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How Can We Create a Society and Economy, in Which We Can Live as Human Beings?

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Article from GEN-Japan EDE, July 2021

It’s true for everyone, but especially for those in their 20s and 30s, the future of society is a real issue.

Recently, more and more people have been heard to say, “If we, the common people, stop capitalism altogether,” or “The economic system of capitalism is causing global problems” (Capital, Nature, and the Unfinished Critique of Political Economy, Kohei Saitoh). But even so, people will only be lost if they are unclear about a realistic alternative vision of society. 

In July, GEN Japan decided to take a step further and explore this issue in their EDE.

“In order to realize the society that I wish for, where everyone can live their own lives, I believe that by freeing ourselves from the frame of thinking of ourselves as having our own skills, our own homes, our own girlfriends, etc., we can greatly expand our possibilities for living.”

Taichi. Participant, 24 years-old

” Such as a warm society without hierarchy. I want to think more about my future”

Tamaki. Participant, 19 years-old

It was most gratifying for me to see the younger people begin to realize this.

“It is a great experience for me to feel that the community nurtures people.”

Azusa. Participant, 34 years-old

The July GEN-Japan EDE was held from July 17 (Sat.) to 19 (Mon.) at As One Suzuka Community. To make it easier for the general public to participate, an innovative way has been devised and approved. That is programmed to meet the requirements for five months of three days and one month of four days residential learning, instead of a continuous four-week program. 

Recently, humanity as a whole needs to be able to envision and visualize the image of the next society after capitalism. GEN, an international eco-village network, and Gaia Education have been working since 1995 with the aim of proposing a new vision of society in which people can live in reality with peace of mind in an easy-to-understand manner.

In order to realize the society of the future, the programs are designed to depict a comprehensive change in the four dimensions (worldview, society, economy, and environment).

In July, the focus was on the social area, “Building a community that respects each individual” and “New leadership and decision making“, and the economic area, “Transitioning from globalism to a sustainable economy“.

To avoid generalizations and slippage, the participants first looked back at their own footsteps to this point in their lives, and while facing themselves, they drew and listened to each other’s life maps to date.

Everyone in this room could feel that everyone wants to live a truly happy life.

As we listened to each other, there seemed to be something that came naturally to us when we talked about a society for people. Then, participants wondered what happiness truly meant, and their interest turned in the direction of their true wish, which they had never stepped into before.

‘A company for people, an organization for people, a society for people’

On the second day, we started exploring by listening to the actual operations of the As One Community, Takuya Kishigami from Suzuka Farm Co., Ltd., Shoichiro Yoshioka from Ofukuro-san Bento. On the final morning, Satomi Yoshioka of Oburo-san Bento, Takuki Okada, an academy student at the farm, and Masako Ogura, who plays the role of a “grandmother” at a voluntary childcare center, shared their lives and work in the community. 

Society is alive, and there is a “place and place to go” for people who are just as they are.

I was glad to know that the words of one of the participants, that she hoped that each of us would be able to find our own place and place of work. This was a common wish in the hearts of every participant. It gave us hope that we have the potential to grow to any height as human beings depending on our environment. In the circle of EDE participants, as we talked and listened to each other, we seemed to notice the changes in each other and to realize that this is one society.

Impressions from EDE Participants

I was happy to feel that I could share some of the elements that have influenced the “now” of the person sitting in front of me, such as their memories, experiences, and emotions.

Tamaki. Participant, 19 years old

It was interesting to see how the image of each participant in my mind changed. (Atsuko 60s)

Atsuko. Participant, 60 years old

It was great to hear directly from the people who actually live there. Their stories and the way they talk are not always clear and crisp. But there are so many things I can feel from them.

Unamed. Participant

This time, I participated while thinking a little about my future. A society without hierarchy, a society connected to oneself and to others. I thought I should think about it slowly and positively.

Risako. Participant, 24 years old

The theme that was interesting to me this time was “ownership”. By liberating the scope of “my” possessions, we can use more things, meet more people, and be of service to more people. I felt that there are many things that I feel like I own, such as my own things, my own skills, and my own partner. I strongly felt it is impossible that a society as a whole should not be a collection of “someone else’s things,” but something that we can all work together to create. I want to be in a state of “shared” rather than “give and take”.

Taichi. Participant, 24 years old

About the Author

Hiroko Katayama, GEN-Japan Executive Director

Hiroko Katayama is the Executive Director of GEN-Japan, an established non-profit organization since 2016. She has been actively working in building trust and network among people and organizations that have purpose along the line of social and environmental regeneration for five years. Sensing into the current context and wishing for a clear vision to a regenerative future, she and her team have been planning and facilitating this online event since last fall, and achieving it with a lot of support.

What is a Community of Practice (CoP)?

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As a wide and diverse network of communities and individuals, Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) holds a rich treasure of knowledge and experience amongst its members. To create more space for cross-learning within the network, sharing best practices, and refining our regenerative cultures, we – the team in GEN and GENOA – plan to develop the model of “Community of Practices” (CoPs). Before inviting network members to join these CoPs, we would like to share with you what we mean by it. This article aims to do just that, and stay tuned to receive more information from the GENOA team about CoPs.

What is Community of Practice (CoP)?

Community of Practices – CoPs are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. (Wenger-Trayner, 2020)

Core dimensions

A community of practice defines itself along three dimensions, that mutually influence each other and should be kept in balance.

