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GENOA Newsletter 1 st edition January 2014 Regional news and updates from GENOA Spreading seeds of love, compassion & positive energy Issue #1, January 2014 Annual GENOA Gathering 2013 The GENOA annual gathering took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The gathering included the annual meeting of discussions around finance, budgeting and restructuring of GENOA, as well as strategic planning sessions and time for getting to know each other. It was a heart warming and soul filled gathering, with 28 members from around the region attending, including Nepal, Bhutan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. Many warm and remarkable relationships and collaborations have evolved from this gathering of beautiful minds and hearts, such as important community response projects in the Philippines after typhoon Yolanda, and collaborative education initiatives between Bhutan and India. We hope that the energy from our gathering will continue to stay strong and light many more collaborative initiatives that will heal our Earth. Core Values Page 1 Our vision Philippines ecovillage disaster recovery If you would like to contribute in any way through the purchase of books, art materials, volunteering, the creation of an integrated curriculum, documentation, seeds or seedlings, spiritual or healing workshops, in the Philippines to support communities as they rebuild and restore their lives and the environment after typhoon Yolanda, please write to Pi Villaraza at [email protected]. Please see page 3 for details of disaster relief work in Philippines. GENOA Newsletter Compiled by Trudy, Sri Lanka Edited by Michiyo (Japan), Chris (Australia), Aku (Nepal) If you would like to submit an article from your ecovillage, organization or community, please contact Trudy at [email protected]. The GENOA newsletter is a quarterly publication. The next issue will be released in April 2014.

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GENOA Newsletter 1st edition January 2014

Regional news and updates from GENOA

Spreading seeds of love, compassion

& positive energy

Issue #1, January 2014

Annual GENOA Gathering 2013 The GENOA annual gathering took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The

gathering included the annual meeting of discussions around finance, budgeting and

restructuring of GENOA, as well as strategic planning sessions and time for getting

to know each other. It was a heart warming and soul filled gathering, with 28

members from around the region attending, including Nepal, Bhutan, India,

Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, South Korea, Japan, Australia,

Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

Many warm and remarkable relationships and collaborations have evolved from this

gathering of beautiful minds and hearts, such as important community response

projects in the Philippines after typhoon Yolanda, and collaborative education

initiatives between Bhutan and India.

We hope that the energy from our gathering will continue to stay strong and light

many more collaborative initiatives that will heal our Earth.

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Core Values

Page 1

Our vision

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Philippines ecovillage disaster recovery

If you would like to contribute in any way through

the purchase of books, art materials, volunteering,

the creation of an integrated curriculum,

documentation, seeds or seedlings, spiritual or

healing workshops, in the Philippines to support

communities as they rebuild and restore their lives

and the environment after typhoon Yolanda,

please write to Pi Villaraza at [email protected].

Please see page 3 for details of disaster relief work in Philippines.

GENOA Newsletter

Compiled by Trudy, Sri Lanka

Edited by Michiyo (Japan), Chris (Australia), Aku (Nepal)

If you would like to submit an article from your ecovillage, organization or community, please contact Trudy at [email protected].

The GENOA newsletter is a quarterly publication. The next issue will be released in April 2014.

GENOA Newsletter January to March 2014

2

The event of Lifechanyuan

The Second Home of Lifechanyuan was

established in April 2009. It is a very rare

example in China of an ecovillage

community that practices a fully

communal way of living. They have

received guests from 15 countries and the

community is proved to be highly civilized

and very eco-friendly. Lifechanyuan has

three branches located in Yunnan

Province, with 150 permanent members in

total, including 15 seniors and 14 children.

On 11th of November, the Second Home of

Lifechanyuan united with Konohana Family (Japan) to become a big family.

Recently, the 3rd branch located near

Chuxiong city encountered forced

disbandment by local government under

the name of "local villagers do not have

enough land to live". The road was

damaged; power and network cables were

cut, they have been living under such

conditions for six months. In November, it

was claimed their lease contract was

invalid. Members were not allowed to take

Recently, the 3rd branch located near Chuxiong city encountered forced disbandment by local government under

the name of "local villagers do not have enough land to live".

pictures or videos and ones that were taken

were forcibly deleted. They were also forced

to abandon their homes and 40 members

withdrew under pressure from their homes

and were transferred to the other two

branches. The local police office and Public

Security Bureau were informed of the

matter, but took no actions.

