News from GEN Europe

Stay up to date with what’s on around the European ecovillage movement right here!

Call for ESC Volunteers Coordinators for the European Ecovillage Gathering 2024!
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Call for ESC Volunteers Coordinators for the European Ecovillage Gathering 2024!

GEN Europe is currently looking for 2 coordinators who will lead our volunteer ‘Dream Team’, a 6-week short team ESC for the European Ecovillage Gathering in Sweden this Summer! About the Role In August 2024, Sweden will host the European Ecovillage Gathering organised by the GEN Europe at Ängsbacka. 25 volunteers from all over Europe…

GEN Europe is hiring!
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GEN Europe is hiring!

GEN Europe is seeking a part-time communications manager to join our small and friendly team! In this varied role at the heart of the ecovillage movement, you’ll be tasked with raising GEN Europe’s public profile, spreading ecovillage news and opportunities, and building our membership in collaboration with the rest of the team. You’ll manage our…

Call for workshops for the 2024 European Ecovillage Gathering!
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Call for workshops for the 2024 European Ecovillage Gathering!

We’re delighted to announce that the Open Call for workshops for the European Ecovillage Gathering is live! Every year, dozens of people offer workshops and activities of all kinds as part of the huge co-creation that makes our annual event so unique. This year’s Gathering will take place in Ängsbacka, Sweden, from 20-25 August and…

Empowering Sustainability: YTS Gathering in La Borie Noble 
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Empowering Sustainability: YTS Gathering in La Borie Noble 

Close to Montpellier, in France, in La Borie Noble, within the serene embrace of the Arch community, 21 passionate individuals from across Europe gathered for a six-day meeting under the banner of Yes to Sustainability (YTS). This meeting served as a pivotal moment for the YTS project, providing a platform for participants to connect, share…

Celebrating 30 years of the Danish Ecovillage Network, LOES 
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Celebrating 30 years of the Danish Ecovillage Network, LOES 

The Danish Ecovillage Network, LOES, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and held two celebrations, one of which took place in an ecovillage in the capital city of Copenhagen, and the other in a growing ecovillage in the countryside. The celebration at the Christiania Ecovillage in Copenhagen was a day-long event, where everyone was…

Community-led initiatives call for a stronger EU Green Deal driven by collective action
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Community-led initiatives call for a stronger EU Green Deal driven by collective action

A new manifesto launched by civil society organizations including GEN Europe claims the right of EU citizens to have the choice to live sustainably, calling on policymakers to swiftly localise an ambitious European Green Deal. Manifesto launch event in Brussels, 7 November. Photo: Alejandro Puzzo ECOLISE, the European network of community-led initiatives on climate change and…

Funded volunteering with GEN EU – apply now!
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Funded volunteering with GEN EU – apply now!

Volunteer with GEN Europe, fully funded through the European Solidarity Corps!We’re pleased to announce that applications for our annual funded volunteering programme for youth (under-30) are open! Come and join us at the heart of the European ecovillage movement in our office in Arterra Bizimodu ecovillage, Spain. If you’re curious to gain experience in areas…

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Can you help GEN EU win €10,000 of funding…with just a click?

Together we are stronger… Photo: Ana Correia In a time when there is so much need in the world, when our attention and resources are pulled in so many different directions, we know it can be hard to support all the causes that are dear to our hearts. So we’re delighted to offer an opportunity…

Watch the Gathering afterfilm!
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Watch the Gathering afterfilm!

Four days, 800 participants form 41 countries, over 50 workshops, and one beautiful temporary community created by every single person who attended biggest Ecovillage Gathering yet. We danced, sang, learned, played, built, and experienced the power of conscious community, nourished by the beautiful surroundings of our host, Nature Community in Germany. We are delighted to…

The European Ecovillage Gathering 2023: activating hope, honouring grief and going forth with joy
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The European Ecovillage Gathering 2023: activating hope, honouring grief and going forth with joy

It took almost four years: from the first preparations in 2019, to nervously waiting for news of lockdowns in 2020 and again in 2021, it at times felt like the moment would never arrive. But as the sun set over the green hills and forests surrounding Nature Community and we looked out at the hundreds…

Our 2022 Annual Report is here!
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Our 2022 Annual Report is here!

