[Sdpg] Ecovillage Network of the Americas,ENA NEWS, #0003, Permaculture is such a big part of the Ecovillage Movement

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Permaculture is such a big part of the Ecovillage Movement , read more below
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SubjectENA NEWS, #0003



ENA NEWS, #0003
Electronic Newsletter of the Ecovillage Network of the Americas,
August 20001
http//ena.ecovillage.org
EditorGiovanni Ciarlo <mailtogiovanni at ecovillage.org>

Dear Friends,
This newsletter of the Ecovillage Network of the Americas (ENA) is 
distributed for free throughout the Americas and beyond. ENA is a 
grassroots public policy research, education and networking organization, 
and part of the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) <http//www.gaia.org>.  Our 
focus is to help meet the needs of present and future generations for a 
safe and healthy planet to inhabit.

For a free subscription to this Electronic Newsletter, please write to
<ena-news at ecovillage.org> with the word "subscribe" in the subject of the 
message.  To unsubscribe write "unsubscribe" in the subject line. You may 
request a Spanish or Portuguese version of this newsletter. You can also 
read earlier issues on our web site<http//ena.ecovillage.org/newsletter>

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Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) UPDATE from ENA's International Office
Albert Bates <ecovillage at thefarm.org>

GEN-Europe is about to create Middle East and Africa regions, which could 
send a delegate to the GEN board in the future. Three pilot Living and 
Learning Centers have now been established in Sri Lanka, Brazil, and most 
recently, Senegal. The GEN board also approved a strong connection to the 
Living Routes program for taking university classes to ecovillages for 
semester-long programs. <http//www.LivingRoutes.org >

GEN-Europe is organizing tours and travel packages (for students or 
non-students) to ecovillages in Europe and expects to compile a Ecovillage 
Travels Catalog. <http//www.gen-europe.org>
A new issue of the GEN magazine, Ecovillage Living, is now in print, and 
the next issue, with a theme of village design, is planned for the winter 
of 2001-2002.   <http//www.gaia.org>

The GEN International Secretariat Office in Copenhagen was closed in May as 
a cost-saving move. Functions previously handled there have been divided 
among the three regional secretariats to coordinate, along the these 
general linesGEN-Europe - Communications, GEN-Oceania/Asia - Program 
Management, and ENA - Structural and Financial Planning. The GEN board 
recommended to all regional Councils that the regional Secretaries' terms 
be extended until at least 2003 to help manage the transition of this 
restructuring. After winning approval of consultative status at the UN, GEN 
has now joined CONGO, the Committee of Non-Governmental UN Organizations 
and has regular representation at the UN by John Clausen, Frances Edwards 
and May East.

BRAZIL

II CONGRESSO LATINO-AMERICANO DE PERMACULTURA
Vale do Capno, Bahia, Brasil,  24-28 de setembro, 2001
For a full program description<http//www.ecolinkvillage.net/permacultura>
Hugo Leonardo da Silva <hugoastr at terra.com.br>

CANADA

Ecovillage Network of Canada (ENC)
Annual Gathering, Lakefield Ontario, September 14th - 16th,  2001
For a full schedule of Presentations and Workshopshttp//ena.ecovillage.org/enc
Bill Dibble, Box 638, Lakefield, ON, K0L 2H0; Phone705-652-7371
or email Marjorie Lafreniëre  <aml at sympatico.ca>

Cost$75.00 for ENC members or $90.00 for non-members for registration 
by  September 1st.  Children under 16 are half price; children under 5 are 
free.