Three core dimensions of CoPs (Wenger-Trayner, 2020)
  1. Domain

This is the area of shared interest, topic or issue that the community cares about. The domain needs to be negotiated with the stakeholders of the CoP and evolves alongside the context and community.

  1. Community

This is a group of people who build personal relationships and learn together through discussions, activities and regular interactions. Enough common ground and diversity makes for richer learning, more interesting relationships and increased creativity.  Community members can take on different roles to maintain and nurture the CoP, all communities change in structure as they grow. In a community of practice, the focus extends beyond the needs of the group. There is an intentional commitment to advance the field of practice, and to share those discoveries with a wider audience. A CoP often makes their resources and knowledge widely available especially to those doing related work.

  1. Practice

This is the body of knowledge, methods, skills, stories and tools being developed. The practice covers frameworks, and documentation of ideas, experiences, lessons learned.

Communities develop their practice through a variety of methods, including problem-solving, requests for information, seeking the experiences of others, reusing assets, coordination and synergy, discussing developments, visiting other members, mapping knowledge, and identifying gaps. Successful practice building goes hand in hand with community building.

The functions of a CoP may be any one or more of the following :

Connect people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to interact, either as frequently or at all.

Provide a shared context for people – particularly peers – to communicate and share information, stories, and personal experiences in a way that builds understanding and insight.

Enable dialogue between people who come together to explore new possibilities, solve challenging problems, and create new, mutually beneficial opportunities.

Stimulate learning by serving as a vehicle for authentic communication, mentoring, coaching, and self-reflection.

Capture and share existing knowledge to help people improve their practice by providing a forum to identify solutions to common problems and a process to collect and evaluate best practices.

Introduce collaborative processes to groups and organisations as well as between organisations to encourage the free flow of ideas and exchange of information.

Provide a space for experimentation that can be self-organised and decentralised.

Generate new knowledge to help people transform their practice to accommodate changes in needs and technologies.

Break down silos and create shared value.

Community of Practice is being applied popularly in organizations, companies, communities and networks. For example, you can find CoP on Holacracy, on NVC – Nonviolent Communication, Reinventing Organization and others.

As you’ve seen, Community of Practices are rooted in the willingness to join, to share, and to learn together as a network. Therefore, anyone can look into starting a community of practice and fuel it with passion, openness, and a moderate level of coordination. 

In GENOA (Global Ecovillage Network in Oceania and Asia), we intend to develop a Community of Practice on Fundraising as a learning hub to explore ways to sustain the network and bring resilience to the community movement in the region. The information about Community of Practice on Fundraising will be communicated to you in the coming weeks. Once the experience with this first CoP sinks in, we will look into developing CoP in other topics – we are open to hear any suggestions from the network as well. 

Let’s pave a way to learn and evolve together!

References:

http://www.communityofpractice.ca/background/what-is-a-community-of-practice/ 

https://library.educause.edu/-/media/files/library/2005/1/nli0531-pdf.pdf 

https://adaptmethodology.com/communities-of-practice-best-practices/

About the Author

Thao Kin. Networking Coordinator, GENOA

Thao Ngo, often called by her friends and colleagues as Kin, is a learner and educator from Vietnam. Kin is passionate about ecology and is on a long exciting quest of her life learning from and caring for Mother Earth. Kin has been a member of NextGENOA since 2016 and joined the GENOA Office team in mid-2020. In addition to her active role in GENOA and NextGENOA, Kin works with non-governmental organizations in Vietnam in organizing and facilitating training on ecological education and eco-lifestyle. Kin believes in the power of reconnection and re-enchanting the world. She is learning to be a Deep Ecology facilitator and trainer. 

Cover Image by: Hanna Kim, CC BY-SA 4.0 

Eco Village Voice Issue #3 – a year in the making!

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This article is written by Michael Ney from Eco Village Voice, Australia

Soon after moving to Crystal Waters Ecovillage, Qld, Australia, I was asked to produce a documentary. Watch here – https://bit.ly/cwdoco01 – I was so inspired to spread the ideals of “ecovillages” that Eco Village Voice was born. Whilst I wish for a team behind this operation it has been mostly up to me – digital media producer, photo-journalist, filmmaker… but of course I couldn’t do it without our fantastic writers too.

Global Ecovillage Network was always a bright light. GAIA education and FIC and others have been inspirational too… I can only hope to grow into such an organisation. With big plans, we launched in November 2019 with an Ecovillage Film Festival, followed by Issue 1 of the magazine in January 2020. The website sprang into life with videos and our first podcasts. Months later Issue 2 arrived, plus a major webinar. Permaculture was always a primary focus… and we are blessed here with many leading lights such as Morag Gamble, Robin Clayfield, and Steve Cran.

As the pandemic arrived in early 2020, I found myself spiralling into my own first long term health dilemma; not COVID related but I was unable to continue – until recently. Thankfully, I managed to keep social media and newsletters going, but had to stop work on other production. I had no idea it was to be a year before the next issue! 

We share the wisdom of “eco” community living, permaculture and regeneration; that is widening now to spiritual views too. Many free preview magazine excerpts of Eco Village Voice magazine promotes organisations globally and provide networking opportunities. This serves our advertisers to get noticed beyond our paid membership audience. We encourage collaboration and share ecovillage stories, events, products and services. The visually rich style of our magazine will always feature nature with inspirational pages and community messages. 