We’re delighted to announce the publication of our 2022 annual report: a snapshot of GEN Europe’s activities across the last calendar year. Inside the report you can read about network solidarity with GEN Ukraine, how youth engagement is thriving, what we’re doing to care for our members and expand our network, and, of course, where…

EUTECH SDG Award goes to Boekel Ecovillage
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EUTECH SDG Award goes to Boekel Ecovillage

Ecodorp Boekel has been selected from among thousands of applications as a winner of the 2023 EUTECH Sustainable Development Goal awards, in the category of SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Boekel, located in the Netherlands, is a highly ambitious ecovillage project with the SDGs at its heart. The project and its core group have…

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Acclaimed economist Christian Felber to participate in 2023 European Ecovillage Gathering

The writer and lecturer will join over 50 workshop leaders at 26th edition of annual festival of sustainable lifestyles Christian Felber. Photo: Allard Willemse We are thrilled to announce the participation of renowned economist Christian Felber as a keynote speaker and workshop presenter at this year’s European Ecovillage Gathering. Felber is an award-winning author and…

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ReGENerative Communities for All project launch

The ReGEN4All project team in Lisbon ReGEN4All Launches in Portugal The Erasmus+ funded REGEN4ALL project was launched in Lisbon last month, where project partners met for the first time to kick off this year-long project based on ecovillage research. The purpose of the ReGEN4All project is to serve researchers, practitioners, and adult educators from ecovillages…

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Community Resourcing Circle Open Call

Are you part of a new ecovillage or an upcoming ecovillage group? Be resourced by the European Ecovillage Gathering to bring your community-dream into reality! This year, the European Ecovillage Gathering, will support the rise of new and upcoming ecovillages through a Community Resourcing Circle!  Through this facilitated journey, the participants of the Gathering get…

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Introducing the Living Library

The importance of sharing knowledge in the journey to a regenerative living system. The Living Library is a collection of inspiring people with diverse backgrounds and expertise, covering various topics related to ecovillage life. It provides a platform for people to connect with individuals who can provide insight, knowledge, and advice on a range of…

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Creating connection: ecovillage network exchange begins

Toni Mallach & Aleksandra Jaszczyk from the Baltic Ecovillage Network share their experiences exchanging with GEN EU and the Iberian Ecovillage Network As part of the ERASMUS+ funded project Launch & Thrive, the involved partners are carrying out an exchange program. The main purpose is to acknowledge the skills and experiences of network building from…

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Annual CLIPS Training starts at Torri Superiore

Lucilla Borio, Torri Superiore/RIVE The first training module on the CLIPS method – Community Learning Incubator for Sustainability – hosted by the Torri Superiore Ecovillage, took place from 16 to 19 March. The large study group, made up of 26 participants, was conducted by the trainers of the CLIPS Italia team, Lucilla Borio, Giorgia Lattuca…

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Ecovillage Design Education: Join the global online classroom!

The next live online Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) course hosted by GEN International is coming soon! Are you ready to begin designing thriving communities and societies that live within our planetary boundaries? Join the global online classroom and learn from renowned educators from around the world. The online EDE will take place Saturdays from March…

Early Bird Tickets for the Gathering on sale now!
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Early Bird Tickets for the Gathering on sale now!

Good news! We’re so excited to announce that early bird tickets for this year’s European Ecovillage Gathering are now on sale. There are discounts available for kids, groups, participants from Eastern Europe, and youth. Booking early helps us plan for an even better Gathering, so you’re invited to book before March 15th for the best…

Join GEN EU as an ESC Volunteer!
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Join GEN EU as an ESC Volunteer!

If you’re under 30 and resident in Europe, this is your chance to spend 8-10 months living and volunteering at the heart of the ecovillage movement – fully funded through the European Solidarity Corps programme! GEN Europe is seeking enthusiastic young people aged 18-30 who are interested in ecovillages and sustainable living, and who want…

What did we achieve in 2022?
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What did we achieve in 2022?