MESO AMERICA

In July 2001 Bea Briggs of Huehuecoyotl Ecovillage in Mexico traveled to 
Europe to conduct a series of Consensus Decision Making and Conflict 
Resolution workshops in Ireland, Spain and Poland. The workshops were 
organized by the GEN-Europe office and were a great success. For 
information on Bea's courses contact her at <briggsbea at aol.com>

Holger Hieronimi has compiled a detailed summary of observations and 
experiences of the work he has done developing a Permaculture design 
project in Huehuecoyotl ecovillage in Mexico over the past three years. The 
report, in Spanish and with great graphics, is published in PDF format and 
can be downloaded from<www.siriuscoyote.org/Ecovillage>

MOBILE ECOVILLAGES

 >From the Rainbow Peace Caravan, now in Ecuador
In July/August of 2001 there were a series of workshops offered in Ecuador 
with a theoretical and practical focus on systems that promote human scale 
designs for a sustainable lifestyle. The themes touched upon 
werePermaculture, Eco-construction, Appropriate Technologies, and Consensus 
Decision Making and Conflict Resolution. There was a cadre of 
internationally recognized instructors, including members of  ENA and Becky 
Bee, one of the better known Cob builders in the world.

The workshops took place in Mindo, a place known for its biodiversity and 
ecotourism. This community is a pioneer in conservation and is actively 
looking for positive proposals for a better life for its inhabitants, among 
those is the project of an Ecovillage.

These workshops were organized by Salem-Ecuador 
<http//www.saleminternational.org> and The Rainbow Peace Caravan 
<http//www.lacaravana.org>

Alberto Ruz <elenapianca at aol.com>, ENA Council Representative for Mobile 
Ecovillages reports
Being in Mexico in March and April gave me the incredible opportunity to 
witness and be part of the national euphoria around another Caravan, that 
of the Mayan people from Chiapas called CARAVANA DE LOS PUEBLOS DEL COLOR 
DE LA TIERRA (Caravan of the Earth Color People). These Zapatista's journey 
through 12 states of Mexico, followed by thousands of activists, indigenous 
people, rastas, new & old radical hippies, street gang kids, students, 
actors, musicians from the 4 corners of the Planet is a dream come true. 
They received national and international support all along their 
pilgrimage, their visit to Tepoztlan and nearby villages of Morelos, and 
their arrival at the Zocalo of Mexico city.

A Caravan´s Continental Gathering of mobile ecovillages is being planned 
for the year 2002 in Bolivia, called by the 13 Moons Peace Movement, which 
will include La Caravana Arcoiris por la Paz, Nomades Karavan, and a couple 
more coming from the North (U.S. and Canada).

Giomar Sarmiento and Daniel Zahalka <zahalka at telcel.net.ve> in Venezuela, 
presented the trailer they've constructed as a mobile model at a fair in 
Caracas, a showcase for information on ecovillages, bioregionalism, 
Permaculture, recycling, etc.

We've also had news from our friends from the Maria Bonita y Bombon 
traveling circus, a family of actors from Chile and Holland caravaning to 
the Amazones. They travel in a rainbow colored bus that serves as their 
stage, home, workshop, and the place where their baby was born a year ago. 
So, as the Zapatistas, we can say "We are not alone". The seeds we plant 
here and there in our travels continue to grow.

NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA

Claudio Madaune <fundarien at edatel.net.co> writes
The Reserva Integral Sasardi continues to promote sustainable programs for 
the Colombian Darien region where they have drawn great interest from the 
Environmental Corporation Department of the Antioquian University, the 
Parks Division of the Environment Ministry, as well as several local and 
grassroots organizations. Proposals are aimed mainly at establishing 
sustainable human settlements, biodiversity conservation and the 
improvement of life for the local population. Among the interesting 
contacts made, is that of Aldo Civico, in charge of the International 
Conflict Resolution Program at Columbia University, USA, who showed great 
interest in this Ecovillage and is maintaining contact via documentation 
and other information exchange.

The Ecovillage at MontaZa Magica continues to grow by leaps and bounds. 
They now have more than 20 members who keep on building their dream with 
great enthusiasm and excitement. They have offered a number of workshops to 
teach about group life as a sane alternative.
In Peru, Veronica ViZas <ecovero at hotmail.com> is doing an excellent job in 
building the Peruvian Ecovillage and Permaculture Network, with the 
institutional support of Catholic University's Rural Support Group. They 
are forming a very diverse and interesting group of people and 
organizations, such as PED-CLADES (Consorcio Latinoamericano en 
Agroecologia y Desarrollo) of great prestige and experience around 
environmental issues of sustainable production and communal life. The 
University itself  is lending their academic prestige and professionalism 
to promote projects related to Ecovillages. They are very motivated and 
already have plans for several projects and activities.