I am personally heartened to read “GENOA explores a new paradigm of holistic sustainability – meditation, yoga and mindfulness“… Lately, I’ve felt urged to also spread this important intention. As an aside… one of the most exciting events, even if it is somewhat “out there”, is a recent global meditation initiative called “Fire the Grid“. I’ll explore this further in the next editorial. It is a welcome antidote to the despair and waning hope that seems to be taking hold in the world. I’ve always believed our planet itself is a living entity, and now more information is coming to light.

“Each one of us is an energy being. We, as energy beings, are attached to a huge hexagonal grid that surrounds and works throughout the planet. In the planetary grid, each one of us has our own hexagon surrounding us. At any given moment, we are either feeding our hexagon with light (high frequency state) or we drawing light from it (low frequency state). Every choice and every action we take affects the planetary grid. Collectively, WE determine the future of our planet.” 

Hear the story of Samoiya Shelley Yates, Initiator of Fire the Grid – https://youtu.be/Jqkr84IXkHo and this “Fire the Grid” update – https://youtu.be/RXEjrTOjZQE

Whilst it is so good to be developing healthy communities, working with the earth – and permaculture offers many solutions – we must not lose sight of our spiritual nature. Indeed, harkening back to the genesis of Findhorn, even the nature spirits play their part too. So, Eco Village Voice also explores a wholistic world view. Feedback welcome. Please email me if you’d like to get involved in our production side too – editor@ecovillagevoice.com

Funds from all new Eco Village Voice members go into our ongoing tree planting campaign – with donations to EcoForce Global <https://www.ecoforceglobal.com/>, TreeSisters <https://treesisters.org/> and also Carbon Positive Australia <https://carbonpositiveaustralia.org.au/>. 

The future is looking bright again so we welcome you to join us at: https://www.ecovillagevoice.com – To receive everything on offer, our membership is only $5USD per month. Save $10 a year with the $50 USD annual membership… includes the magazine, podcasts, webinars, video channel, and monthly newsletters. 

About the Author

Michael Ney. Editor, Eco Village Voice

Michael Ney is a digital media producer, editor/publisher of Eco Village Voice, photographer and filmmaker. In 2018, he produced a 90 minute documentary about Crystal Waters Permaculture EcoVillage. Michael first worked in many theatres in Sydney, Australia, and after several years moved into television production. He later ran his own commercial photography and audio-visual company “Midnite Stills”. When computers arrived in late 1980’s he opened a pioneering multimedia company “Virtual Realm Xchange” for CD-ROM and web projects for The University of Sydney and many others. In 2001, Michael refocused on his first love – filmmaking – and his production company “Sensory Image” combined documentary and commercial work. In 2014, Michael rebranded as “Eagle Spirit Media” and now focuses on cultural creatives, sustainability, eco publishing as well as elearning content. – https://ecovillagevoice.com/eaglespiritmedia

Revitalizing Gaia Sala, the Heart of Gaia Ashram

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Beginnings

Gaia Ashram is a learning center on Ecovillage Design, Permaculture, and Deep Ecology based on 6 hectares of land that is being regenerated. I, Om Sunisa Jamwiset Deiters the co-founder, remember the date of 13th December 2013 very well when the elders of my village Ban Suai Long in the North East of Thailand, gathered to help us raise the first poles of our Gaia Ashram Sala. It was a sacred ceremony where the elders helped to invoke the ancestor spirits to be present to witness and support the building process. The ceremony was led by the local shaman and symbolic objects like flowers, candles, and incense was placed on the middle pole of the east side and the middle poles of the west side representing the mother pole and the father pole. This ceremony was recommended by my parents who are part of the village elders circle. They have been our strong bridge to connect our Gaia Ashram project with the village and local culture from the beginning.

The Gaia Sala was the first permanent building that was built on the Gaia Ashram land. It was built even before our own house or kitchen. We intended it to be the heart center of the Gaia Ashram community. Gaia Ashram project accepted volunteers from the beginning. Our first volunteers, including ourselves, initially stayed in tents, using bucket toilets, showered in the river, and prepared food beneath the only two trees we had on the land. All the volunteers who came to Gaia during this time helped with the building of the Gaia Sala.

Building the Energy Field of Gaia Ashram & the Sala

One of the important work happening during the building process, apart from the physical building, was energy work or spiritual work. It is our intention as founders to create a beautiful, vibrant, sacred, and spirited place. Physically building alone would not create that. It also needed inner work to deepen our spiritual connection with the land and the building. Every morning and evening before and after the building process I would do a walking meditation around the building site. I would be contemplating on love, gratitude, transformation invoking these qualities and practiced mindful walking. The sala started hosting volunteers, interns, course participants, and visitors in early 2014. In 2016 we hosted our first NextGENOA Ecovillage Design Education course (EDE) and another one in 2018. 

Our energy-building work included volunteers and course participants who joined us in attunement circles when we started and finished any activity and during meal times. It’s a tradition we adopted from Findhorn ecovillage. Through mindfulness practice, rituals, conscious living we constantly express love and gratitude to life, to each other and nature as well as sharing loving kindness to all beings on the land. While the Gaia Sala was being physically built, the energy and spirit of the Sala and Gaia Ashram as a project were also being intentionally built through our consciousness. 

