ifoam'96 Book of Abstracts 11th IFOAM Scientific Conference 11-15 August 1996, Copenhagen, Denmark

ECOWEB FRONT PAGE SUBJECT INDEX AUTHOR INDEX

Workshop

Eco-villages- Sustainable Habitats for the 21 century in the North W31

Gaia Trust, Storkevænget 8, 2840 Holte, Denmark.
Eco-villages or eco-habitats is a holistic concept that tackles the major global, ecological and social problems in a systemic approach in creating a truly sustainable culture on this planet. Eco-villages respect and restore the circulatory systems of the four elements: earth, water, fire and air both in people and in nature. They comprise all aspects of human life: physical structures(earth), infrastructure(water) social structures(fire) and culture (air). The circulatory systems in eco-habitats are small, efficient and harmonious to live with be it in rural or urban areas. Farming in eco-villages is bio-regional, organic or even based on permaculture principles acknowledging the need for restauration of nature and for space for wildlife. Farming is part of integrated renewable energy systems, ecological building, aquaculture, agroforestry and other elements of the ecovillage concept as f. i. green economics, a certain amount of self sufficiency, farm businesses etc. All this is being reinvented and redefined.
Eco-villages started in the North as our way of putting our own house in order. We created the environmental problems, we have to take the responsibility of solving them. A global network of eco-villages (GEN) was inaugurated at Habitat II in Istanbul, June '96. In a dialogue with Dr Rashmi Mayur, Bombay, India and hopefully many others, the idea is taken to the South and cooperation initiated. The South still has a culture of villages which are seriously threatned by globalisation, urbanisation and »the American dream«.

The Earth is our Habitat. By Rashmi Mayur, Helena Norberg Hodge, Doug Benn, Hildur Jackson and Ross Jackson. 1996. Available at the exhibition or from the Global Eco-village Network's office in Denmark: Tel(45) 97 93 66 55. Fax:(45) 97 93 66 77.

For information on GEN (the Global Eco-village Network) and Gaia Trust see our exhibition and our 800 pages on Internet: http://www.gaia.org