Later in November, the branch near Lincang

city also suffered from some villagers’ attack,

whereby the gate was broken, and after

forced entry, a threat was made for members

to leave within 10 days. A female member

was physically hurt and many children were

terrified. The villagers even came at night

and threw stones and shouted loudly from outside the property.

The other branch located near Anning city

has been receiving frequent calls from a few

landlords, who said they wanted to

terminate the lease contract, and explained

that it was not their intention but they were under high pressure from local government.

In December the local governments

informed the Second Home to be

disbanded which members accepted, with

the request for some time to relocate and

reasonable compensation. However, they

broke the words and not long after another

main water pipe in the 4th branch buried

deep under the ground was dig up and cut

into 34 parts.

It is believed the local governments feel

afraid that Lifechanyuan will develop into

a “illegal organization”, which could

influence society and the government. In

order to avoid potential problems, local

authorities see disbandment of the ecovillage as te solution.

During the last four and a half years,

Lifechanyuan has never violated Chinese

laws or committed crimes, never opposed

the Chinese government, and never caused

harm to society or any people. They have

been maintaining good relationships with

all their neighbours, and live simply in

harmony with nature, following their core

values of reverence of Earth and life. They

are not a political or activist organization,

instead they are a group of people who

want to live together, share all resources,

care for nature, care for each other, and to have a happy life together.

Having ecovillages like Lifechanyuan, in a

country like China is extremely difficult

and courageous because its spirituality is

too far to understand with the general

public, and could be threat for conservative

people whose value is still heavily on

materialism, reported Michiyo (GENOA

presient). Many of us have gone through

this process when you operate an

ecovillage. However, since this is very

crucial issue of the ecovillage movement in

this region, a campaign has been set up on

Avaaz to send a petition to the Chinese government.

If you have not sign the petition yet,

please sign and spread the petition. Most

importantly, please send positive energy

to Lifechanyuan and the government of

Yunnan Province.

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Ch

inese_President_Xi_Jinping_Save_Chinas_largest_ecovillage/share/

by Ailian, Lifechanyuan

“Ecovillages like Lifechanyuan, in a country like China is extremely difficult and courageous because

its spirituality is too far to understand with the general public.”

Michiyo, GENOA President

GENOA Newsletter January to March 2014

3

How many times have we seen images of refugee camps worldwide with people being forced by

wars, or other disasters, to live together under harsh and unbearable circumstances? Sometimes

this situation can last over years, and even decades. An increasing number of people in the

GEN movement feel that ecovillage processes and practices can contribute a great deal in these situations. A prime example being in

communities that are forced to come together out of traumatic or disaster situations often have

many similar needs and conflicts that appear in ecovillages - be they of an ecological, social,

economical or cultural kind. In the Philippines, the founder of Maia Earthvillage - Pi Villaraza -

and Sabina Arokiam, a Malaysian permaculturist, created Permaculture Aid

Yolanda as a tool for disaster relief and prevention. Pi Villaraza reports.

On the morning of 8 November, the category 5

Typhoon Haiyan - locally known as Yolanda - made a direct hit on the Philippines - a densely populated country of 92 million people -

devastating areas in 36 provinces. Haiyan was possibly the most powerful storm ever recorded.

The typhoon first made landfall at Guiuan, Eastern Samar province, with wind speeds of 235

km/h and gusts of 275 km/h. Rain fell at rates of up to 30 mm per hour and massive storm surges

up to six metres high hit Leyte and Samar islands.

Many cities and towns experienced widespread destruction, with as much as 90% of housing

destroyed in some areas. Roads are blocked, airports and seaports impaired, and heavy ships

have been thrown inland. Water and power supplies were cut, much of the food stocks and

other goods were destroyed, many health facilities are still not functioning, and medical

supplies have quickly been exhausted.

The Philippines is one of the most disaster-

stricken countries in the world, so we always expected the next storm to come. For many years, we have been running a programme called

Green Relief. Permaculture Aid Yolanda came about as some of us, fresh from the GENOA

annual gathering were planning a convergence next year and when we heard about the typhoon,

it was natural that we directed our attention to a post-disaster response.

Maia Earth Village is a very simple intentional community in the hills near a beautiful beach in

central Palawan: an international community that houses yoga teachers, healers,

permaculturists, and advocacy field workers.

Maia is a raw food community. It spreads

across two spaces, one in the city as a healing, detox, and training facility called

Bahay Kalipay, and the village itself, a forty minute drive into an isolated area

where solar-powered mudhouses and gardens nestle in a fifteen acre property.

