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National Ecovillage Network

Ecovillage Construction Workshop in QiFengShan Ecovillage

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In response to global climate change and the challenges posed by economic downturns, Qifengshan Natural Farming Ecovillage in Wuchang City, Heilongjiang, China, partnered with Qiandao Lake Natural Agro-Ecovillage to jointly organize the inaugural China Ecovillage Construction Workshop from August 1st to August 7th, 2023 (with an additional day added due to heavy rain blocking the road). Despite facing extreme climate conditions, such as floods that disrupted networks, water supply, electricity, and transportation, over 20 participants from across the country immersed themselves in a 7-day study within the metaphorical Noah’s Ark, gaining a deep appreciation for the historical mission of ecovillages.

The workshop welcomed Professor Qiu Yiru, a renowned Permaculture Certified Teacher from Tzu Chi University in Taiwan, to share his expertise. Additionally, Mr. He Jianzeng from Gengdu University addressed key issues in the implementation of ecovillage construction. By integrating the wisdom of Chinese ancestors, including the ideas of natural harmony and the unity of heaven and man found in Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching, along with practical experiences from domestic and international ecovillages, the aim was to create ecovillages that embody distinct Chinese characteristics and wisdom.

The workshop sought to redefine Chinese ecovillages by systematically constructing ecovillage life communities across four dimensions: culture, community, ecology, and economy. This endeavor aimed to contribute to rural revitalization by harnessing the wisdom of our ancestors and creating international ecovillages that harmoniously coexist with all living beings, resembling paradises in each village. Moreover, the workshop aimed to align with international ecovillage standards and serve as a model of sustainable development for ecovillages and communities.

An ecovillage is not necessarily a traditional “village,” but it is definitely a “community” that embodies a complete sense of shared destiny. Simply put, an ecovillage (community) is like a vibrant organism where people live together as equals, respecting and embracing one another, and making decisions collectively. Everyone is a steward of the village, contributing their unique talents while working towards common goals. The guiding principles of unity with nature and following natural laws shape the pursuit of sustainable development, meeting the basic needs of life in an ecologically harmonious manner. Challenges and imperfections may still arise, but people collaborate to face them and co-create a better home.

Course Content:

1. How to plan and layout an ecovillage to achieve comprehensive integration of landscapes, forests, farmland, roads, and housing, while prioritizing energy conservation and carbon reduction?

2. How does an ecovillage operate economically in a sustainable manner?

3. Effective methods for treating and recycling ecological toilets, domestic wastewater, and waste from livestock and poultry farming.

4. Soil improvement techniques that reduce non-point source pollution from pesticides and fertilizers.

5. Making the most of local resources to transform green landscapes into prosperous economic assets.

6. Harmonizing natural architecture with human needs to create sustainable and livable habitats suitable for local ecosystems.

Tomatoes and Creating the Meaning of Community

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“The tomatoes are ripening. Let’s celebrate with friends!” This is the key idea behind the first “YouGood Tomato Festival”.

From June 22nd to 23rd, 2023, the YouGood Ecological Community, located on the outskirts of Shanghai, hosted the “Tomato Festival,” with over 300 people attending. The plan was to celebrate the diverse rewards nature has given to the community, to introduce the new village community partners of YouGood, and to engage participants in interactive workshops. Everything “emerged” naturally in the unique rhythm of YouGood during the festival.

A small-scale farmer，Miss Zhou, sells her farm’s fruits and vegetables at the market.
The small farmer’s market is set up as part of the festival

The festival calls on both new villagers and indigenous people, as well as participants, to bring their own chairs. The resting area in the fields shows a variety of interesting states: vegetable baskets from the farm, tree stumps from the surroundings, outdoor chairs, picnic mats, long benches from villagers’ homes, wooden pallets, straw mats, French garden chairs and etc.

Using rice bran and collected rainwater to clean cutlery 
Everyone uses their own cutlery and enjoys a joyful dinner in the field

Our skilled community partner, Tiantian, who is good at carpentry, spent 1.5 days using reclaimed steel bars from a villager’s demolished house and discarded building slabs salvaged from the garbage dump, to build the stage for the outdoor music concert and small farmer’s market display. Volunteer Yi Yi used a needle to sew old canvas onto the market display, creating a natural and rustic sunshade. Community partner Cheng Cheng utilized old burlap to create simple tomato navigation signs for the community.

Doris’s poetry recitation
The audience enjoys the music at the sunset

The performers at the evening field concert are all neighbors and friends from the village, while the audience is filled with friends who came from nearby urban areas, and also villagers and local residents.