People who stayed at Gaia Ashram would often share their feeling of love and gratitude for something, someone, for nature or for life in general after some time they had spent at Gaia Ashram. I once heard a volunteer express in our weekly check-in circle: 

I can say that I am someone who can be thankful for something but I never felt to express that I am grateful. After being here for a week I feel so grateful. I think I know now what it means being grateful. It also feels so easy to express it.

Gaia Ashram Volunteer

Covid-19 and Termites

At Gaia Ashram, when we have a big issue in the community and it involves a lot of people we would host a resolution circle in the Gaia Ashram Sala. The energetic field of the Sala we build over time helps hold these circles. In the beginning of 2020, after the first Covid-19 wave started spreading, the Gaia Ashram team and volunteers gathered at the sala. We gathered to discuss whether or not to accept more people who inquired to volunteer at Gaia Ashram to have a safe place to stay. It was a hard and quick decision that needed to be made. Everyone was involved in the decision-making process as the decisions made would directly affect everyone. At the end of the circle, everyone felt satisfied with the decision we made and the solutions we found. Looking back at that stressed and intense circle from the eyes of today all of us would agree we made a good decision.

After the first wave passed, most of the Gaia Ashram international residential team, interns and volunteers left Gaia Ashram to go back to their home country. During this time we also had to cancel all our courses. When the second and third wave hit Thailand we also couldn’t take in more people. The Gaia Ashram Sala building was left empty for too long and as a result the Sala was heavily invaded by termites. The termites had invaded the Sala a long time before Covid19 but when most people left Gaia Ashram and nobody stayed at the Sala for a few months, the termites moved in completely.

Eventually, it came to the point where it was not safe to walk on the wooden floor anymore. We decided that we had to remove most of the wood and rebuild. Due to Covid-19 we did not have enough money to spend on rebuilding the sala. We decided to raise the funds through a crowdfunding campaign. I was not so convinced that it would work. I thought everyone was probably having a difficult time with the pandemic and people wouldn’t pay attention to our collapsing Sala. However, my partner and co-founder of Gaia Ashram, Tom Deiters, insisted that we should try. See your crowdfunding campaign on our website.

We got help from our Vietnamese friend and former volunteer who was trained as an architect Trung Pham. Trung helped to design the sala renovation. We did a little ritual asking for support from Mother Earth and All Beings before sending our email to launch the crowdfunding campaign on the 6th of March 2021. To my surprise within 24 hours of the launch of our crowdfunding campaign we already had quite a few responses and donations. Within one week, we received almost 30% of our target funds and we were able to initiate the building process. I was filled with gratitude and appreciation in my heart and mind. Not only did we receive donations, we also received kind words of support and acknowledgment. Many people shared how Gaia Ashram and the work we did over the years had made a positive impact on their lives. Years of service we’ve given along our journey flashbacked and I felt so grateful for every moment and everyone we have met along our journey. I also feel so proud of the Sala that it has hosted and held over 1,000 people since the beginning until the time we have to remove half of it and renovate.  Eventually we reached our original target goal and beyond after four months. The raised amount would help us to complete the construction of the dormitory part. Here is a video of the building progress:

However, after half way of the building and spending most of the budget we have realised that we underestimated the cost of this building. We currently have spent 433,793 THB. We still need to spend 247,900 THB (7884 USD). We have a budget left of 146, 207 THB (4649 USD). That means we are short of about 101,693 THB (3234 USD). The remaining costs we still need to pay are for labour costs, buying materials such as mosquito nets, mattresses, bedding, lights, fans, and plugs for the dormitory upstairs. Also there is still work to be done on the downstairs Sala and the training hall which include a library, office and co-working space at the back of the Sala. We are having to finish our outside floor and intend to integrate tile mosaic artwork representing Mother Earth Spirit. 

Therefore we are asking the universe again for contributions to support the rebuilding process of our Gaia Ashram Sala. It is our aim for Gaia Ashram to continue to be a place of learning to take care of our precious earth for many more years to come and to support the learning journey of thousands more of people. If you feel called to support our mission and would like to support Gaia Ashram learning center click on the Paypal donate now button below or contact us through email gaiaschoolasia@gmail.com to ask for our bank account number.

We are so grateful for all the support received and we wish for Gaia Ashram to continue to provide a place for people to come and learn how we can live in harmony in nature. We aim for our first Permaculture Design Course to be held in December, Covid permitting. Also for those interested in visiting or living with us, we hope to open our non-existing doors soon and you are most welcome to stay with us for however long you want. There are also opportunities to be part of the Gaia Ashram team to help grow the learning center, to work on ecosystem restoration, and to improve our permaculture systems.

“May all the work we do be of benefit to Mother Earth and all her Beings!”

About the Author

Om Sunisa Jamwiset Deiters, Co-Founder & Program Director at Gaia Ashram.

She lived and worked as a facilitator at Wongsanit Ashram, a socially engaged spiritual community for about 9 years, and later at Panya Permaculture project in Thailand. She helped create the Next Generation of Global Ecovillage Network of Asia & Oceania (NextGENOA) and is currently mentoring the young leaders of the network. She has facilitated courses in many countries for NGO workers, young Buddhist activists, international students, and children. She uses participatory teaching methods and her focus is on deep ecology and nature connection. She founded Gaia Ashram with her partner in 2012. Now she divides her time Teaching, managing Gaia Ashram project, and taking care of her kids.