Maia Earth Village is situated in the only part of the Philippines that is typhoon-free. We made sure to

choose our land in such an area. After Yolanda we have made Maia Earth Village the base camp for the disaster relief work. With our experience and

connection with the worldwide permaculture and ecovillage movements, we are able to use the

ecovillage network to gather all the corresponding aid agencies, farming groups, rehabilitation planners,

and permaculturists working in the collective. In terms of assistance, GENOA has decided to make a

special project to hold a disaster-response EDE in the worst hit areas that trains town leaders from various

areas that trains town leaders from various areas on how to rehabilitate their own communities from all

the elements of eco-village design.

PILOT SITE: Batug, Leyte Batug is a peaceful

village of 500 families that had been farming and fishing as a way of life. The campaign "One Block

for Batug" had been started by Andrea Roa, a Filipina yoga and breathwork teacher who went back

to her village in June 2011 and witnessed the

destruction of the only primary school. The reason

was that the school was too close to the river banks that were destroyed by soil erosion and the heavy

current from the Daguitan river.

"One Block for Batug" is a community based,

registered non-profit project to raise awareness towards the plight of this little village of Barangay

Batug and it's Elementary School. The project intends to raise funds to provide proper classrooms

so that the students can continue with their education.

However, on November 9, 2013, everything changed. Overnight, their community was evacuated

and their homes were destroyed. The village has no casualties but they are going through the damage

and trauma from the loss of property and livelihood.

The school that was recently set up by the "One Block for Batug" Project for 150 students is also

gone. One month after the disaster, people are beginning to go back to put their homes and lives

together again. During this time, no long-term assistance has reached the community.

The Earth Village Project

The Earth Village Project is a whole systems

response to crisis that reminds us of our deep relationship with the earth as a community. Co-

journeying with stakeholders affected by disaster, we hope to co-create closed loop systems that

support food security, health and well-being, sustainable housing, and even rebuilding a

damaged school into an “earth school.”

Through a team of local and global experts and

volunteers, the project hopes to share earth based energy management principles designed on a

regenerative approach that addresses care for the people, care for the earth, and allows fair sharing

of resources.

Using ecovillage and permaculture design and

application process, the project hopes to assist affected communities to rehabilitate and rebuild,

while being mindful of the carbon footprints that directly contribute to the climate changes in the first place. Throughout the stages of response,

relief, rehabilitation, rebuilding, and prevention, support is designed, based on how nature works,

with the innate wisdom of the community - in terms of their resilient capacities - to move from

victims to survivors and, hopefully, shift as survivors into thrivers.

The core of our work is

transformation from the personal to the collective; and from the interior and exterior

levels of the self, community, and the planet within the backdrop of peak oil and adaptation to

climate change.

Our mission is to support whole systems

thinking, design, and actions in addressing post-disaster and post-conflict interventions during

relief and rehabilitation stages. By whole systems, we mean ways that integrate inner and

outer aspects of people care and earth care. It is our intention to assist any initiative to re-think

and re-design their interventions that could support their impact to become more sustainable.

Our hope is to facilitate resilience on the scales of personal, communal, and planetary, that restore

the innate capacity of individuals in alignment with the earth’s wisdom.

Permaculture Aid Yolanda for

Disaster Support in the Philippines In the Philippines, the founder of Maia Earthvillage - Pi Villaraza - and

Sabina Arokiam, a Malaysian permaculturist, created Permaculture Aid

Yolanda as a tool for disaster relief and prevention.

"If the world sends firefighters,

doctors, engineers, artists, etc. to the

displacement areas, should we not

also consider sending community

facilitators?”

Alfonso Carreras

The Earth Village Project is in partnership with umbrella networks and

organizations seeking to assist disaster affected communities with an earth based

perspective and approach. The following are the ex

GENOA Newsletter January to March 2014

4

Permaculture and Ecovillage Design as a Framework for Holistic Disaster Prevention

Permaculture is a holistic framework and design science for providing natural and sustainable

solutions to all aspects of human needs, and the needs of the planet. An Ecovillage Design is a process that empowers individuals and

communities with the knowledge for shaping their worlds and becoming more self-reliant. An

ecovillage is an intentional or traditional community using local participatory processes to

holistically integrate ecological, economic, social, and cultural dimensions of sustainable

living in order to regenerate the many and diverse environments of planet Earth.

Green Relief and Permaculture Aid Yolanda work within the stages of disaster management

in a circular understanding of its interrelationships. We are not first responders,

but we serve as support to supplement or support existing response and relief operations. Our main

intervention mostly begins between the relief and rehabilitation stages, where long term solutions

can be held with participation by the people affected or displaced.