Wei Hai’s original singing and guitar playing
Sun setting during the festival

Everyone sits in the glow of the sunset, listening to the melodies of the hulusi, poetry recitations, shakuhachi, and rock music coming from the fields. The two hosts, from Northeast China and Singapore, interact with everyone on the ridge of the field. All of these erase the boundaries of people. Everyone’s breathing and smiles truly come from the depths of their hearts.

navigation signs drew my community partner Chengcheng
The preparation team puts up hand-drawn, rustic navigation signs along the village.

The tomatoes at YouGood Farm originated from four old varieties of natural genetic tomato seeds shared by fellow farmers 6 years ago. They are Big Yellow (suitable for soup and raw consumption), Big Red (stir-fried), Flower Ball (raw with sandy flesh), and West Rice Pudding (raw with a refreshing and sweet taste). Since then, the community has been saving seeds every year, selecting these native and robust seeds that have not been exposed to pesticides or chemical fertilizers, allowing the inherent flavors of tomatoes to be passed down.

Community partner Xiao Cui’s tomato seed saving workshop
Heirloom tomatoes of YouGood Farm

In just two days, the 350 kilograms of tomatoes were scattered throughout the community and transformed into our food, artwork, gifts, work tools, and seeds. They became an entity that was reimagined and recognized by hundreds of onlookers.

Cui and the volunteers, San San, sorting the seeds after the Tomato Seed Saving Workshop
“Tomato Reproduction” Art Installation by Lv Yanni and Cy

During the Tomato Festival, some people exclaimed, “Are these tomatoes fake?” while others were surprised, “I didn’t know tomatoes have more than one color!” Following this, these friends experienced how tomatoes are bred and learned about the process of creating diversity in our workshop. They then enjoyed a meal made using tomatoes and praised it as having the “taste of childhood”, evoking happy memories of eating sweet tomato soup with family during summer when they were children. Everyone took home these tomatoes from the market. The understanding of tomatoes underwent a reshaping process.

We witnessed how tomatoes can evoke people’s memories and create a connection with the land
Friends participated in the saving tomato seed workshop
Community partner Tiantian’s tomato and bamboo tube rice workshop
Community partner Joyce’s kombucha workshop

The possibility of gathering people together and reconnecting with their local roots.

The Tomato Festival brought together long-lost companions. It was not just a community gathering for neighbors, but also a collective visit for friends from outside the community. The children in the community were no longer just classmates or neighbors, but also working partners representing our community. Partner Ducks roamed in the fields, partner geese walked in the distance, and the white egret and the cattle egret stay in the field. In the community, we have many working partners.

The eggs from chickens, ducks, and geese were labeled as “partners’ eggs” and priced for sale at the market. The visitors couldn’t resist taking pictures of them.

Some friends started their journey from the center of Shanghai in the early morning, around 6 a.m. They rode their homemade bamboo bicycles and traveled over 60 kilometers. Finally, in the afternoon, they arrived at the event venue.

On the second day of the Tomato Festival, it started raining right before the end of the event. Participants calmly took out their umbrellas and put on their raincoats. They continued to leisurely enjoy their dinner in the fields. Many friends even happily went for second and third servings in the rain, exclaiming, “It’s so delicious!”

Eight elementary school children, dressed in raincoats, stood on a makeshift stage made of wooden pallets and performed a flute ensemble. Quietly and orderly, they played the rehearsed piece they had been practicing for a long time. Despite the drizzling rain, everyone continued to laugh, clap, and cheer.

Elementary school children flute ensemble
Shanghai-style hot wave of wellness workshop

The “Shanghai-style Hot Wave of Wellness” workshop in the village turned Hai Tao (cofounder of YouGood Farm)’s home into a haven for wellness. Activities such as making a traditional sachet for the Dragon Boat Festival, creating mosquito repellent, cooking rice in bamboo tubes, and handcrafting Margherita pizzas were all greatly loved by the children. The coffee grounds mushroom cultivation workshop sparked the fascination of young people as they discussed de-anthropocentrism. The flower and plant game of transforming old dyed fabrics created a quaint and timeless outdoor experience, while He Xuan’s impromptu dancing at the end of the rice fields made participants feel the freedom of movement.

On the first evening of the Tomato Festival, organized by the Earth Hour Film Bureau, a highly anticipated documentary called “Planet Local” was screened. The translator of the film, and our old friends Doris and Ruiqi, were invited to join us for a post-screening discussion.

The film addresses the impact of the globalization of markets on small-scale, diverse agricultural farming practices, which were originally considered “small but beautiful.” It highlights a series of staggering facts: large-scale mechanized harvesting and processing result in the wastage of nearly one-third of the global food supply; small-scale, diversified farms are over five times more productive than industrialized monoculture farms; and small farms currently safeguard 95% of the world’s agricultural biodiversity.

The film addresses the impact of the globalization of markets on small-scale, diverse agricultural farming practices, which were originally considered “small but beautiful.” It highlights a series of staggering facts: large-scale mechanized harvesting and processing result in the wastage of nearly one-third of the global food supply; small-scale, diversified farms are over five times more productive than industrialized monoculture farms; and small farms currently safeguard 95% of the world’s agricultural biodiversity.