It’s impossible to capture the myriad different ways in which ecovillages have inspired us this year, from solidarity campaigns and ecosystem restoration to the daily work of growing food and nurturing community: all acts that feel increasingly radical and necessary in the world of today. But we want to capture some of the year’s main…

Join the life-changing Ecovillage Design Education Course at Schloss Glarisegg
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Join the life-changing Ecovillage Design Education Course at Schloss Glarisegg

If you’re looking for a solid basis to start your journey into ecovillages in 2023 – or if you already have a dream project in mind that needs support and inspiration to take flight – the Ecovillage Design Education Course might be for you. The EDE at Schloss Glarisegg, Switzerland has been running with great…

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Funded volunteering in German ecovillages

Looking for a new challenge in 2023? If you’re under 30 and an EU resident, you’re eligible for the European Solidarity Corps, a funded volunteering programme which many ecovillages take part in. Here are two new opportunities in German ecovillages – a fantastic chance to get to know the world of ecovillages first hand. Sonnenwald:…

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Save the date for the 2023 European Ecovillage Gathering!

We have some exciting news – it’s time to save the date for the 2023 European Ecovillage Gathering! We’ll be meeting in the beautiful surroundings of Nature Community in Bavaria, Germany. Arrival day is 12th July, with a welcome programme in the evening, and departure day is 17th July after a final breakfast. Tickets will…

Urgent fundraising campaign for Ukraine
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Urgent fundraising campaign for Ukraine

Our friends and colleagues in GEN Ukraine have been working tirelessly since the war began to provide refuge and humanitarian support in ecovillages, as well as helping refugees adapt and embed into community life through activities like food growing and building. You can find more information about their work here. GEN Ukraine is now launching…

Celebrating two new ecovillage networks and the WESEEN project!
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Celebrating two new ecovillage networks and the WESEEN project!

National and regional ecovillage networks play a vital role in spreading thriving community culture – forging connections between existing projects and supporting new ones based on shared cultures and languages. We’re celebrating the finalising of the WESEEN project, that has supported the creation of two new networks – Western Europe (WE) which links the Netherlands,…

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New project helps national networks launch and thrive

Launch and Thrive project kicks off to activate ecovillage networks From France to Finland, from Spain to Sweden, national and bioregional ecovillage networks have long played a hugely important role in GEN Europe. These networks gather ecovillages and projects with cultural and linguistic commonalities, host local, national and regional events in close proximity to their…

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We’re hiring a project coordinator!

Want to join the GEN Europe team? We’re seeking an organised, motivated project coordinator (10 months) to cover the maternity leave of one of our colleagues. The ideal candidate will have experience with the Erasmus+ scheme and will coordinate our project working group to ensure KA1 and KA2 applications are written and submitted at each…

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Update from Busha Toloka

Work is under way on the Green Refuge project – an ambitious bioconstruction initiative in Busha ecovillage which aims to provide warm winter shelter to refugees. In this report, board member and ecovillager Steffen Emrich brings an update from the ground in Ukraine. At this summer’s European Ecovillage Gathering in Denmark, a fundraising project was…

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Volunteering in Eco-Communities

One of the core functions of an ecovillage network is to act as a bridge between communities, enabling ecovillages to connect with one another, share experiences, build relationships and collaborate for constant learning. Here Ulrike Schimmel from Sieben Linden describes how four communities recently came together to do just that – in the process creating…

Funded volunteering with GEN Europe!
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Funded volunteering with GEN Europe!

Use your enthusiasm for ecovillages and live in Arterra Bizimodu ecovillage, Spain, at the heart of the European Ecovillage Network! We’re seeking an motivated, proactive candidate who is excited about ecovillage living to join us in the GEN Europe office starting September 2022. ESC volunteering is fully funded by the European Union, so you’ll receive…

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Looking back at the European Ecovillage Gathering 2022

After three years apart, the European and global ecovillage movement came back together in a joyful celebration of community, tackling themes of crisis while gathering hope, inspiration and important lessons from projects, practitioners and experts from around the world. I left with a lot of inspiration, fascination and force to tackle the collapse and the…

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Complete the Energy Citizenship survey and win energy infrastructure for your community!