 >From Bolivia and Norway, Enrique Hidalgo has spent time behind the 
computer to build the home pages for El Poncho Ecovillage in Bolivia. 
<http//communities.msn.com/ilppictures>

Enrique has also been establishing ecotourism programs, and 
micro-enterprises in hammocks and other handcrafts from Bolivia. The 
ecotour programs are ready to receive the first groups in October and 
November, for a magical journey from the Amazon to the Andes mountains and 
lake Titikaka, and for a volunteer caravan program- traveling from the 
Amazon to the Andes, participating with native communities in planting 
trees and conducting local workshops.

The ILP (Instituto Latinoamericano de Permacultura), has obtained legal 
status as an organization in Bolivia, and has received 19 volunteers from 
England, Norway, USA, Peru and the Netherlands since October 2000, when we 
started to build the Ecocenter for Living and Learning.

SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA

Taking advantage of his visit to Chile, Claudio Madaune of Colombia, along 
with the Cooperativa para el Desarrollo Sostenible "Territorio Sur" in 
Valparaiso, Chile, and with the participation of our friend Julio Perez, 
organized a series of conferences in the Catholic University of that 
region. The conferences were very well attended by students and teachers of 
various departments. They also organized talks in places like the Geography 
Institute of the Catholic University, the Universidad Bolivariana, Adult 
Education Centers, the Museum of Natural History, and the Cultural 
Collective "No Censurable" among others. This left many seeds sown in the 
minds and hearts of  many people who would like to live in a more 
sustainable way and who see that Ecovillages can offer a way to make that a 
reality. There were also interviews in local radio stations about 
Ecovillages and sustainable development and meetings with a number of 
people and organizations interested in knowing more about ENA and its 
activities.
ContactJulio Perez (TRAVELING UNTIL OCTOBER, 2001) <jperezd at terra.cl>

 >From UruguayLucia Battegazzore <7generaciones at jacaranda.org> 
<http//www.7generaciones.org> writes

As in Argentina, the Global Bartering Network is rapidly growing in Uruguay 
with nodes all over the country. In this network people barter not just 
goods and services , but they also exchange information, experiences and 
hopes for a better world for the future generations. At a recent Barter 
Fair in the southern region of Uruguay there was not only bartering (a 
large fair without any money exchange), but also talks and conferences 
about Ecovillages, bioconstruction and consensus decision making. The later 
being of great usefulness within the network and made possible thanks to a 
group of very committed people.

In this network there are already a number of Ecovillage projects and a 
great deal of interest for forms of cooperative living with ecological and 
social justice elements. This network continues to grow and expand, 
creating opportunities for all kinds of exchanges among its members.

WEST UNITED STATES

 >From Los Angeles Eco-Village (LAEV)
Eight Ecovillagers staffed an LAEV booth at the two day 7th Annual EcoMaya 
Festival held in April at Los Angeles City College in the heart of the big 
city and produced by Eco-Villager Julio Santizo. T.H. Culhane set up an 
alternative energy display and demonstration along with a SunMar composting 
toilet from Jade Mountain. Approximately 5,000 people attended this free 
event cosponsored by the City of Los Angeles.

LAEV along with several public agencies sponsored a ribbon-cutting ceremony 
and bicycle and walking tour on June 9th to debut street improvements on a 
three mile strip of Vermont Avenue, one of Los Angeles's busiest streets, 
which runs a block west of LAEV. Many EVers worked with our City Council 
Office and other public agencies over the past three years to plan the 
installation of cork street trees, bicycle racks, bus shelters, public art 
and pedestrian lighting--all in an ongoing effort to make Vermont Avenue 
more attractive to pedestrians and encourage the use of public transit, 
especially our new subway along Vermont, rather than private automobiles.