Gaia Ashram

Gaia Ashram is an Eco-Education center on Permaculture, Ecovillage Design, and Deep Ecology. Gaia Ashram aims to be a place where we live holistically, practice, and realize the interconnectedness and the oneness of all beings.

For more information about them, visit their website and Facebook page.

Village Living with Embodied Freedom

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Last March the outdoor events park at Tui community in Golden bay NZ resounded with the sounds of a multi-day transformational event that changed many lives. It connected an extremely varied group into a deeply aligned expression of the human community. Dreamed into being and designed by the dynamic and determined passion of Sybille Biedert, this event flowed also because of the practical and energetic support of her partner Jay Horton. Both Sybille and Jay have over 48 years combined experience living in and around the Tui community and draw regularly upon this to hold space in their retreats and workshops.

This was the fourth year of the ‘Embodied Intimacy Retreat’ and people from all over New Zealand excitedly converged; a diverse and multigenerational tribe. Tui’s Treefield Park was home to this adventure. Nestled in Wainui Bay, the majestic setting offered stillness and solitude. Here we all agreed to step out of the modern culture to create a new way of being based on presence, honest expression, community living, and the medicine of movement.

Sybille and Jay’s combined passion for community and the authentic connection were infectious. They worked seamlessly creating a safe container so their innovative approach to the movement could guide the participants into their inner unknown, inciting transformative shifts. Each day began with four hours of Open Floor Movement. Wild and tender dances were interwoven with exercises to increase emotional awareness and capacity. Sybille’s ingenuity to translate Possibility Management concepts into an embodied experience centred us into our true being. Visualisations, moving meditations, freewriting, partner and group work gifted us empowering life tools. These active sessions were balanced by nurturing afternoons which included restorative yoga, saunas, hot tubs, and co-created spaces of contact dance and discussions on embodied sexuality. This time of integration flowed into rejuvenating evenings. Around the fire, we sat in the ancient ritual of talking circles. Active listening, reflection, and songs were heartily encouraged. Alongside the emotional sincerity, laughter was never far from the surface and the retreat ended with a gala. Skits, open mic, and fancy dress delighted us all.

This radical retreat was an emerging space where old stories were released so we could feel our pulsing potential and pivot into that place. I walked away in the company of a dear friend who I have often neglected; myself. In this newfound fullness, the constellation of smiling faces I danced with continues to shine in my mind’s eye. The power of a village is profound.

To re-discover your truth and connect with the tribe please visit Embodied Freedom’s Webpage and Facebook Page.

About the Author

Tauri Cayzer is a writer-poet-illustrator and 5 elements dance facilitator. She is currently writing a memoir about her decision to stop speaking with everyone she knew, disconnect from the system and hitchhike halfway around the world on a pilgrimage back home. She is now living in Bali interweaving her love for movement, nature, and words. 


Road to Aryada: Tuning in to the Needs of an Indigenous Community

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Aryada is the sort of place that’s best described as “picture postcard perfect.” An Aeta indigenous village, about a four hour drive north of Manila, in Bataan, Aryada is nestled in the midst of gently rolling hills and lush green vegetation.

When I first hiked here in January 2018 on a perfect blue sky day, my first impression of this community of 75 people was one of immense respect because it was clear they were living in perfect harmony with nature; clearly an area in which we city dwellers have a lot to learn.
Without saying a word, without even meeting anyone, I recall learning a key lesson: indegineous people and their traditional knowledge of deeply respecting nature has to be replicated at scale if we have to build a better planet and a sustainable future for our children.

That eventful day itself, I pledged to learn more from the people of Aryada. My learning, I decided, had to begin with listening.

As a first step in my journey, I got in  touch with the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP), a national government agency, to help me formally make contact with the village’s chieftain, Ophelia Devilia. 

After obtaining her consent and support, I began my meetings. Resident after resident told me they deeply valued their traditional way of life as hunters and gatherers. Furthermore, there was a deeply held community desire to protect nature. At all costs.

As the conversations progressed, villagers expressed a need for a solar powered battery-charging station. This, I learnt, would help each household charge a small battery, which they owned, so they could play music, watch DVDs on laptops and have some light after sunset. 

Once we had established our mutual goals we met with the Local Government Unit (LGU) to get their blessings. At this point, we also formally signed a Memorandum of Agreement and I established contact with a renewable energy solutions provider, SolarSolutions and two of its co-founders, Raffy Concepcion and Rey Guerrero.

With their agreement, we began executing the will of the people of Aryada in earnest. SolarSolutions sent a field representative, Rick Laping, to stay in the village, gather detailed information on the residents and build a relationship with the community. 

But this was more than just a fact finding mission and we all needed to be very mindful of personal safety. We were made aware of the presence of rebels (New People’s Army) in this region, who we were informed can sometimes `intervene’ if they perceive communities were being “exploited.’’

Luckily we were left to ourselves and our interactions established that our best chance of success would be to adopt a social entrepreneurship approach. 

In line with this vision, we set up a 1kwp solar powered battery-charging station. We then trained two community leaders as operators. Additionally, the chieftain and treasurer were appointed as custodians of the money, which the community would contribute to the charging station. 

It was mission critical for our project to have development impact. And it did. For instance, prior to the project, villagers traveled several miles to the closest town for their charging needs. Now they could charge their batteries and mobile phones in their own mountain community more conveniently and at half the cost. 