Response and Relief

Garden to Garden Relief is a whole systems model

that begins with the garden and ends with the garden. The first stage is sourcing relief assistance

from nature through living food, as a source of nourishment and medicine, through our green

smoothie relief efforts, adding dehydrated and powdered medicinal herbs and plants to assist in

boosting the immune systems of evacuees.

We are also ready to assist in organizing proper

ecological solid waste management in evacuation centers to assist in health and sanitation. We can look at how biodegradables can be integrated in

preparing the compost for these gardens, and how residual and recyclable materials can be

incorporated in the regenerative home/structures the community builds together: whether a mud

house, or an adaptive earthship structure during the rehabilitation period.

Towards the end of the rehabilitation phase, we aim to assist in co- creating permaculture

community gardens for future food security and as a means of self-sustainability.

Rehabilitation and Rebuilding

The Earth Village Mandala goes through a

community consultation process, beginning with a needs assessment, and a balance of inductive and deductive design using appreciative inquiry,

tapping into the existing resources of the community. An important part of the process is

engaging partnerships with local and international experts, or organizations

(government or non- government), who share the same vision, values, and approach that the

community designs together.

Alfonso Carreras, member of the GEN Europe

council: "If the world sends firefighters, doctors, engineers, artists, etc. to the displacement areas,

should we not also consider sending community facilitators? It makes sense, I think. Besides being

able to help people in need, our movement would take an important step if we were able to

work side by side with organisations like Doctors without Borders, Firefighters without Borders,

and many more."

By Pi Villaraza, www.pcaidyolanda.com

(Permaculture Aid Yolanda)

Continued

In India, grass root democracy and development planning is monopolized by the government,

which has made people from the rural areas dependent on external agencies, and more so on

local government officials. Rural and tribal people have been kept away from local area development,

decision-making and the planning process.

To address this issue, THREAD Siddharth Village, an organization in Orissa that was

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as a rights-based approach, which

attempts to cater to the livelihood need of the poor, as well as ensures their voices are articulated

and heard. It is rightly regarded as the “people’s plan”.

Mr. Santosh Dora, the leader of the team at Mayurbanj worked with THREAD staff

specifically trained in Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) to pilot the “People’s Plan”

process in five Gram Panchayats (pivotal bodies of planning and implementation) of Mayurbhanj

District of Orissa. The village level micro planning process began with training for labour union

leaders and front line women leaders on new

MGNREGA operations, budgeting, resource management and planning concepts. The field

facilitators from Siddhartha Village were responsible in facilitating the village level planning

process, which was completed in 60 villages in mid- 2013.

This planning process and the new MGNREGA’s operational guidelines have been able to prioritize the livelihood needs of the poor and landless.

Underpinning these changes is a commitment from the Nari Samaj; the state level indigenous women’s

organisation, who two years ago placed the demand to the Chief Minister to support people

oriented programs. Fortunately, their demands were accepted. Moreover, now the indigenous

women some of whom were exposed to EDE and MGNREGA, are now involved in different modes

of life such as Goatery unit, Poultry Cow Shed and many more which has been approved by Gram

Sabha, the principal forum for wage seekers to raise their voices and make demands.

Furthermore, the projection of financial year 2014 is expected to yield many development initiatives

for these villages, which in turn will accelerate the economic development of poor and landless

families. As pointed out by Mr. G John, the founder of Siddhartha Village in India, “It is time

for all social organisations to light the lamp instead of blaming the darkness. We spend lots of energy

fighting against some thing or someone and never emit energy to create a new initiative which will ultimately disempower the unwanted”.

It is indeed commendable that these villagers are following his words and are exploring the

interventions that can be used to help them move their lives forward and to bring about the change.

By Noel, THREAD

Blowing out the final flame of the Intro EDE workshop

Introduction EDE

in Australia

Shane Schmidt a member of GENOA and

GEN Australia with a team of facilitators

ran a successful introduction to EDE

workshop at the Moora Moora co-operative

community near Melbourne Australia for

five days in October 2013. Over 20 people

participated from around Australia

representing eight different eco-village

projects who learnt from a great team of

facilitators the four dimensions required for

successful community. The workshop was

full of fun, friendships and sharing and the

group deepened quickly with the ZEGG

forum process introduced . Shane and his

team are planning to run a six day

Introduction EDE at the Paradise One community in Byron Bay in April 2014.

