GEN Australia, as an organisation, consists of several teams working autonomously and come together through the coordination circle (see Governance). Currently, the active teams are the management circle, communications & IT, education and projects. GEN Australia team members are all GEN Ambassadors and work remotely and across multiple circles collaborating across different projects, internal operations and building the network.
Shane Sylvanspring (Management; Projects; Education Circles)
Shane is an environmental and social activist and professional town planner who is passionate about eco living and intentional communities. Shane is an ambassador and trainer of the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) Australia and has run half a dozen Ecovillage Design Education (EDE) courses in Australia, and around the world. Shane has also developed the Village Development Program (VDP), an EDE inspired course for future residents of the Bruns Ecovillage, facilitating, along with other community experts, over 150 possible residents through the program. He also has developed and been part of design teams for other large ecovillage projects in Australia.
Tanya Mottl (Management; Communications; Education Circles)
Tanya is a GEN Australia Ambassador based in Sydney, Australia. She is also a member of the GEN Australia Management and Communications team since March 2020. An enthusiast for the GEN Regenerative Design process, Tanya has a diverse background and is driven by a passion for community, nature and the inherent human need for connection.She is a skier, sailer, e-cyclist and a generalist and likes to play to her strengths – kindness and facilitating conversations around the current climate crisis. With a background in training, she is keen to see the SDGs and Ecovillage Design Cards utilised extensively during the Decade of Restoration. She is grateful for her upbringing in the Ku-ring-Gai Chase National Park on Pittwater in Sydney for the understanding of weather which helps her understanding of the Permaculture Design Certificate she’s currently doing. A novice eco-villager but a quick learner!
Trudy Juriansz (Management; Education; Projects Circles)
Trudy Juriansz is an educator and community facilitator with over 20 years of experience in ecovillage design, permaculture, education, regenerative agriculture and ecosystem restoration. Based on the Sunshine Coast, she is a core member of a forming community addressing housing affordability through collaborative, regenerative solutions. Trudy works with the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN), co-facilitating the Resilience Project and Keystone Communities initiative, and serves on the council of Permaculture for Refugees (P4R). An accredited trainer in Ecovillage Design Education, Permaculture, and Analog Forestry, she has supported communities across Asia, Europe, and Oceania to build resilience through participatory learning, systems thinking, and cultural renewal.
Dr. Jason Hilder (GEN Australia communication to CoHousing Australia)
Jason has been observing communal living arrangements for over 20 years and visited over 40 villages both in Australia and overseas. His passion for knowledge sharing led to PhD research looking at the economic, ecological and social aspects that make ecovillages and cohousing communities work. He also has lived experience in rural and urban collectives for over 10 years. A dual theme of interest in regenerative food production in cooperative settings that grew from academic studies in Rural Management and Natural Resources.
He is currently the Chair of CoHousing Australia and a co-founder of the evolving Albury Agrihood (a combination of cooperative farming and cohousing village) in regional NSW.
Jason has been involved with GEN Australia for over 5 years in research and strategy. He believes that networks of communities offer practical and holistic solutions to address the many problems of housing unaffordability, ecological degradation, social disconnection and economic destabilisation that are faced throughout the world.
More information can be found at LinkedIn.
Alexander Schoeffel – (Management; Communications Circles)
Alex comes to us from a background in Festivals, Arts and LGBT organisations, Multipurpose Venues and the Media.
A self confessed culture junkie and wrinkle cream addict, he is the Project Officer and a Committee Member of Gulpa Creek Community Farm in the Southern Riverina where he was born. He is a recognised professional Landscape Designer and Horticulturalist. He has a rare plant gallery in the the Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne and when he’s not working, studies Architecture at RMIT University.
