Ecovillages: Social Innovations towards a Regenerative Culture FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF RIO DE JANEIRO CENTER OF PHILOSOPHY AND HUMAN SCIENCES EICOS PROGRAM: INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES OF COMMUNITIES AND SOCIAL ECOLOGY Ecovillages: Social Innovations towards a Regenerative Culture Taisa Mattos
General Contextualization Global Civilizational Crises - our current lifestyle in consumer society is unsustainable. Need to transition to other ways of living/thinking Ecovillages: Good examples of sustainable living models Low environmental impact, low consumption and high quality of life Seeds of a regenerative culture
Crises as an opportunity for transition If current human systems are unsustainable, it is prudent to look to those who are pioneering sustainable living practices. To ignore communities that are actually reducing their ecological footprints dramatically, that are creating models of sustainability from the ground up, would be intellectually negligent and pragmatically unwise. (LITFIN, 2009, p. 124 e125)
Argument based on research findings The greatest challenge of sustainability is sociocultural, not environmental or economic/financial. Ecovillages, as social innovations, have been experimenting with sustainable social models, practicing participatory governance systems, honoring cultural diversity, creating community and adopting a holistic worldview, pointing to possibilities for a regenerative culture.
Ecovillage Movement Propositional Social Movement Offers examples and solutions x Critiques Covers all arenas of life x specific cause Focus on community and sustainability Method: Experimentation living laboratories: create and test tools, methods and technologies for integral local development Education / Trainings to raise awareness, empower and disseminate sustainable practices and worldview Local Global (Global Ecovillage Network)
ECOVILLAGE DEFINITION An ecovillage is an intentional or traditional community using local participatory processes to holistically integrate ecological, economic, social, and cultural dimensions of sustainability in order to regenerate social and natural environments. (Global Ecovillage Network, 2015)
Culture - The 4th Pilar of Sustainability socially inclusive, environmentally sustainable and economic efficient includes subjective aspects of sustainability (cultural)
Going Beyond Sustainability (FLEMING, 2013)
Regenerative Development Regenerative development acknowledges humans, as well as their developments, social structures and cultural concerns, as an inherent and indivisible part of ecosystems. It sees human development as a means to create optimum health in ecosystems. Understanding the unique and diverse human and non-human elements of each place is a crucial part of regenerative development (JENKIN; ZARI, 2009 p. 5)
Rockström and Sukhdev key note speech at the Stockholm EAT Food Forum in 2016. Credit of the image : Azote Images for Stockholm Resilience Centre.
Low impact, high quality lifestyles Ecovillage at Ithaca, USA
Low Creating impact, Community high quality in urban lifestyles areas Ecovillage LA Ecovillage, at Ithaca, USA USA 14
Replenishing sources of water Tamera Ecovillage, Portugal
Biological wastewater treatment - Living Machine Findhorn Ecovillage, Scotland
Ecological sanitation - Compost Toilet Tamera Ecovillage, Portugal
Regenerate Soils biochar CO2 sequestering at The Farm, Tennessee, USA
Organic Food Production Tamera Ecovillage, Portugal
Grow food and soils Organic Agriculture Otepic Ecovillage, Kenya
Organic Food Prodution Findhorn Ecovillage, Scotland
Grow food and soils Organic Agriculture Vila Yamaguishi SP, Brazil
Renewable energy Ecovillage 7Linden, Germany
Renewable energy Findhorn Ecovillage, Scotland
Renewable energy Solar Village, Tamera - Portugal
Green Building/ Waste Recycling Bafut Ecovillage, Cameroon
Green Building Terra Una Ecovillage MG - Brazil
Traditional AND innovative solutions Eco-campus, Kibbutz Lotan, Israel
Reforestation / Green Building Ecocentro IPEC GO - Brazil
Regenerate Ecosystems Over 2,000,000 trees planted - Auroville, India
Social Entrepreneurship Sekem, Egypt
Fair trade and ethical systems of exchange Findhorn Ecovillage, Scotland
Empower local economies - Social Currency Damanhur, Italy
Using inclusive decision-making Schloss Tempelhof Ecovillage - Germany
Participatory decision-making processes Findhorn Ecovillage, Scotland
Health and well being Visão Futuro SP, Brazil
nnovative and inclusive education nkiri Piracanga BA, Brazil
Education for Sustainability 7 Linden - Germany
Honour local cultural traditions Cartoong Ecovillage The Gambia
Colaborating cross-sector to scale up Ecovillages Ecovillage Transition Asia - Thailand
Transitioning 14.000 traditional villages ANEV Nacional Agency of Ecovillages - Senegal
"To live more ethically with others and the planet does not mean returning to the past, but to develop new and creative technologies and forms of social organization." (CAPRA, 2006)
Ecovillage Moviment Contributions Laboratories creating and testing tools and methodologies for local sustainable development. Dissemination of new values and ways of living. Low consumption, low environmental impact and high quality of life. Training: new skills, new technologies, sense of community, empowerment for collective action Examples / Models that can be adapted and recreated in other contexts.
Ecovillage Moviment Challenges Broad definition - gives directions, but no clear criteria. Lack of detailed mapping of the Ecovillages worldwide. Little systematization of knowledge / experience. Academic Research: few scientific studies aim to contextualize the phenomenon within a philosophical approach and/or human, social and political sciences. Challenges in the implementation and maintenance of the Ecovillages.
Taisa Mattos taisamattos@hotmail.com EICOS PROGRAM: Interdisciplinary Studies of Communities and Social Ecology Federal University of Rio de Janeiro pos.eicos.psicologia.ufrj.br GEN Global Ecovillage Network www.ecovillage.org