All successful projects require a governance structure. As such, with the input of the community, we set up a maintenance fund. It was also agreed that the fund would be utilized for the upkeep of the equipment, repairs, and other emergency purposes. In consultation with the community, it was also decided that cash contributed to the fund was to be regularly deposited into a bank account. Another key administrative requirement was to make routine trips to the project to ensure all of the equipment and the project itself was functioning smoothly. 

On some of these trips, I expected to hear that the community would be most excited about having access to electricity. However, I was thrilled to hear residents were pumped about the bank savings account. That’s when I learnt of the struggles indigenous communities endure in trying to open bank accounts. As a former banker, I was pleased to learn that the community was truly empowered by a passbook savings account. It was a humbling, yet heady moment.

Due to the extended and strict lockdown in Manila, I’ve been unable to visit the community. Despite this, my thoughts frequently wander to the community of Aryada, nestled in the beautiful Mariveles mountains with breathtaking views of Manila Bay. I know I will visit Chieftain Ophelia Devilia and her beautiful people again. Until then, I wish them good health and peace.

Dolma Bedi-Bindra is a former international banker, turned social entrepreneur who has lived and worked across North America, Africa and Asia. Dolma taught rural sustainable entrepreneurship in Western Kenya and has worked to empower women and youth in rural communities. She currently lives in Manila, Philippines where she continues to design projects to empower marginalized communities.

  • Road to Aryada with spectacular views of Manila Bay
  • Project handover from Dolma Bedi-Bindra to Ophelia Devilia
  • Children of Aryada welcoming the installation of solar panels in their village
  • Solar-power instalation in Aryada

About the Author

Dolma Bedi-Bindra is a former international banker, turned social entrepreneur who has lived and worked across North America, Africa, and Asia. Dolma taught rural sustainable entrepreneurship in Western Kenya and has worked to empower women and youth in rural communities. She currently lives in Manila, the Philippines where she continues to design projects to empower marginalized communities. She is also a GEN Ambassador.

Introducing GENOA’s Network Stewards Circle (NSC)

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The restructuring of the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) ecosystem has created at its heart the Network Steward Circle (NSC) which links the Regional, Global Nodes, NextGEN, and GEN Elders together. It is made up of 3 members from each Node/Circle. Its core purpose is Network coordination, stewarding GEN’s shared purpose, and to serve as the General Assembly of GEN International. The Circle is also a forum where geographical and cultural diversity, diversity in age, race, voice can work together in balance and harmony, truly anchoring GEN as an inclusive network.

Meet GENOA Network Stewards!

Network Stewards are engaged, trusted individuals, network weavers/leaders in active communication and collaboration within their Node or Circle. They are network weavers ready to work in a global team and deeply committed to GENOA’s purpose and the Ecovillage movement.

Thalea Tane, Aotearoa New Zealand

Thalea has served as an integral member of the GENOA council and is pleased to continue a role as one of the three NSC members representing the GENOA circle for 2021. As an active indigenous member of her Tribe(s) in Northland, Thalea continues to educate and advocate for the revitalisation and co-creation of regenerative communities across Aotearoa, Oceania and SE Asia. As a tutor in Sustainable Living and speaker in national judicial conferences, International forums and summits, Thalea has also represented GEN/GENOA in the United Nations COP25 Climate Change Conferences in Madrid. Thalea will continue to dedicate herself to working alongside circles, indigenous nations, governments and key stakeholders who align themselves with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and are responding to the Climate Change emergency in solidarity with grassroots communities.

Amena Bal, India

Amena joined the GENOA NSC to serve Mother Earth and to be an active voice for wellness and oneness in our world through being part of meta networks. As a permaculturist, living in TI Ecovillage in South India, she is on a mission to spread the ecovillage movement and share regenerative living through creating synergy between loving-kindness and integral ecosystem sensing and designing. A spiritualist and devoted energy healer, her main purpose is to heal and compassionately harmonize communities with their environments. Working with land, youth and women is very close to her heart. Her life is dedicated to connecting and working with communities and projects that are creating circles of a new healed humanity living happily in beautiful balance with Gaia.

Thao Ngo (Kin)

Thao Ngo, often called by her friends and colleagues as Kin, is a learner and educator from Vietnam. Kin is passionate about ecology and is on a long exciting quest of her life learning from and caring for Mother Earth. Being a young soul in the network, Kin has been a member of NextGENOA since 2016 and joined the GENOA Office team in mid-2020. She is happy to step into the role of GEN regional liaison in GENOA and a member of the NSC. In addition to her role in GENOA and NextGENOA, Kin works with non-governmental organizations in Vietnam in organizing and facilitating training on ecological education and eco-lifestyle. Kin believes in the power of reconnection and re-enchanting the world. She is learning to be a Deep Ecology facilitator and trainer.

Karen Xingtong Wang, China

Karen has been living in Sunshine Ecovillage since March 2018 and working as the General Secretary until now. She is also the Secretary of China Ecovillage Network. In Sunshine Ecovillage, she mainly takes care of the community by building the ecovillage with 4 dimensions in a holistic system together with all members and in charge of public relations outreaching works as well as Sunshine Eco Academy. She has taken EDE twice and TOT once and organized EDE as the facilitator and translator in China twice. She is very familiar with Ecovillage building & designing and facilitating related workshops. 

Before joining Sunshine, she worked as a mandarin teacher for 9 years and organic farming for 4 years in Shanghai. In 2021, she will put most of her time and energy into building the international ecovillage-based education system in GENOA especially East – Asia, and start the Green School Program for children in Sunshine.

