Ecovillages and community-led regenerative initiatives showcase practical and living solutions of how we can address climate change; biodiversity loss; deterioration of ecological health at local, bioregional and watershed levels; loss of cultural diversity; unjust and ever increasing inequality; political conflicts; and severe economic vulnerability as shown by COVID-19 crisis.
Ecovillage Advocacy in Australia
We believe it is critical to share ecovillages solutions as widely as possible, demonstrating that ecovillages are helping achieve the climate change Paris Agreements and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By working in partnership with local councils, and state and federal government, and aligned organisations and networks, we can multiply and ground these solutions country-wide quickly.
If you need support to advocate to your local council or government body, please contact us.
Ecovillage Impact
Ecovillages weave together the four areas of regeneration – social, culture, ecology and economy – and pioneer innovative solutions that enable communities, regions and states to fulfil the promise of the SDGs and Climate Agreements.
Research on ecovillage impact agrees. The EU-funded TRANSIT research project identified ecovillages as key sources of the social innovation necessary for transitions to sustainability. And the TESS research project concluded that if only five percent of the EU were to engage in effective community-led climate change adaptation initiatives, carbon savings would be sufficient for 85% of it’s countries to achieve their 2020 emission reduction targets. TESS also showed that 63% of the surveyed community-based initiatives have been replicated elsewhere. The potential to scale community-led regeneration is high!
GEN has recently launched the Ecovillage Impact Assessment, which is a tool for communities, groups and people to map, analyse and showcase their work for participatory cultural, social, ecological and economic regeneration.
We invite all Australian ecovillages and communities to participate and take the assessment. If your community or initiative is not there, you need to register it in our ecovillage map first. Make sure you create a user profile in order to be able to do this.
United Nations COP
In 2019, a delegate from GEN Australia attended COP25 in Madrid, representing GENOA as part of the GEN International delegation. GENOA is regularly present at the annual United Nations climate summits with GEN International and other GEN Regions, presenting community-led climate solutions and seeking partnerships to support local and national governments achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
International Ecovillage Advocacy
Since 2000, GEN International has had NGO and consultative status at the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECO SOC) commission, and is represented at regular briefing sessions at UN Headquarters. GEN International is also a partner of UNITAR, the United Nations’ Institute for Training and Research.
The Special Consultative Status with ECOSOC means GEN as a network has a special competence in, and is concerned specifically with some of the fields of activity covered by ECOSOC. This status gives the GEN International Advocacy team the chance to join in the work of various committees relevant to its concerns to promote sustainable communities and practices worldwide.