We’re offering an opportunity for our members to have a say in shaping EU energy policy – and to win energy infrastructure for their communities. How is GEN Europe supporting the energy transition? And how can our members benefit from our action? The Energy Citizenship Survey, developed as part of our EC² project, is a…

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Support the Green Refuge

As in many Ukrainian ecovillages since the war began, currently hundreds of people are taking shelter in Busha ecovillage in the Vinnytsia region of the country. They are currently housed in summer houses, but winter is coming and warmer shelter will be required. An ambitious plan is brewing to create in a few short months…

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The European Ecovillage Gathering is coming!

UPDATE 9/5/22: Tickets are on sale now! Visit ecovillagegathering.org for details. At last, we come to you with exciting news: the European Ecovillage Gathering is back this summer and we’ll be meeting in Ananda Gaorii, Denmark, just one hour from Copenhagen! We’re also thrilled to announce that this year’s Gathering will not only be hosted…

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Letters from Ukraine II: Faith in the Future

We are in close contact with members of GEN Ukraine as they mobilise to support refugees by providing shelter in the country’s many ecovillages, permaculture projects and other eco-settlements. We will be publishing translated updates we receive from Maksym Zalevskyi, president of GEN Ukraine, who is spearheading the mobilisation. If you wish to support GEN…

Letters from Ukraine I: Firefighting
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Letters from Ukraine I: Firefighting

We are in close contact with members of GEN Ukraine as they mobilise to support refugees by providing shelter in the country’s many ecovillages, permaculture projects and other eco-settlements. We will be publishing translated updates we receive from Maksym Zalevskyi, president of GEN Ukraine, who is spearheading the mobilisation. If you wish to support GEN…

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Ecovillage Youth Exchange Senegal-Germany: Call for Participants!

Connecting youth and communities across continents Interested in this project? There’ll be a Zoom info call on March 11th at 18:00 CET. Register here. Are you, or a young person you know, called by the project’s core themes of ecology and community, racial and social justice, and youth empowerment? Then perhaps this experience is for…

The European Ecovillage Gathering is back!
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The European Ecovillage Gathering is back!

We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that the European Ecovillage Gathering returns in 2022. Mark your calendars for 7th-10th July! This celebration of community living featuring talks, workshops, music and much more will take place in the beautiful and historic Svanholm ecovillage in Denmark, just an hour outside of Copenhagen. We are so excited to reconnect…

We’re hiring: Maternity cover – Projects
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We’re hiring: Maternity cover – Projects

We are happy to announce that GEN Europe is looking for a temporary Projects Coordinator to join our small and friendly team to covering the 10-month maternity leave of one of our employees. We are seeking someone who has experience in project acquisition and project management, specifically in large scale projects funded through e.g. Horizon…

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The Art of Networking: Creation of the WE and SEEN Networks

GEN Europe creates, runs and participates in a range of European-funded projects in order to further our goals as a network of regenerative communities. In this article, participants in the WESEEN project – designed to create and strengthen regional ecovillage networks – describe their experiences and learning from the Art of Network training held as…

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Break free from Big Tech – Webinar

Tired of the big tech monopolies? Want to find ways to connect and collaborate without handing over data and control? Get ethically organised online! Join a talk on open source IT alternatives, with our IT manager Angel Matilla and organised by the Dutch ecovillage network Ecodorpen Netwerk on Thursday 25th November. More details at http://ecodorpennetwerk.nl/events/2021-11-25-break-away-from-big-tech/Donations:…

GEN Europe is hiring!
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GEN Europe is hiring!

We are happy to announce that GEN Europe is looking for a Gathering Coordinator to join our small and friendly team. We are seeking someone who is full of ideas about how to coordinate and hold the European Ecovillage Gathering 2022 while working with transparency, excellent organisation skills, and enthusiasm for the event and the…

Community Incubator training – what’s it like?
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Community Incubator training – what’s it like?

