are to educate 30 educators by trying out the curriculum agreed upon. It will happen this autumn or next year. Everybody present wanted to participate to make sure the level of quality is as high as possible. They will then be the ones to teach the next generation of teachers.

The common Ecovillage Design Curriculum and Programme will coincide and be a contribution to the launch of the United Nation Decade of Education for Sustainable Development in 2005.

For further information on the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) and the new educational programme please contact:

GEN-Europe Ecovillage: info@gen-europe.org
Network of the Americas: gen@ecovillage.org
GEN Oceania & Asia: genoa@genoa.org.au