The next morning, a Small Farmer Talk was held, where small-scale farmers from the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai areas gathered together to share their current situations, discuss the challenges they face, and exchange ideas on the path ahead.

The Tomato Festival aims to celebrate the diversity of tomatoes and explore localized solutions from the perspectives of food, art, and land. We will continuously invite small-scale farmers to join us in exploring how they can voice out while facing global issues such as climate crisis (agriculture being the most impacted sector) and biodiversity loss. We will discuss whether small-scale farmers can sustainably continue their production while maintaining their way of life and how they can effectively raise their voices.

The “Planet Local ” also resonates with our response: transitioning from globalization to localism is an effective solution and the greatest possibility for exploring sustainability. Increasingly, young people around the world are returning to the land, engaging in ecological education, promoting natural farming methods, and establishing ecological communities. With a focus on their responsibility towards the environment and land, they engage in production and consumption practices that prioritize sustainability.

At YouGood Farm, we practice natural farming methods and permaculture. The ongoing revolution of localization is experiencing such changes: we appreciate the gifts of nature while acknowledging the pain brought about by globalization. Returning to ancient lands, we embark on a new transformation – individuals with courage and strength are leading the revolution of localization.

Experiencing rice planting at the Tomato Festival

Returning to our roots means reconnecting through emotions and shared understanding between people and the environment. We celebrate abundance and diversity, cherishing the objects that coexist in our corner of the world. Through this, we gradually establish a symbiotic relationship with the land using a slow and low-consumption approach. The fields, ducks, plants, and birds become integral parts of our lives, and our perception of ourselves as individuals begins to change.

As the ecological architect Lawrence Halpri said, “I want to participate in absolutely real events, join people and the environment so that life can thrive as a whole.” Tomatoes have achieved our symbiosis this time.

Community partner Ashley shared her feeling about living in the countryside and among community friends, which also concludes our thoughts towards the festival and our community. “In the city, it seems like we have always been chasing an “eternal summer,” an everlasting youth. But in the countryside, we have always been celebrating the process of getting older, rediscovering ourselves and our lives through ancient traditions, discarded objects, and the interweaving of pain and joy that exists within life. In doing so, we uncover a greater capacity for love, giving, and creativity than we never thought possible, and this power of love can extend beyond our own lives, taking the form of community and spreading through the way we live.”

Text: Chengcheng, Ashley

Photography: Li Gaoshan, Qi, Chengcheng, Jasmine

Tomato Art Installation Design: Lv Yanni, Cy

Original Article in Chinese

Looking at the Groundwork for a Thriving Ecovillage Network

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Ecovillages and regenerative initiatives are gaining momentum in different countries of Oceania and Asia. Japan, South Korea, and Australia are some of the nations where a National Network has already been established. The exciting news is that we are seeing strong intention from our network members in China and New Zealand in creating a National Network too. Creating a thriving network of ecovillages takes a lot of ingredients. From having a deep understanding of regeneration, inspiring actors who can translate those ideas into concrete actions, communication efforts, ambassadors who can connect and weave different communities and initiatives together, to the active participation of all members, are all essential elements of a thriving network. Let’s take a look at the various activities happening in different countries around the region:

GEN Australia

Our Ambassador Tanya Mottl has been a busy bee going around Australia visiting various ecovillage initiatives cross-pollinating pollens of ideas, skills, and information between them. She visited Moora Moora Co-operative near Melbourne and found that they have advanced solar technologies. During that visit, she did a 90-minute session using the Ecovillage Design Cards. On the other trip, she visited Balaya Buyal and met with Shane Sylvanspring (another core member of GEN Australia); and some others who attended a GEN Design presentation in Tasmania. During the visit, she gifted them the Earthcare Game so they can create local community events to play the game and have conversations.

Tanya also visited Bundagen Intentional Community in New South Wales where a Communities Gathering was held back in 2013. In this community, she witnessed the weekly Helping Hands sessions where community members choose to assist neighbors with projects or activities on their individual properties. She is exploring the possibility of hosting another gathering when the weather gets warmer.

Narara Ecovillage is participating in the Resilience Project that is held by GEN. Through this project, they have been forming local collaborations to deliver resilience workshops for nearby communities affected by fire and flood as it is expected that they will continue to have increasingly ferocious fires.

Tanya also attended the training for the 2030 SDGs Game which she describes as being like “monopoly on steroids. It’s collaborative rather than competitive and is a good insight into what happens when we collaborate on projects”. The game can be delivered in person and online. An invitation will be extended to GENOA sometime in August, so be on the lookout for that!

