Directory of Eco-villages in Europe - Kennedy Bibliothek

What is an eco-village ?
The eco-village is a manifestation of a great intuitive energy that comes
from the deep understanding of nature and knows that both we and nature
are both in real danger, urging us to look deeply again into what we
have so casually and comfortably cast aside as though it were nothing
but an outworn boot.
"Already.... more and more people think they are alone and lonely. It
is true that they are alone - as all men must be if they are to grow into
themselves - but loneliness is unnecessary, because the world contains
so many close neighbours, the closest often the furthest away." (Laurens
van der Post)
The eco-village model can be applied across the spectrum of present
human settlements. It can be applied equally to both urban and rural
settings, to developed as well as developing countries, providing solutions
for meeting human needs, protection of the environment and an
enhanced quality of life for all.
An eco-village in Hungary is different from an eco-village in Denmark,
Spain or the UK. How does then the common community component
articulate itself? Certainly there is collectivisation, almost at
every level of an eco-village, as we have experienced over the last 13
years in Lebensgarten Steyerberg, Germany. Why else would we call
ourselves a village? We feel connected to each other, even if some of us
come from the North, some in the South, East or West, from an island
or up in the mountains. The great power of the singular idea that ecology
is relevant, yes urgent in our times, subsumes to some communal
way. On the one hand, we experience an ever greater discord in personal
opinion, in individualisation of the self, in the difficulty of accepting
other's opinions, proposals or short-comings. Each eco-village is
an island and the recognition of what we share often is narrowed to
sectarian allegations, for instance, by sensational press.
On the other hand the negative of individuality is widely expressed in
so-called democratic society. You do not have to look far to see evidence
of this. Political apathy, social isolation, alienation, cultural deterioration,
educational one-sided-ness have distorted and wounded the
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