Living in Harmony at Edenhope

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I was attracted to the remoteness and the exotic location of Edenhope, being frustrated with the social and economic order of Australia, as well as the various bureaucratic strata of that country which makes it incredibly difficult to live a secluded mode of existence without reliance on cars, fuel, shopping etc. The remote indigenous communities of Vanuatu have not yet succumbed to the wasteful excesses of so-called ‘developed’ countries, and therefore serve as a good template for how to live without unnecessary stuff.

However, as often as not, these same remote communities are plagued by ill health and hardship due to neglect from local administrators and aid organizations. The possibility of realizing my attributes and abilities to support disadvantaged peoples, whilst serving in a wholesome and spiritually nourishing ecovillage setting, seemed a purposeful and engaged way of life to pursue.

Living in an ecovillage setting amongst persons who resonated and shared the journey of awakening to nature made my healing possible; my mental and physical health began to thrive, over time, which resolved in a more balanced state of consciousness that has allowed deeper levels of inspiration and creativity to emerge, as well as the desire to share this way of life with others who are struggling to thrive in contemporary society.

Edenhope has been the perfect environment to start a family and raise children in an ecologically suitable setting, without the stresses faced by new families who are trying to earn an income, pay a mortgage, commute and juggle parenting responsibilities. To watch our young children play in pristine nature, taking part in the stewardship of this land and growing in awareness of their responsibility to the Earth, has fulfilled a deep need in myself to nurture the future generation of people committed to serving nature.

The Edenhope Project was independently founded and engineered by Stephen and Ruth Quinto, who arrived in Vanuatu in 2006. After three years searching for a suitable location and securing a long-term land lease of 75 years, which was paid in total and up-front to the customary owners of Tasmate community, construction for the ecovillage commenced in 2010. This first required the building of a 9km service road connecting Tasmate to the site of Edenhope, and stands to date as the first and only road on West Coast Santo.

The construction of nine fixed dwellings and three kitchens proceeded over the following two years, with Ruth and Stephen dividing their time between the site and their dwelling in the town of Luganville. During the construction period, Stephen elaborated the intricate set of administrative parameters that would allow a community of volunteers to live at Edenhope in the long-term as part of a Community Conservation Area (CCA), to be held in trust as a charitable and philanthropic entity through the Edenhope Foundation.

Further to this, Stephen lobbied the Government of Vanuatu to seek recognition of the ecovillage as a project of National Significance, and a key strategy for coping with the challenges of climate change and ecological degradation faced particularly by the local population. The first visitors and volunteers to the ecovillage arrived from 2012 onwards.

Patiently, Ruth and Stephen awaited the coming of people who could truly resonate and connect with the vision of the project, but oftentimes the remote location posed challenges to people coming from abroad. By the time that I arrived in 2015, there was a total of 5 volunteers taking part in this new experiment of community living.

People came, offered their own authentic and unique gifts to the space, and invariably left in pursuit of other dreams. Ruth and I stayed on, and worked closely together to co-create the pattern of life that would form the culture of the place for new visitors and members. In 2016 my partner Maitri arrived from Australia, with the much-needed initiative and experience in establishing off-grid systems such as water supply that would support our food gardens.

Maitri also had the willingness and talent to build upon and optimize our existing solar power system and start resolving some difficulties we were facing with the ongoing maintenance of our infrastructure. However, it was not until 2019 that we commenced, in earnest, to setup a food supply system at Edenhope that could support a large group of people living here full-time. We hosted a Workshop in Syntropic Agroforestry and started to intensively plant a dense crop of resilient foods.

To date, the only permanent residents of Edenhope are myself and Maitri with our two children, as the health concerns of Ruth and Stephen have prevented them from staying here on the land on a full-time basis. Stephen has also been undertaking a corollary ecovillage project, East of Eden, on the other side of the Santo Mountain range. However, over the course of this experiment, the four of us have cultivated a deep level of trust and kinship that holds through even the most unfathomable challenges this project has faced over the years.

We hope that from this space of unity, trust and understanding between those of us committed to the pure spirit of Edenhope, that a future community of friends will seek to join us from all around the world. The events of 2020 resulted in border closures that have prevented visitors from joining us, as Vanuatu remains fortunately COVID-free. However during this moment of global pause, we are working to refine and clarify the parameters that will make it possible for whomever wishes to join this project to do so freely.

To me, the ecovillage experiment is the clear and unequivocal solution to the crises and calamities faced by our world and global societies today. For people to come together to live out the highest expressions of the human character – such as compassion, empathy, love, acceptance, and joy – is the only possible way for the continuation of life on this planet.

For more people worldwide to recognize the salutary and healing capabilities of dedicated work in nature, with like-minded companions, and a distinct focus on needing less as individuals and serving others more, would mean that we could really start creating a future with less iniquity, disease, and all the concomitant problems of our present social order.

Self-realization is a pathway that is best undertaken in the safe company of those who understand and are striving towards similar ideals as oneself. The ecovillage concept is broad enough to encompass all the ideals and attributes of willing collaborators, and for this reason, stands as the most resilient system to shape our future societies into a sustainable direction.