Moving forward, Tanya is currently putting together a series of How Resilient is Your Community? talk series and scheduling online games. She looks forward to more people being involved in the ecovillage – movement – creating a regenerative impact in Australia and beyond. Let’s celebrate Tanya’s work and wish her the best in her noble journey ahead!

GEN-Japan

After holding their Gaia Youth program earlier this year, GEN-Japan will continue to create similar programs making it consistent. Building on their strength of having ScienZ as a methodology to cultivate dialogue skills which is a key ingredient to having a healthy and functioning community, they will continue to share these findings through their education programs. This year, international participation in the program has increased with participants coming from Singapore, China, Vietnam, and other nationalities. Some of the participants have been inspired to challenge themselves by making more regenerative decisions like deciding to live together with other people to save and share resources and also taking more responsibility like learning how to support and hold programs like Gaia Youth.

NextGEN Korea

NextGEN Korea is currently preparing for its 7th Innun Janchi Connecting Festival. It is an experiment in creating a dream community and a festival where people co-create the festival together and learn from each other through the process. It is also a space of connection with nature, all the people that are involved, and also the self. Check out their registration page here.

In addition, they are holding the next EDE (Ecovillage Design Education) (only for Korean speakers) from Aug 25th ~ Sep 24th At Inje, Gangwon-do. Application form here.

Emerging Network in Aotearoa – New Zealand

The second gathering of the Women’s Revolutionising Housing Retreat (hosted by Zola Rose from Commonground) was attended by a small group of wāhine (women) who ‘packed in a load of information sharing’ over the weekend (24-26 June 2023).

There were inspiring presentations of past/current projects, including solution-based workshops including many insights & learnings, which included dialogue, bringing energy to activate more initiatives. It was a beautiful gathering of women who came from the North and South Islands of Aotearoa (NZ), to gather and discover potential synergies to similar projects across Aotearoa!

Thalea Tane (GEN NSC – GENOA Council) also facilitated a workshop using GEN’s ecovillage design cards – providing an experiential example of how we can utilize the cards to co-create solutions and match our individual aspirations to each card dimension, chosen. What a privilege it was to introduce this awesome tool to these wonderful women! Part of our dialogue session included bringing GEN Aotearoa to life! So, watch this space!!! Thalea Tane has indicated, having new energy to embark on this path, for the benefit of our Aotearoa eco-communities.

We also acknowledge all of our presenters throughout the weekend, including our wonderful host – Zola Rose (GEN Ambassador) for her commitment to organizing our 2nd WRH retreat. Special thanks also go out to Robin Allison (Earthsong Eco-neighborhood) for her continuous contribution to the greater good of humanity, co-housing initiatives, eco-village advocacy, and being an inspiration to all!

Grounding & Growing as Agents of Change: GEN-Japan Gaia Youth 2023

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Accompanied by the cherry blossoms of Japanese Spring at As One Community in Suzuka, GEN-Japan held GEN-Japan Gaia Youth – a mini Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) designed especially for youth. The intensive camp was held from March 25th – 29th 2023.

There were 11 participants coming from different countries including China, Vietnam, and Mexico that joined the program. The participants that joined have a diverse background including university students, yoga instructors, corporate workers, musicians, and activists – all of whom are eager to learn how to create regenerative communities and train themselves to become an agent of societal transformation with a can-do attitude.

In the program, the participants went through the four dimensions and one approach in the Map of Regeneration – following the flow of the EDE curriculum. They started with the social dimension – learning to move from a sense of separation and conflict to a sense of unity and understanding. The social dimension is at the core of GEN-Japan’s programs as they find that the quality of the society is very tightly linked with the quality of people’s relationships with each other and that daily communication is key to. In this dimension, participants learn how to have a heart-to-heart dialogue, how to build relationships that are at ease and with minimal expectations, and how can people communicate authentically with each other. Being at As One Community, participants are also able to see the practices that they learned being applied on a daily basis in the community.

I could learn how to make a good relationship. [It is very] interesting how people could change from [within, being able to soothe and communicate with each other.] [I have hope for] the future.

Gaia Youth Participant

In the Economic Dimension, participants we’re very interested and excited to learn about the economic system of As One Community. They have a running vegetable production and food processing (producing and delivering rice boxes, locally referred to as bento). With more ecological and community-based farming practices, they help the city’s economy and support the local food system which builds trust from local companies and citizens. These community businesses were able to generate income to support the community living. One particular aspect of the community economy that made participants both excited and confused is the new economic experiment of not involving money as a medium of exchange and people were able to freely take anything that are offered in the Joy Corner.

[Sharing] economy [with] more than 100 people is possible. Workspaces [becomes] like playground for adults.

