Reports

Ecovillages, an alternative way of living communally

The main reasons for people deciding to create an ecovillage are ecological, economic, social and cultural. Escorihuela goes into greater detail saying: “Ecovillages are linked to principles that involve ecological sustainability –seen in practices such as bio-construction, renewable energies or ecological agriculture–, social sustainability –horizontal structures and consensus in decision-making, non-violent communication, peaceful methods for conflict resolution, etc.–, economic sustainability –local economy, sustainable use of resources, equitable distribution of wealth, financial autonomy, etc.– and cultural and spiritual sustainability –revaluing local cultural resources and a deep connection with nature as a source of union and brotherhood among people.”

Nonetheless, the reality is a little different because ecovillages do not always bring together all these principles. As Escorihuela explains, “the majority have chosen a subject as a starting point –ecology, social issues or spirituality– and slowly add the rest”.

In this context, the course to be started up by the UOC’s Campus for Peace and Gaia Education is to look at the fundamental aspects that need to be taken into account for comprehensive sustainable design and development. The course is the result of the teaching staff’s wealth of experience and experimentation in the world’s most important sustainable communities and ecovillages. Furthermore, it is based on the EDE (Ecovillage Design Education) programme developed by a group of ecovillagers who are experts in the various subjects involved in sustainability.

Ecovillages today

Today, “the ecovillage movement has spread widely around the world, both in the North and the South. However, in most cases, they are projects that are just starting out and are a long way from being consolidated. It does not seem likely that the number of ecovillages is going to increase greatly in the future, but what we have seen over recent years, and this is what highlights their value, is that ecovillages act as important centres for experimentation, providing valuable ideas and conclusions that can be applied in more traditional communities” adds Escorihuela.

The origins

We have to go back to the 1990s to find the coining of the word and concept of the ecovillage which is “linked to the rediscovery of a number of communities that overcame the crisis that affected the hippy communes of the 1960s and which had come out strengthened with new ideas and ways of understanding community”, states Escorihuela. The first meeting of ecovillages and sustainable communities took place in Scotland in 1995; “there were more than four hundred representatives from communities from around the world, which gave rise to the Global Ecovillage Network, or GEN”, he concludes.


Responsible tourism, development and cooperation

For all those interested in finding out about tourists’ responsibilities when they travel to other countries, the UOC and the Fair Tourism NGO have started up a course for the upcoming semester.

Fair Tourism is a non-profit organisation. It began a year ago with the aim of making people aware of the need for more responsible and sustainable tourism and to drive development activities in Third World countries. This NGO is led by Joan Miquel Gomis, Director of the UOC’s Tourism programme, and Carles Tudurí, a tutor on the programme. It is currently developing awareness-raising projects (a campaign to raise awareness amongst Spanish consumers for the summer and the production of a guide for responsible travel) and cooperation projects (collaboration has begun with a number of tourist projects; mainly in Nicaragua, Morocco and Angola). The aims of this NGO are to promote fair and sustainable tourist development from an economic, social and environmental point of view; to drive ethical activities in tourist companies that invest in Third World countries, and to create stable lines for solidarity and cooperation between the tourist sector and areas that could see economic improvement.