Directory of Eco-villages in Europe - Kennedy Bibliothek
Directory of Eco-villages in Europe - Kennedy Bibliothek
Directory of Eco-villages in Europe - Kennedy Bibliothek
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Introduction<br />
The work <strong>of</strong> compil<strong>in</strong>g and edit<strong>in</strong>g the content <strong>of</strong> this <strong>Directory</strong> has<br />
been a fantastic journey from faraway corners <strong>of</strong> Russia, through the<br />
North <strong>of</strong> Norway to the Anatolian planes <strong>of</strong> Turkey. Most <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Eco</strong><strong>villages</strong><br />
have written their own tales and stories and every one has the<br />
flavour <strong>of</strong> the respective language and their people. We thank them all<br />
for their co-operation. It is a generous encounter with people's dreams<br />
and visions, deep ecology and spirituality, manifest<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>to someth<strong>in</strong>g<br />
very concrete: the creation <strong>of</strong> eco-<strong>villages</strong>.<br />
It is also a practical handbook with a lot <strong>of</strong> ideas and <strong>in</strong>spiration for the<br />
ones who want to start and the ones who want to develop further. And,<br />
<strong>of</strong> course, the very <strong>in</strong>tent <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Directory</strong>, mak<strong>in</strong>g the connection between<br />
the ones who look for an <strong>Eco</strong>-village to visit, to learn from or to<br />
live <strong>in</strong>, and the eco-<strong>villages</strong> runn<strong>in</strong>g teach<strong>in</strong>g centres, need<strong>in</strong>g the help<br />
<strong>of</strong> volunteers or those that are open to new members.<br />
We have divided the eco-<strong>villages</strong> <strong>in</strong>to two categories:<br />
* Exist<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Eco</strong>-village and<br />
• <strong>Eco</strong>-village Initiative<br />
The Exist<strong>in</strong>g <strong>Eco</strong>-<strong>villages</strong> are well-established settlements with a lot<br />
<strong>of</strong> experience <strong>in</strong> decision-mak<strong>in</strong>g, problem-solv<strong>in</strong>g and self-government.<br />
Most <strong>of</strong> them are rural or on the periphery <strong>of</strong> towns, a few are<br />
urban. The <strong>Eco</strong>-village Initiatives are <strong>in</strong> the start<strong>in</strong>g phase. They all<br />
have acquired land and are design<strong>in</strong>g and build<strong>in</strong>g their village or restor<strong>in</strong>g<br />
already exist<strong>in</strong>g ones.<br />
After the descriptions and contact addresses <strong>of</strong> eco-<strong>villages</strong>, we have<br />
<strong>in</strong>cluded the addresses <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Eco</strong>-village Networks and Nodes <strong>in</strong> each<br />
country and <strong>of</strong> Resource Centres which provide <strong>in</strong>formation about and<br />
demonstration <strong>of</strong> alternative technologies.<br />
It has been a great joy to receive descriptions and photos, to see what is<br />
happen<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> <strong>Europe</strong> and watch<strong>in</strong>g the <strong>Directory</strong> tak<strong>in</strong>g shape before<br />
our eyes. We have been <strong>in</strong> touch with about 200 people. In some cases,<br />
it was hard to make the decision whether this was an ecological project<br />
or an eco-village. If you feel that you qualify as an eco-village, we<br />
suggest that your group completes our <strong>Eco</strong>-village Pr<strong>of</strong>ile assessment<br />
sheet, which is shown on page 183.
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