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GENOA Newsletter January to March 2014

5

On December 4 2013, Moora Moora

Community, in the mountains outside of Melbourne in Victoria, held the second

Australian Intentional Communities Conference for three days of workshops,

forums, discussions and fun.

The conference attracted 75 people from

over 26 different communities around Australia from old intentional communities such as Commonground,

Tuntable Falls, Bundagen and Moora Moora itself to newer emerging

communities and co-housing projects such as Murunduka and Tasman Ecovillage.

The conference held workshops and talks on important issues for Australian communities

such as spirituality in community, legal Structures and insurance, youth in Community,

sharing resources and sharing wisdom of over 40 years with speakers such as David Spain, James

Fuller, Bill Metcalf, Peter Cock and Phil Bourne.

Shane Schmidt and Chris Gibbings,

representatives of the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) Australia presented both about

the international conference in Switzerland in July 2013 and the GENOA conference in

Malaysia in November 2013. There was also aforum onwhat GEN's future here in Australia

is. Common themes emerging from the conference was the need for more information

sharing, networking and representation and it was seen GEN could help support these initiatives.

GEN Australia is planning to have a small gathering in March 2014 amongst members and

those that want to be involved to consolidate

and to create its vision for the future.

There is also growing interest from younger

people attending the conference for a Next Generation in community conference/gathering in 2014.

The three days was a chance for people to make friendships and networks among the

communities as was enhanced with an Australian bush dance, talent night and fire

ritual to welcome the coming bushfire season on Mount Toolebewong on which Moora

Moora sits upon. Also 'the forum' process from Zegg Community, Germany was introduced to

deepen and allow sharing between participants.

The third Australian Intentional Communities Conference is planned to be held in 2015 in

Tuntable Falls community, Nimbin NSW.

In other news also, Shane after a successful

Introduction to EDE workshop in Moora Moora in October, is coordinating an

Introduction to Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) workshop in April

2014 in the new Paradise One community in Byron Bay, New South Wales.

There is also planning stages for a full length EDE incorporating both a

Permaculture Design Certificate and Earth building workshop in

November 2014 once a community to host the workshop is finailised.

Best wishes and blessings all from Moora

Moora Community.

By Shane Schmidt

Second Australia Intentional Community Conference

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34"'",0&9"#&9%#,.':&#$/-#'$#) Seonaeville and Ecovillage Research Insititute co-

hosted the symposium for farming returners with the title of Economic Crisis and Alternative

Economy. In Korea, many people who are interested in ecovillage life are returning to the

rural areas to live together for sustainable lives. For them, economic independence within

community is the critical issue which needs to be discussed and solved in the long run.

As the first step for research among various

community issues, this topic has been decided as the first topic in community symposium. Whereas

people who stared to live in ecovillage as the alternative against material civilization of

capitalism, we realized that it is not that easy to establish economic independence. Therefore, this symposium is designed to understand the

fundamental understanding on alternative economy and to find the specific aspects.

Four presenters presented the individual subject and had the forum on various topics with regard to

ecovillage movement.

• Economic Crisis and Alternative Economy

• Cooperative Association and Community Independence Method - jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise

• Sharing Economy and Local - As the alternative way of independence from

capitalism, local currency and sharing economy is the way that we have to pursue.

• Seonaeville Ecovillage Movement: Seonaeville is the intentional community initiated by meditation group in 2006 and

built in 2010 after four years of preparation. Various programs on cultural, educational,

spiritual dimensions were used for inhabitants as well as constructors. Community decision

making based on emptying minds and acceptance and spirituality democracy are

introduced.

This attempt in the format of symposium on community’s issues is the promising and

constructive way of solving various issues arising in community.

We expect that the next symposium would be

more evolved and many relevant people would be involved for using and realizing in various

communities in Korea.

By Kaitlynn Min

You are welcome to join the GENOA network to share knowledge, experience

and wisdom for the creation of Ecovillage communities all over Oceania & Asia

Global Ecovillage Network in Oceania & Asia GENOA Headquarters:

Konohana Family, 238-1 Nekozawa, Fujinomiya, Shizuoka, 419-0302

JAPAN Tel: +81-544-66-0250 Fax: +81-544-66-0810

Email: [email protected] Website: http://genoa.ecovillage.org

GENOA newsletter January 2014

Reconnecting with lost forests Sri Lanka, one of the smallest countries in Asia, but biologically diverse in the region due to the

varied climate and topographical conditions, is home to a vast amount of flora and fauna species, many of which are endemic to the island, an indication of the country’s separation from the

Indian sub-continent. Sadly, like many places around the world, the habitats where our animal and plant friends live, the ancient trees and ecosystems have been destroyed and are continuing to

be destroyed due to human actions. Forests cut down in order to make way for monoculture plantations and cash cropping, rivers polluted by factory waste and chemical fertilizers and

pesticides used in farming, have contributed to the rich top soil of this abundant island to be washed away. All of this leading to a serious threat to life, not just for humans but all species.