CLIPS – the Community Learning Incubator Programme – is GEN Europe’s flagship training programme, developed by ecovillage founders and expert over several years of collaboration. It aims to support early stage communities overcome common challenges, and to train community members to support themselves and others with a set of tools, methods, resources and games that…

“The most transformative experience of my life”
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“The most transformative experience of my life”

The Ecovillage Design Education course – EDE – at Schloss Glarisegg in Switzerland has gained a reputation over the years as one of the most exiting and enriching programmes out there. Cohort after cohort of graduates of this intensive, five-week co-living and co-learning adventure, certified by Gaia Education, go out into the world inspired and…

Introducing EC²: a new project exploring a citizen-led energy transition
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Introducing EC²: a new project exploring a citizen-led energy transition

What are the conditions that will facilitate and strengthen energy citizenship for the much-needed transition to a low-carbon society? That’s one of the key questions that the EC² project – Energy Citizenship and Energy Communities for a Clean Energy Transition – will address through three years of in-depth research and co-creation with a diverse range of stakeholders,…

Boekel Ecovillage awarded Most Sustainable Organisation in the Netherlands
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Boekel Ecovillage awarded Most Sustainable Organisation in the Netherlands

We’re thrilled to hear that Ecodorp Boekel, the newest full member of GEN Europe, was recently recognised as “The Most Sustainable Organisation in the Netherlands” – a truly well deserved title. According to Boekel, On July 1st 2021, the jury chose Boekel Ecovillage as the most sustainable organisation in the Netherlands, because this project combines…

Presenting the Resilience & Regeneration Series
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Presenting the Resilience & Regeneration Series

For community-seekers and communities new and old; for those curious about exploring regeneration of ourselves and our world; for dreamers and visionaries and hands-on creators and crafters… We’re excited to present a brand new offering to support community creation and inner and outer transformation. While changing travel regulations and public health guidelines still make it…

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Yes to Sustainability partnership reunites in Serbia

By Steffi Goerisch and Dario Ferraro GEN Europe is a member of the Yes to Sustainability partnership, a project designed to share best practice on peer learning among youth in the area of sustainability. Finally, after months of online meetings, a colourful bunch of young people and youth workers from ecovillages and sustainable projects in…

Choosing the future with Erasmus+
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Choosing the future with Erasmus+

Participants of the project ‘Networking for Sustainability and a Green Youth’ have by now completed and submitted their first international youth projects aimed at sustainable development within the framework of the new 2021-2027 Erasmus+ program. The training itself took place at the Ängsbacka Course and Festival Centre in southern Sweden from April 7 to 12…

Growing Roots Together
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Growing Roots Together

by Sasja Iza Christensen, New RootsDuring a number of years, in the ecovillage of Hallingelille, situated in the middle of Zealand in Denmark, traumatized refugees have been given the opportunity to heal and improve their lives in Denmark. A handbook on how is now written and available. A nature- and community-based approach to rehabilitation has…

GEN Europe launches web service for members
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GEN Europe launches web service for members

Being a member of GEN Europe is first and foremost about connection: meeting and learning from other communities facing the same challenges, learning from their innovations and sharing in their success. Friendships are forged and projects and collaborations are developed across borders. But as an organisation we also want to give back to our network,…

Zooming in on our first online General Assembly
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Zooming in on our first online General Assembly

As ecovillagers, we value in-person connection: the ability to sense the mood of a room when facilitating, to truly see one another – and of course, to hug your friends! So when Covid-19 forced the cancellation of our General Assembly, we were nervous: would our GA be just one more of the exhausting online meetings…

Volunteering for Sustainability
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Volunteering for Sustainability

Ecovillagers and allies build capacity through an Erasmus+ training on the new European Solidarity Corps programme. Learning never stops in GEN Europe, with members of the network regularly and energetically designing and hosting trainings to upskill ecovillagers. This time around, “Volunteering for Sustainability” took place between the 16th and 20th of November 2019, at the…

REDES – Ecovillage Emergence in the Sahel
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REDES – Ecovillage Emergence in the Sahel

GEN Ambassador Alfonso Flaquer reports from a trip to the ecovillages of Senegal GEN Ambassador and Elder Alfonso Flaquer has long been connected with the ecovillage movement throughout Africa. With the Iberian Ecovillage Network, RIE, he participated in a recent visit to various projects and shares his impressions here. I have just returned from Senegal…