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ecovillage transition

Bringing ecovillage design to Rainforest Aboriginal communities

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Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA) held the Rainforest Aboriginal People’s Forum, 23-25 July 2021 where Jumbun representatives, Nicole Huxley, Uncle Abe and Aunty Phyllis attended. Jumbun were invited to not only attend the conference but also to have a stall to share about their work to transition to a regenerative resilient community and to showcase the ecovillage design framework and cards.

Nicole printed stand up banners with all the areas of regeneration and principles and displayed the GEN Ecovillage Cards packs at the table, and facilitated many conversations about ecovillage transition and design at the conference, with other rainforest Aboriginal communities, NGOs and government bodies.

Nicole is stepping up as a GEN Ambassador and hopes to facilitate ecovillage workshops with other Aboriginal communities in Queensland. Together with GEN Australia, she hopes that many more indigenous communities can transition to be regenerative communities, becoming self-reliant and creating abundant pathways for future generations.

Uncle Abe, Aunty Phyllis and Nicole Huxley at the WTMA Rainforest Aboriginal People’s Forum

Journey to Jumbun and Murray Falls

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A small team from GEN Australia travelled to up to far north Queensland in June 2021, to visit Jumbun Community and to facilitate a 3-day ecovillage workshop for Jumbun community members, their stakeholders and surrounding Indigenous communities.

3-day ecovillage workshop, held at the Murray Falls National Park near Jumbun Community

We explored the ecovillage framework and 32 principles of social, ecological, culture and economy, integrating into whole systems design, which helps to create pathways to transition to being a thriving community. We had space not only to learn about a design system that aligns with indigenous culture and values, but also to hear Jumbun’s story from the eyes of elders, to listen to each other and the current issues we are facing and how we can address them collaboratively into the future. An important aspect that became visible is that Jumbun is rich in land and culture and the possibilities to regenerate their community are vast. 

The Jumbun elders and GEN Australia team also visited the local school, Murray River Upper State School before the workshop, so the elders could engage the children and form stronger bonds with them. The elders shared openly and lovingly, their knowledge and wisdom with the children, of tree and plant species that have both medicinal values and are and have been bush tucker for many generations before. 

Jumbun Elders, Aunty Phyllis & Uncle Abe with children from Murray River Upper State School

We had the opportunity to have a representative from Permayouth, a youth-led network and the founder of AI.AM Naturals, an ecological and ethical enterprise making home and self care products, hold mini-workshops with the students and teachers from Murray River Upper State School at the Murray Falls National Park, where the workshop was held, a few kilometers away from the Jumbun community.

Maia Raymond sharing about Permayouth & Sion Zivetz doing a soap making demonstration

Next steps & broadening outreach

Through this workshop, many opportunities have emerged for Jumbun and the network. A few key projects have emerged from the process and Jumbun, GEN Australia, Permayouth and other stakeholders are exploring the next steps and are co-designing the initiatives.

The ecovillage design framework is a broad design system that can be applied to any type of community, as it is diverse yet easily adapted to any local context or country. The framework and design principles have been distilled over 25 years from thousands of communities (intentional, traditional and indigenous) worldwide and are constantly informed by the people and communities who choose to use it as a guiding tool. The approach we take in the workshop is interactive, yet intimate, sitting in circle, listening and sharing stories, while allowing the space also to connect to the broader global systems and issues and the state of the world. 

GEN Australia uses a set of ecovillage cards (areas of regeneration and principles) and mat that are laid out on the floor so you can see the principles (words and pictures) and reflect on how that relates to our community. Jumbun is currently in discussion with GEN Australia about developing a project to adapt the cards with pictures and words that could be more relatable to Aboriginal communities.

If other Aboriginal communities are able to step into ownership of their pathways to self-reliance and sustainability, the opportunities for peer-to-peer exchange, knowledge transfer and collaborative work grows immensely. 

We will share more stories like this as our connection and relationship deepens with Jumbun and other indigenous communities in Australia

Fiji Ecovillage Transition Project

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The Fiji Ecovillage Transition Project (ETP) is an initiative by GENOA and GEN Australia, to engage and activate the ecovillage network of Fiji and to assist traditional villages and informal settlements in the transition towards ecovillage. We acknowledge and respect that many Pacific Island communities are already strong in many aspects, and our role is to facilitate space for them to see and appreciate this, value their strengths, and find leverage points to improve their resilience in the face of climate change. 

The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) and particularly the Global Ecovillage Network Oceania and Asia (GENOA)  recognizes traditional villages as ‘ecovillages’ alongside urban and intentional communities of the more developed world. GENOA has in the last fifteen years been working within several countries in using the ecovillage principles within traditional villages in their development to ensure that these villages remain ecovillages in times of rapid change. Ecovillage is a process not an outcome, with four areas of regeneration (social, ecology, culture and economy, integrating into a whole systems design) that guide the pathways to design, training and implementation.

By retaining practices that ensure the ecological, cultural and social fabric of the traditional village remain while embracing technology, economic markets and global connections the village can remain in balance with its natural environment and culture knowing they are resilient while entering into the global diverse culture with its many opportunities. 

Ecovillage workshop at Koroipita, Fiji, November 2019

Representatives from GEN Australia (Andrew Olivier and Shane Sylvanspring) and GENOA (Trudy Juriansz) traveled to Fiji at various times in 2019 to facilitate ecovillages workshops, network and develop relationships with various communities, businesses and local organisations, and to identify models of ‘ecovillage’ that already exist in the country. Through these visits, the team realised there is substantial enthusiasm in Ecovillage Transition in Fiji, from traditional villages, informal settlements, NGOs, government agencies, businesses and funders.

Dee (Fiji), Trudy (GENOA), Shane (GEN Australia), November 2019

Impact of climate change in Fiji

The entire region of Fiji is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The London School of Economics estimates that across the Pacific Islands, home to 10 million people, up to 1.7 million could be displaced due to climate change by 2050. Yet Fiji, like all Pacific Island states, faces challenges in fully implementing government policies due to limited technical, human resource and financial capacities.

Fiji’s volcanic islands include low-lying atolls, that are highly susceptible to cyclones and floods. Sea flooding is usually associated with the passage of tropical cyclones close to the coast. However, heavy swells, generated by deep depressions and/or intense high pressure systems some distance away from Fiji have also caused flooding to low-lying coastal areas.

Edible gardens at Koroipita, a social housing project that aligns with the ecovillage process

Next steps

Through the Fiji Ecovillage Transition Project, we have begun to engage and activate the ecovillage network of Fiji and to assist traditional villages and informal settlements in the transition towards ecovillage. The pilot communities identified are open and ready to learn, collaborate, design and implement. By collaborating with Fiji’s strong base of NGOs, projects and networks, there is a strong system of support for implementation. There is a strong need to engage and gain support from key government ministries, in order to address gaps between policy frameworks and implementation of solutions at the village level. With financial support, there is huge potential to scale up the Fiji Ecovillage Transition Project across the country and to other Pacific Islands. A key component is to have a local implementing partner who can ensure that ecovillage solutions continue to spread and have positive impact in the country. This is underway through partnerships that are being developed and strengthened, and with the emergence of a Fiji Ecovillage Network.

  • Ecovillage workshop at Togalevu Village, July 2019
  • Trudy (GENOA), holding an ecovillage session with Togalevu women, July 2019