Gaia Youth Participant

Moving to the Ecological Dimension, participants learned how to preserve the natural ecosystem by observing the watershed system of the Satoyama Forest which is determined as an important system by the city to the seashore. And through the community living practices such as minimizing food waste and food loss, they are also able to minimize the environmental impact to as much as half of a Japanese household average.

And finally the worldview or cultural dimension, Masahi Ono – a long-time communitarian and educator, shared his 40 years of experience building communities. He highlights the importance of building mental strength and shares tips on growing as social change makers.

The whole program was designed to facilitate participants to learn about their true selves and realize their inherent ability to co-create a new society. Starting from building a capacity for authentic communication, keeping and maintaining a secure space for people to be present authentically and able to connect with each other easily to collaborate together.

As the program facilitates participants on their learning journey towards becoming a changemaker, it also created space for the training of new facilitators. There were 4 alumni of EDE & Gaia Youth that joined to be supporting facilitators – learning how to hold space and facilitate learning journeys. In the future, they will become full facilitators that can participate fully in the creation of more programs like Gaia Youth.

We’d like to thank all participants, facilitators, and everyone that came to support to make this camp possible. May the seeds that have been planted in this program blossom into beautiful flowers that further inspire change in the creation of a more beautiful world.

Written by: GEN-Japan,

Edited by: Luvian Iskandar

Call for Volunteers – GEN Australia

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Would you like to contribute to regenerative actions with the global ecovillage network that includes Australia & Oceania?

Are you interested in ecovillages, intentional communities & transition towns?

Are you interested in contributing to the positive impact that ecovillages and intentional communities are making?

Do you have good organization and communication skills?

If this excites you, then this volunteer position might be just for you!

GEN Australia is looking for 2 (two) volunteers to support with building an Australian/Oceania Ecovillage Gathering in person next year 2023!

Description of volunteer positions:

  • • Together with the members of GEN Australia, create a plan, calling for resources and organize the gathering – including partnerships, funding, sponsorships.
  • • Support with either planning and operational tasks or communications and social media
  • • Other flexible tasks as agreed upon within the team later

Commitment Request:

  • • This is a remote role where you will work from your own location with a computer/laptop and stable internet connection
  • • Estimated volunteer hours: 4+ hours/week including attending meetings
  • • Period of volunteering: From Jan 2023 weekly + attendance at the event – month to be confirmed – probably Sept/Oct with warmer weather.

Skills & competencies requested:

  • • Fluent with online communication tools – (Google Drive, Zoom)
  • • Clear, open & compassionate communication
  • • Teamwork skills and ability to work independently with flexibility & adaptability
  • • Strong sense of responsibility
  • • Adapt at managing tasks, planning, and balancing priorities
  • • Experience in Ecovillage design education or any ecovillage-related activity is a plus

Benefits of being a Volunteer for this campaign:

  • • Learn more about and be a part of GEN Australia and the Global Ecovillage Network
  • • Free training and event attendance & camping accommodation (min) at Narara Ecovillage
  • • Build meaningful relationships, which have led to further opportunities
  • • Gain experience and knowledge on event management
  • • Work with passionate members of the team and work with other like-minded volunteers

If you are interested in volunteering with us, please fill in this form by Friday February 10th 2023

For further questions, contact us at enquiry@genaustralia.org.au

About GEN Australia

Welcome to GEN AU – the Australian National Network comprising ecovillages, intentional communities, cohousing and transition towns.

GEN Australia educates, networks and supports regenerative living solutions that includes co-housing, urban eco-neighbourhoods, ecovillages and indigenous communities. We aim to expand on the initiatives of our network by collaborating with individuals, communities and organisations, both indigenous and non-Indigenous, across Australia in creating regenerative cultures and lifestyles.

We are a part of GENOA – The Global Ecovillage Network in Oceania and Asia.

GENOA is the regional body of the Global Ecovillage Network in Oceania and Asia. GENOA is a network of people, ecovillages and organisations working to promote ecovillage living where people live together in a sustainable way, with dignity, in harmony with each other and with nature. 

You can find out more about GEN AU via our Website, Facebook page and Instagram

You can find out more about GENOA via their  Website , Facebook page and Instagram. 

We invite you to join us to support the ecovillage movement in Australia.

Building Communities and Surviving Together – an Exchange Gathering by GEN Japan

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GEN-Japan held the Second Exchange Gathering Online from March 5th to 6th. Unexpectedly, one week after the beginning of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine, it highlighted the meaning of community building and the importance of unwavering cooperation, as well as networking among these communities. In this online event, about 20 communities and initiatives joined. Each speaker and community strongly announced it to the public and as a result, more than 200  participants participated in the gathering. Through the event, we were able to clearly understand the difference between a world that “tries to move people through violence and violent acts” and a world that understands and cooperates with each other through dialogue and we shall move towards the latter.