To live in an ecovillage requires one to learn and to practice a number of different skills, and to structure one’s days in a disciplined and careful manner. Whilst ensuring that your basic operating systems are in order, your gardens are maintained, your food is getting harvested and your community fed, it is also necessary to make space for meditation and meaningful communion with others as part of every day.

Also, the work of an ecovillage may also require a high level of communication and outreach, as well as building individual capacities within the space through research, development and training. There has to be somebody who waters the garden and somebody to do the accounts and somebody to cook the lunch and somebody to repair the broken appliances; part of the ecovillage journey is adapting yourself to do everything that is required in the place without exhausting yourself or burdening others.

There is a very intricate dance that plays out as one’s individual self merges with the collective and the environs shared through the space of the ecovillage. The place ‘works’ when everybody’s needs are met, when support is readily at hand, and the lines of communication are open and clear. If any one of those criteria are not met at any given time, challenges are bound to arise and big corrections take place through painful lessons.

All of this takes practice, discipline, and awareness, as well as forgiveness and a willingness to let things go. I would recommend that people make a concerted effort to explore a variety of different ecovillages and styles of shared living in order to determine what they truly want before settling into a permanent location.

Find out more about Edenhope!

About the Author

Originally from Australia, Devi has lived in Vanuatu as part of the Edenhope project since 2015. Her service has included the communication, outreach projects, and administration of the Edenhope Foundation. She is deeply inspired by the exploration of endemic biodiversity as part of daily life, including immersion in nature, preparation of natural plant-based foods, and researching the social issues faced by indigenous women of Vanuatu.

POSSIBLE FUTURES: Regeneration of the Global South

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During GENOA’s Restore & Re-story Gathering last year, Possible Futures held a session about “Regeneration of the Global South”. In this article, Samantha brought us back to that session and bring awareness to how the Global South has been exploited throughout history. To move forwards, we shall give space for these stories of oppression to be heard and acknowledged rather than denying it. This idea serves as the foundation of Possible Futures’w work. Learn more about the regeneration of the global south by downloading the article file below:

2021-March-Article-Possible-FuturesDownload

Collaboration between GEN Africa and GENOA for Implementing Whole Systems in Ghana

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Thanks to the generous scholarship for the ReGEN Nations Webinar – Applying Whole Systems Design for Regenerative Communities, Mohammed Issahaku, and Iddrisu Abdul Salam Atom of the Dagomba people in northern Ghana got first-hand information over how ecovillages can develop in China and Australia. The Dagomba people are indigenous people of Ghana and it was a refreshing experience for Mohammed and Iddrisu to recognize that the international Global Ecovillage Network cherishes the values that come from working with the land and their people. Mohammed expounds,

”I learned to Identify aims, assets, needs and leverage, all three speakers talked about how they work with available resources on the land. Narara & Sunshine shared about zoning, they talked about working with the government, engaging with government policies. All shared about how we are able to work in stages. How we can create decisions that are safe enough to try good enough for now, and also to communicate better to work with policies. Working from dependence to interdependence – to frame the relationship of self – others .”

Mohammed Issahaku

As a GEN Africa Ambassador, I have been coaching Mohammed to expose his people to Syntropic Farming. In August 2020 his community planted a 10ha monoculture Cashew orchard. Over the winter season, we have developed a plan to add complementary plants to change part of his orchard into a Syntropic Food Forest. It was immensely helpful to hear from David Holmgren that Syntropic Farming evolved independently of Permaculture. We recognize that there are some similarities, and we were wondering if Syntropic Farming is an oversimplification of Permaculture. David explained that Syntropic Farming makes more sense in the Tropics and Subtropics whereas Permaculture is more suited for the temperate regions of our planet.

Design of the field project: Cashew plantation with complimentary plants

Since I am coaching the Dagomba people from  Switzerland. It was a great help that the ReGEN Nations team permitted Mohammed and Iddrisu to participate on a scholarship basis.  I do not live in a community, so it is impossible for me to demonstrate one. The Regen Nations seminar was an excellent substitute!

About Mohammed, Iddrisu and Alice

Mohammed Issahaku studies Tropical Agriculture at the Kumasi Institute of Tropical Agriculture. During his study at that school, he attended the Global Ecovillage Network Conference where he met and got into contact with Alice Güntert. Later Alice took on the role of becoming a coach for him to incorporate ecovillage principles and implement syntropic farming projects at his community in northern Ghana. Mohammed Believes that the combination of GEN ecovillage principles, syntropic farming and contour farming can be a vitalizing force for economic development.

Iddrisu Abdul Salam is a 29-year-old youth born in Gushegu region of northern Ghana. He attended agricultural school for high school and completed his studies in Damongo Agricultural College in 2017. He was introduced to the community farming project by Mohammed in August 2020 and developed interest in it. He was eager to incorporate orange flesh sweet potatoes that he’s been planting to the project as it is really beneficial for old women, children, and lactating mothers. With the support of his mom and his friend Mohammed, he wishes to take the project to a higher level.

Alice Güntert is a GEN Ambassador based in Switzerland. She has been involved with permaculture projects for over 6 years such as being involved in the development of board games in international economics called “Permapoly: The Game of Common Culture”. Alice is active in giving feedback and
recommendations for GEN including the idea that GEN should be on the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum. After GEN’s Communities for Future online summit, she got a friend request from Mohammed Issahaku and from then on they have been in correspondence. Alice is now coaching Mohhammed and Iddrisu to transform Mohammed community’s cashew orchard to be more diverse and abundant.