Thirty years ago, Sri Lankan’s first systems ecologist, Dr. Ranil Senenayake, saw and felt this

threat to life. He observed that in Sri Lanka’s ancient villages, punaragamas, existed old trees and mature ecosystems, and in these habitats, many diverse species could be found. In response, he

purchased a 17-acre plot of degraded tea land in the hills of Sri Lanka, to create something that

looked and acted like the native forests in the punaragamas, using knowledge and concepts of ecology, keystone species, edge effects, emergent species, and creative design. With the help of a

hard-working and dedicated team, the Belipola Arboretum was created and the concept of Analog Forestry was born. The NeoSyntehsis Research Center (NSRC) was subsequently created

to run the site, and used to research Analog Forestry and Traditional Medicines of Sri Lanka. It was also established as Dr. Ranil described to “identify and respond to the factors threatening the Life Support Systems of the Planet”.

Belipola was a hive of activity, ranging from being a site of training and research to forest garden production in the first 20 years, but as Analog Forestry began

to spread to many other countries around the world, the human activity slowed down and almost ceased at the site. NSRC also left Belipola and began to work in other parts of Sri Lanka, refining the techniques of Analog Forestry. So, people left, but the forest kept growing and thriving, over 60 species of birds,

an array of mammals such barking deer, monkeys, wild boar and amphibians have also made their home here. And in an area where the surrounding mountains were converted from natural water sheds to barren lands through unsustainable land use management, the constructed wetlands at Belipola have

raised the water tables and also filter and purify the streams that flow through the land. Seeing Belipola with all its colours and diversity today is like seeing a work of art that is so magical and full of the beauty that humans are truly capable of

creating.

So the road ahead for Belipola, under the guidance of Trudy and Sion (GENOA members) is that of rejuvenation and revival, to bring it back to the days where it was a place of living

and learning, of sharing and connection. The task is to reconnect human communities and the forest and all its creatures. The vision is to set up Belipola as a sustainable community

demonstration and training center, one where approaches such as analog forestry, permaculture and ecovillage design can be offered for local, regional and international

communities, and a space where researchers and interns can stay and study the biodiversity, ecosystems and restoration effects. Belipola will also be opened to the public

in the coming months, for school and university groups to do educational tours, as well as for nature lovers to explore the forest on any of the nature trails. A patch of 3 acres is also currently being cultivated using permaculture techniques, the organic plot producing

vegetables and herbs that are being sold at the weekly natural and organic market in Colombo, The Good Market, in order to slowly build awareness around forest gardens and

create a network, which will help build a sound business. The third aspect of Belipola which will take time to evolve, is eco-tourism. Ecological structures will be built that fit

into the forest landscape and will be offered as places of retreat and rejuvenation to the tired soul.

In a country that has been through over 400 years of colonization, where primary forests were cut down to make way for plantations, and where 30 years of

war have left the people yearning for a peaceful just society, learning to live in harmony with and in the forests is something that has been long forgotten. Belipola’s place in Sri Lanka is that of utmost importance, as it can demonstrate the possibilities of good governance, healthy and nutritious food, cultural

strength and diversity, encouragement of local initiatives and collaboration, and the protection and restoration of forests and native habitats.

As Belipola flourishes, we will keep you informed of our progress and when we will be open for visitors, volunteers, interns and anyone wishing to bathe in

the beauty that Mother Earth can offer.

By Trudy Juriansz

The Gaia Ashram “Pioneer of Rainy Season Internship 2014 Gaia Ashram provides the "Pioneer of Rainy Season" internship. Interns will

experience being part of a forming Ecovillage – The Gaia Ashram- at its very early

stage. The program will include theory, spirituality and hands – on work. The

theoretical sessions will be participatory and interactive. The internship will cover the 4

aspects of Ecovillage Design (Social, Ecological, Economical and Worldview inspired

by Gaia Education), Permaculture Ethics and design principles.

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Gaia Ashram

!A community of all beings"

!Where we learn to go beyond

the anthropocentric worldview

by living and learning to see

ourselves as part of the community of all beings"