One audience member sent us her impression after the event;” I was encouraged by the fact that younger people are starting various initiatives.”Since last year, exchanges and cooperation among the participating eco-villages have begun, and at the same time, young people from urban areas are touring the eco-villages and such a population has been gradually increasing. They are beginning to experience a new way of life while there. On the other hand, there is a movement to learn from each other about the efforts of how they keep building ecovillages.

Tetora Tanizaki, representative of WorldShift Japan, an advisory board of GEN-Japan, suggested that we need to clearly show the innovative way of living in harmony to the public. This year GEN-Japan is having a Gaia Youth Education in March and April as well as GEN-Japan EDE course in April. We are trying to steadily promote the creation of a harmonious society through eco-villages.

Ecovillage Transition in GENOA

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This article is a short summary of the GENOA community call written by Roky Biswas and Thao Kin

On 21st September 2021, GENOA conducted its monthly community call for restoration and transformation of the earth as a global ecovillage. The topic of this month is Ecovillage Transition – transforming existing communities into regenerative communities. At the beginning of the sharing and discussion Amena Bal – GENOA Network steward & Fundraising Coordinator – led the whole group into a meditative spiritual prayer. After that, Thao Kin – GENOA Networking coordinator – described the purpose of this call where she emphasized that a lot of the work in the Oceania & Asia region are with existing communities; supporting and working with how the communities can be more regenerative.  Anna Kovasna from GEN International took us through a tour of the Ecovillage Impact Assessment which is now officially launched, every community and project with a profile on GEN website can now take this impact assessment either as individual or collective.

The focus of this call was to learn from the practices of Ecovillage Transition around the region. We welcomed Thalea Tane – Aotearoa New Zealand, Hiroko Katayama – GEN Japan, Hai Chao Wang – Sunshine Ecovillage Network, China, Karen Wang – Sunshine Ecovillage Network, GEN China, Tanya Mottl – Narara Ecovillage, GEN Australia – five-speaker from four different countries have shared their experience about the regenerative activities in their communities.

Marrying the ecovillage map of regeneration with the local/indigenous wisdom 

Thalea Tane from Aotearoa/New Zealand, shared about her research and experience on ecovillage, she showed how to incorporate the concepts, tools, ideas from GEN to communities in Aotearoa. She said, “In our traditional communities, they already have this regenerative sense.” She is a tutor for sustainable living courses, builder of earth brick homes, facilitator of workshops, developer of people and communities.  The Universal Maori Principles – Mana, Tapu, Mauri, Kaitiakitanga –  are the same principles that the GEN cards have. When she uses the Ecovillage cards, it speaks volumes to her people as it resonates with the Maori principles. They have the belief system that we are the guardians of their landscape – the land, the rocks, the trees, the animals, etc. in their surrounding environment. One of the things that they have realized in Maori culture is that we need to re-indigenize ourselves and the community. People need to go back to the principles passed down by our ancestors and these principles are no different than the GEN principles. She has been incorporating the GEN playing cards for her community, this made the community feel that they are one with GEN.

Modeling a new world that we can live in

C:\Users\us\Dropbox\202109 GENOA Call新しいフォルダー\10-0.jpg

Hiroko Katayama from As One Community shared that Japan has a capitalistic economy and people do not have much interest in environmental or ecovillage issues. In Japan, her community has been networking with different communities and ecovillages. GEN Japan works on networking to connect, raising awareness, education and supporting domestic initiatives around the country. They have also been trying to engage young people in the ecovillage activities and teaching the ecovillage concept. 

ScienZ Method

Communities like As One Suzuka are experimenting and creating a model to showcase a “new world” – showing how eco-communities are the gateway of the next civilization. They are interacting with mainstream society through trade, selling goods, education programs, workshops and other activities. The As One Community has developed the ScienZ Method for living together – learn more about ScienZ Method here.

Demonstrating and educating the ecovillage lifestyle 

Haichao Wang is the co-founder of Sunshine ecovillage in China. Together with Karen Wang, he shared a very motivating experience from his ecovillage concept and practice. In 2015, Sunshine Ecovillage ran the first international ecovillage forum in China. This is the first time the ecovillage network was introduced to China. Now there are already more than 100 aspiring ecovillages in China. People living in the cities are slowly realizing that they need green life. While city people would like to bring their city life back to villages, Haichao and his team bring the ecovillage concept to them to show that there are different ways of development. They wanted to demonstrate what eco-living really looks like by the life in their ecovillage. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the community created online programs for people to learn about ecovillages.

This ecovillage has about 20 ecovillage-related online courses and workshops on permaculture.  The community organized a eco-person gathering activity every new year (Jan 1st). In this gathering the community awarded one person who has outstanding contribution to the regeneration of China for the ecovillage transition. With the high rate of urbanization, the Chinese government is trying to promote rural revitalization. The Ecovillage team in China are building a model ecovillage (like Sunshine Ecovillage) for people to see and learn from. 

