To create a officespace where social entrepreneurs from all social classes of Colombia can work together and connect to a international network of like minded people and people to can help them realize their dreams and projects about creating a better Colombia and a more lifeaffirming world.

Purpose:

To create the possibility for unlikely meetings to happen and to create a Colombia that is less polarized.

To create a network of social entrepreneurs and play mates in Colombia

Key People:

Internationally: Jonathan Robinson, Maria Glauser, Simone Poutnik, Tatiana Glad, Simon Ulvund, Frauke Godat, Silje Grajsvit, Janne, Yulia, Lesley, Danny Gol
Colombia: Pablo, Susanna, Paula, Carolina,

Income potential:

Potential some income from consulting work, and spin off projects, but not initially.

Status:

There is a community of 150 people who are interested and a concept proposal is just about created.

Next steps:

Clarify our contribution

Inspired by:

The Hub

To live in a community where we can practice sustainable living. Where we can be selfsufficient with food, have no carbon footprint, where we can build our own house build from sustainable materials and where we can be part of a community that can support eachother with cooking, childcare, carpooling, and other shared things.

We would like to bridge the Urban and the Rural, Nature and Culture, Home and Work…

Purpose:

To walk our talk of sustainable living. To experiment with how a new social structure can look like, that caters for the modern persons needs, without compromising the wellbeing of our planet.

Key People:

International: Daniel, Jonathan, John Milton, Rasmus, Benjamin, Kathrine
Colombia: Carolina

Income potential:

Not much direct income here

Status:

Idea stage – connections to Findhorn, ClearVillage, Global Ecovillage Network

Inspired by:

Findhorn
Tornsbjerggård
Camphill
Gaviotas

To create a learning center, based on an experiential and practical learning style, building human capacities to deal with the uncertainty of our times. To have a physical location where we can offer trainings, retreats and host processes. A place where we live sustainable a place that invite the diversity of the Colombian Society.

Purpose:

To empower people to make a difference in their lives, their communities and the world towards creating a more life affirming system of infuence, through concrete tools and a translocal network.

Key People:

Internationally: Sarah and Maria, Debbie Frieze, Margaret Wheatley, Vanessa Reid
Colombia:

Income potential:

Depends on the activities, but has potential when the place is found and ready.

Status:

Idea state and there are many good connections and cases to draw on.

Inspired by:

Axladitsa, Greece
Kufunda. Zimbabwe
The Shire, Canada
Santropol Roulant, Canada
Berkana Exchange

Live in harmony with the nature,
Learn from the nature, and
Recover the health in the nature.

Konohana Family is an organic agricultural community which is almost 100% self-sustained, located at the foothill of Mt. Fuji, living as a big family of 47 people (as of November, 2007). There are 11 children, 4 teenagers and 32 adults.

In 1994, the original 20 members moved to Fujinomiya city, Shizuoka Prefecture, hoping to live together and help each other beyond the generation gap and the family relationship. We founded
“Konohana Nouen (Farm)”, that is the original form of Konohana Family. The name of “Konohana” comes from the Goddess of Mt. Fuji, “Konohana sakuya hime no mikoto”.

Since the foundation, the Family has established an original life style based on the spirit of harmony. Everyone plays a great role in the community where he or she can make the most of his or her ability.
Following a natural flow of energy, each member works for the good of the whole group, making sure that what needs to be done is done.

Download a PDF file with the full story of the konohana family:

Konohana family

And some of their views on Sustainable Organic Agriculture, New Harmonious Society, Natural Therapy Program etc.

If you want to practice your japanese here is their website.

Gaviotas is a village of about 200 people in Colombia, South America. For three decades, Gaviotans – peasants, scientists, artists, and former street kids – have struggled to build an oasis of imagination and sustainability in the remote, barren savannas of eastern Colombia, an area ravaged by political terror. They have planted millions of trees, thus regenerating an indigenous rainforest. They farm organically and use wind and solar power. Every family enjoys free housing, community meals, and schooling. There are no weapons, no police, no jail. There is no mayor.

The United Nations named the village a model of sustainable development. Gabriel Garcia Marquez has called founder Paolo Lugari the “inventor of the world.”

Visit Gaviota’s website en inglés

A 25 minutes video about Gaviotas y Paolo lugari (en inglés).

Here is a little list of communities:

• EcoVillage: I found a nice definition of ecovillages on the Gaia Foundation website:
  “The ideal ecovillage, which does not yet exist – is a sustainable human settlement which is in harmony with all aspects of life, including the cultural, ecological and spiritual dimensions.”

• Findhorn, Scotland -  the mother of Ecovillages and a role model for how to co-create your community with nature.
• GEN – Global Ecovillage Network -  is a global confederation of people and communities that meet and share their ideas, exchange technologies, develop cultural and educational exchanges, directories and newsletters, and are dedicated to restoring the land and living “sustainable plus” lives by putting more back into the environment than we take out.
• Next Generation of Ecovillages – shares the principles, concepts, and knowledge of the Ecovillage movement. We share this wealth of knowledge with our cities, universities, schools, businesses, governments, and communities. By integrating the knowledge of the ecovillage movement into the rest of the world, we are creating the next generation of ecovillages.
• Friland -  a great resource for sustainable building practices
• Intentional communities: -  is an inclusive term for ecovillages, cohousing communities, residential land trusts, communes, student co-ops, urban housing cooperatives, intentional living, alternative communities, cooperative living, and other projects where people strive together with a common vision.
• List of community forms – I just found an old post from my old Werdo.net blog where I list a good long list of different kinds of communities.
• Stages  of creating a community – and here are Scot Pecks 4 steps to create a community

The fases to this Peck describes as

1. Pseudocommunity:
2. Chaos:
3. Emptiness:
4. True community:

This evening I was just thinking about some of the important things about creating a home. One thing that came to mind was Community and if I can be part of a community where nature and sustainability is prioritized even better.

Then I came across a whole lot of links about Ecovillages and as it turns out there are actually 13 registrated Ecovillages in Colombia.  This website above has a directory of all the ecovillages in the americas, with contact info. We will go visit the ones closest to Bogota, when we are there in January.