LAEV now has one completely off-the-grid apartment unit within its 40 unit 
apartment building, thanks to T.H. Culhane.  Two new EVers, Angel Orozco 
and Susan Sherod, are in the process of making their units grid-free as 
well, and there is talk of setting up our own little mini utility with the 
excess power being sold to other EVers rather than back to the utility 
company which could result in a net utility credit for participating EVers.

ContactLouis Arkin <crsp at igc.org>

INTERNET RESOURCES & OTHER WEB SITES

Visit ENA's Sustainability Links 
pages<http//ena.ecovillage.org/links/index.html#top>

Highlights -
CNN reports on the success of Guatemalan artists using the Web to sell 
their crafts.  The Internet allows them to reach a worldwide audience of 
potential buyers.  Read this article at
<http//www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/internet/05/17/web.art.t_ts/index.html>

Save the Earth International is an Organization involved in the Campaign "A 
Healthy and Safe Environment is a Human Right". We are working in 85 
countries at present. We believe all living beings must have Safe Food, 
Safe Water, Safe Air and Safe Energy for their survival, and this should be 
included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of The United 
Nations. Our focus is on Earth care, People care and Fair sharing. For the 
Campaign's goals and objectives please visit our web site
<www.bangladeshonline.com/gm2000se>

CALENDAR
Visit ENA's Calendar of Events 
pages<http//ena.ecovillage.org/calendar/index.html#top>

Highlight -
The Global Living Project Summer Institute

The ChallengeIs it possible to live harmoniously and equitably within the 
means of nature?

The VisionWe visualize individuals learning and experiencing the beauty of 
simple living and working together for a change.

Skills For Self-Sufficiency; August 12-18, 2001
Sliding scale $300 - $600

Come and experience for yourself a working model of sustainability. Frank 
and Libby Ruljachich open their home to share the lessons learned and 
information gained from over 20 years of living on a voluntarily low income 
with the provisions of their vegetable garden, fruit and nut orchard and 
surrounding wild edible foods. All amenities are powered using a unique 
micro hydro system. Residential learning will offer hands-on opportunities 
to provide participants with direct experience and fundamental skills that
can be used towards becoming a global citizen.

Topics will include
Sustainable Agriculture, Food Politics, Alternative Energy, Wild Crafting, 
Food Preservation

LocationBright Ridge Farm; above the lower east side of Arrow Lake, near 
Syringa Creek Provincial Park, west of Nelson B.C.

Register Early - Only 15 Spaces Available

TO REGISTER, please contact Jennifer Compton<sc at netidea.com>

For more information on the Global Living Project check their website at 
<www.globallivingproject.org >

***
ENA offers this E-newsletter free of charge thanks to the volunteer labor 
of its members, distributed without profit for research, networking and 
educational purposes. ENA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose 
mission is To engage the peoples of the Americas in common effort to join 
the global transformation towards ecologically, economically and culturally 
sustainable human settlements.

We care deeply about encouraging people of the Americas to think about, 
openly discuss and share their strategies for the creation of Ecovillages 
and sustainable lifestyles in their regions.

If you wish to support this work, make your contribution payable to ENA.

     Mailing address
     ENA Central Office
     AttLinda Joseph
     64001 County Road DD
     Moffat, Colorado 81143 USA
     e-mailena at ecovillage.org

A receipt will be sent to you qualifying this donation for tax deduction. 
Donors receive complimentary copies of ENA's printed newsletter.

If you enjoy this newsletter, don't hesitate to forward it to friends and 
associates and suggest they subscribe. Thank you!

***
Copyright 2001. Ecovillage Network of the Americas (ENA). Reserved
rights. For permission write toena at ecovillage.org.


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ENA Electronic Newsletter
mailtoena-news at ecovillage.org
Ecovillage Network of the Americas (ENA)
http//ena.ecovillage.org
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