Envisioning with the aboriginal community

Tanya Mottl shared how GEN Australia has been engaging with the Jumbun Community to look at the way that the community wanted to come back to their traditional values and not depend on the government so much. They held a 3-day workshop which led to envisioning and strategizing with the local community. A key initiative they are undertaking is a truth-talking circle. The message that came out is strong and clear: we have the power to change this. GEN Australia  is also supporting Permayouth working with the local school in Jumbun. They have created the ecovillage design cards to be culturally appropriate to the community. The Jumbun Community shared that the ecovillage cards align with their community values. What they’d like to work on is to engage their youth in the regeneration of the community. 

The rich sharing from representatives around the network has sparked interest in all of us. It is important to realize that the process of Ecovillage Transition is very much context-dependent, we can utilize the sharing from our network, with the guidance of the Map of Regeneration and adapt it to our local context. As shared from the group discussion, building ecovillages is challenging in many countries and people who are living in urban areas would like to seek ways to live regeneratively where they are as well. This gives us the opportunity to explore how members of the ecovillage network can engage the urban sector and communicate eco-living to more people in different contexts.

For more information, you can watch the replay of this call on youtube here.

Below are some resources to dive deeper and explore other Ecovillage Transition work in the region:

We’d like to take this opportunity to introduce and invite you to take the Skills and Capacities Mapping, this will help us to understand and map the abundant skills and expertise of people within the GENOA network. With the results of the survey, GENOA will build future connections, projects, and consultancy services, which in turn will strengthen resilience for each member and also the network as a whole.

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Cover picture credit: GEN Japan

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 

GEN-Japan Online Series: Creating Communities & Surviving Together

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How will we live in the age of with corona? In addition to climate change and Fukushima, we need to take a sincere look at the reality we are facing now, and live out the future brightly and powerfully with people from all over the world.

 It is with this hope that GEN-Japan’s online series, “Creating communities and Surviving Together,” will be held from January to March 2021.

GEN-Japan, which started as a non-profit organization in 2016, has been actively promoting awareness of eco-villages and localization for the past three years, in collaboration with Keibo Shin’ichi Tsuji, a well-known cultural anthropologist and an activist of Local Future Japan. 

GEN-Japan has been organizing EDE and consulting on community building in various regions as well as actively promoting eco-villages and localization for the last three years.

This three-month project, we were able to deepen the relationship among more than 20 practitioners of ecovillages, localization, and transition activities who agree with our aims, and connect with a total of 500 citizens and younger generations who are looking for their future way of life. Especially, Helena Norberg=Hodge appear to give the great speech. She is a director of the organization, Local Future, “Human has amazing ability in genes. Essentially we can live such community living as a big one family. People around the world are restoring ecosystems with their own well-being by strengthening their communities and localizing their economies. People have the power to do this.

This project has led to the birth of new eco-villages and communities that want to join the Network, the start of new online projects in cooperation, and mutual visits and information sharing in preparation for Earth Day in April and World Localization Day in June. The role of GEN-Japan as a platform is expected to grow further. 

It is certain that this movement will lead to the survival of the human race, and at the same time, to the blossoming of a rich humanity in harmony with the Earth throughout the world, and a chance to open up a new civilization with a fundamental joy of life.

In the depths of the crisis of climate and corona, the silence, the darkness, the heaviness, the anxiety, the loneliness, even the resentment, feed us.

It is time to step into a new story that has been fermenting in each of us like miso.

From separation to relationship. From separation to connection.

Let’s find ourselves as “Aida” everywhere and meet each other in “Aida” communities.

by Shin-ichi Tsuji

The first event, on January 15;  The keynote speech by Shin’ichi Tsuji: “The Next World Opened up by “Aida” , and the world-historical perspective of Pracha Hutanuwar, led us to deeply explored the view of humanity and society that is the basis for the realization of a sustainable world. Many of the participants looked up and started to move towards the next step.

Some words from participants….

Somehow, humans have been destroying the “space between”. Also, “I don’t know” is not allowed anymore. This, Tsuji pointed out, is the reason for the various problems in our society today.

Today, we take it for granted that “I” and “you” exist separately and independently, and we are forgetting that there is a vast “space” between us. For example, even the hundreds of trillions of bacteria and microorganisms in our bodies and in the air interact with each other and create new existence while nurturing the “aida”. At the base of all this, are we also “one of the beings that have appeared”? The culture and community became a device that could accept the overwhelming “unknowability” of the whole.　(Female, 30s)

Tsuji quoted Satoru Saishu’s words about “Duality. In the first place, “I” is not given to us “from the beginning. I think. I am not the “I” of separation seen through the selfish attitude of “I think, therefore I am,” but rather “I am your you. I am a being that is connected to all. We are inseparable from ourselves and others.

And he gave us a message to encourage us.

Let’s regain the “Aida” that is not just “Subject” and “Object.

You and I are one, and we are connected.

Don’t be afraid to enter into the “aida” without fear of not knowing.

And let’s build a community!

I’m very motivated.

(Male in his 30s)

In February, 16 localizers and eco-village builders from as far south as Okinawa and as far north as Hokkaido, who support the purpose of this series, appeared.  Following the themes to create something new raised by Shinichi Tsuji, they presented their activities and issues in five groups. Amena Bal introduced the activities of GENOA. and on the last day, Giovanni Charlo, the director of Gaia Education, introduced EDE, a human resource development program to nurture people who can actually build communities. Finally, facilitated by Tsuji and Hiroko Katayama of GENJapan, representatives of major movement organizations such as Permaculture, Transition, As One Network  and Workers Co-op, all drew the mutual future activities.

Few words from speakers

“Although we have heard of each other, we were able to  communicate to understand sincerely this time.”

“I gained confidence in the direction of this movement”

“A deep realization that we can all advance the movement together by demonstrating our own strengths, and the reassurance and trust,” “ It was a really warm and good time that we shared together”.

Localization in Japan

Friday, February 19,  8:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.　

 (Facilitator) Shin-ichi Tsuji, Hiroko Katayama

Initiatives in Isumi City (greenz.jp, Nao Suzuki) / Activities to connect the forest and the sea in Itoshima ( NPO Itonami, City council member, Yoshihiro Fujii)

Initiatives in Kamogawa (Chiba pref. Yoshiki Hayashi)

Ecovillage in Japan

Saturday, February 20, 13:30 – 16:30

 (Facilitator) Daisuke Yoshitake, Takaaki Kumakura, Hiroko Katayama

(Talk) Tetra Tanizaki

UMIKAZE (Kento Ito) / WA Island (Shin Kunugiza) / Misumi Eco Village Saihate (Sink Kudo) / Yoichi Eco Village (Junka Sakamoto) / As One Suzuka Community (Ryu Kishinami)

“Welfare and Child Care Create a Community

Saturday, February 20, 20:00 – 22:15

 (Facilitator) Hirosui No Seiketsu: From the perspective of community building

From the perspective of community building (Ryo Yamazaki) / Nasu Machizukuri Hiroba (Takaaki Kaburaki)

General Incorporated Association Sukoyaka-no-Wa (Kyoko Kibayashi) / NPO Sachi House (Maki Kawamura)

The Future of Living and Creating a Place for Learning

Sunday, February 21, 10:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

 (Facilitator) Sawyer Kai (Hiroko Katayama)

Well Yokodai (Hirotaka Toya) / Yakushima Earth Tribe (Hiromi Suzuki)

Dana Village (Minori Ogawa) / Permaculture and Peace Dojo (Sawyer Umi)

The Future of Localization and Ecovillages in Japan

Sunday, February 21, 13:30 – 16:30

 (Facilitator) Shin-ichi Tsuji, Hiroko Katayama

EDE  (Gaia Education CEO) Giovanni Ciarlo

Transition Town (Toshiro Yoshida) / As One Network (Masashi Ono)

Permaculture (Shinji Yotsui) / Workers’ Co-op (Nobuhiro Tamaki)

On March 19, the last month of the Big Gathering, Helena Norberg-Hodge took the stage. and said, “At this time, people around the world are restoring ecosystems with their own well-being by strengthening their communities and localizing their economies. People have the power to do this. Helena is a linguist, founder and president of Local Future, a global non-profit organization, and is world-renowned for her book “Ancient Future” and the movie “The Economics of Happiness”.

On March 20, Henry Coleman, a 25-year-old project leader of Local Future, called for participation in the World Localization Day in June, Ngothao Kin from GENOA introduced the activities of NEXTGENOA, and Wang Shan from Shanghai gave a presentation on localization in China. Wang Shan, a native of Shanghai, introduced the state of localization in China. 

As a model case of localization, As One Suzuka Community was introduced, and we discussed how we can cooperate with them to promote the movement.

 Tsuji, Sawyer Kai, Azumi Nozaki, and Masashi Ono discussed how to create communities where children and the younger generation can live freely in the future.

At the end of the session, ten community building practitioners from around Japan who took the stage in February, appeared at the finale with their friends and families in each site. They sent messages of congratulations to each other.

GEN-Japan will continue to provide more opportunities to freely discuss what is needed to create a healthy community. With the cooperation of many of you, we were able to make this a three-month series to begin with. I would like to thank all of them and at the same time, I would like to work to further strengthen our ties and foster cooperation toward the realization of a sustainable and conflict-free world.

By Hiroko Katayama
GEN-Japan Executive Director

Hiroko Katyama 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 has 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.