The document outlines a curriculum for building a holistic worldview centered around sustainability. It covers 5 modules in each of the following areas: worldview, social, economic, and ecological. The worldview modules focus on developing a new vocabulary for holism, reconnecting with nature, consciousness transformation, and linking personal and planetary health. The social modules include building community, communication skills, leadership, and using art and ritual for social change. The economic modules address shifting to a sustainable economy, developing right livelihoods, local economies, and legal/financial issues. Finally, the ecological modules cover green building, local food systems, renewable energy infrastructure, and applying whole systems design.

1. Building community and
relationship in the ecovillage
Robert HallRobert Hall
President
Global Ecovillage Network of Europe
11 Dec 2015 at Green School in Kyiv

2. Sustainability Wheel

3. Worldview
Module 1: Holistic Worldview
Module 2: Reconnecting with Nature
Module 3: Transformation of
Consciousness
Module 4: Personal Health and Planetary
Health
Module 5: Socially Engaged Spirituality

4. Worldview
Module 1: Holistic Worldview
 a new vocabulary to describe a holistic worldview
 habits of meditation, reflection, and awareness of the self and
the environment.
 ‘new science’ that point to a definite spiritual basis underlying
nature and reality
 heal the divisions between spirituality and science, and
simultaneously between modern and traditional cultural
paradigms
 personal awareness of the interconnectedness of life and human
responsibility

5. Worldview
Module 2: Reconnecting with Nature
 sensitivity to Nature required to do the work of competent and
inspired ecovillage and sustainability designs
 attending to the health of Nature is fundamental to any
discussion about sustainability
 listening to and seeing Nature as a teacher and a guide
 active steps now to honour and restore Nature, beginning with
our own bodies
 connecting with Nature through our mind, body, and spirit

6. Worldview
Module 3: Transformation of
Consciousness
 awareness that connect our planetary life to the cosmos
 our deeper mission and purpose in life
 strengthening practices that can lead to spiritual
awareness and transformation of consciousness
 reflecting on our place in the spiritual journey

7. Worldview
Module 4: Personal Health and Planetary
Health
 human being as a holistic being - a union of mind, body, and spirit
 healing the Earth is a prerequisite to our own health, and acting on it
 attention towards the unmet needs of the entire person, including
those on an inner level, in order to heal ourselves
 wisdom of traditional healing methods and balancing these with
modern Eastern and Western medical knowledge
 every human being is unique, and for each one the path to wellness is
specific and personal
 prevention as the best method of maintaining and restoring health

8. Worldview
Module 5: Socially Engaged Spirituality
 linking paths of “inner” spiritual transformation to “outer”
social change
 empowerment of socially engaged spirituality with potent
examples
 spiritual awakening and transformation of consciousness
on the social change agenda, and social change activism on
the spiritual agenda
 creative collaboration between spiritual groups and social
change groups, synergistically goals of both

9. Social
Module 1: Building Community & Embracing
Diversity
Module 2: Communication Skills: Conflict,
Facilitation, and Decision making
Module 3: Leadership and Empowerment
Module 4: Art, Ritual and Social
Transformation
Module 5: Education, Personal Networks and
Activism

10. Social
Module 1: Building Community &
Embracing Diversity
 Tapping into the immense power for
social change that lies in the building of
community
 Acquiring social interpersonal skills on
how to start a community including:
organising a core group, forging a
common vision, creating community

11. Social
Module 2: Communication Skills: Conflict,
Facilitation, and Decision making
 Expand the range of definitions of “decision rules” that can serve as
alternatives to “unanimous consensus” decisions
 Experiencing directly the process of facilitated decisions
 Play the role of the facilitator in participatory processes and understanding
how it differs from traditional, autocratic leadership
 Practicing the basics of compassionate nonviolent communication and how
to deal with con-flicts
 Activating cycles of planning, deciding, feedback, reflection and evaluation in
community life

12. Social
Module 3: Leadership and
Empowerment
 Understanding the differences
between repressive power and
creative power
 Developing the concept of self-
empowerment and the
empowerment of others

13. Social
Module 4: Art, Ritual and Social
Transformation
 art as medium for personal and group growth, healing, and
transformation for people at all skill levels
 creativity as our true nature, as a flow from a universal source
 stimulating environments for inspiration, intuition and creativity and
flow
 community celebrations as an expression of Group Art, a culture of
celebration
 creativity, both individually and in community, connecting life and art

14. Social
Module 5: Education, Personal Networks
and Activism
 respect for the community of past, current and future
generations
 friendly relationships with our neighbours and visitors: concept
of “us,” and “them”
 designing for human ecology, by balancing public and private
spaces
 catalysing change towards sustainability in our bioregion
 scope around networking, exchange, education, support and
solidarity on a global level

15. Economic
Module 1: Shifting the Global Economy to
Sustainability
Module 2: Right Livelihood
Module 3: Local Economies
Module 4: Community Banks and
Currencies
Module 5: Legal and Financial Issues

16. Economic
Module 1: Shifting the Global
Economy to Sustainability
 the global economy current function.
 the consequences of the global economy
for people, society, and ecosystems.
 why the global economy has developed
as is?
 how the global economy could be more
just, resilient and sustainable.
 changes we can make to shift towards

17. Economic
Module 2: Right Livelihood
 Align our values with our economic and lifestyle choices
 Develop a greater connection with our life purpose
 Promote livelihood choices that contribute to, rather than
detract from, planetary health and well-being

18. Economic
Module 3: Local
Economies
 the concept and the experience of social
enterprises
 explore social enterprise activities to be
involved in launching or supporting
 ideas on businesses best suited to the
scale and characteristics of ecovillages
and local neighbourhoods
 types of social enterprise activities that
flourish in ecovillages

19. Economic
Module 4: Community Banks and
Currencies
 what money is and how it works
 insights on how different ecovillages and other communities
(intentional and conventional) develop flourishing local economies
 how to set-up and manage community banks and currency systems

20. Economic
Module 5: Legal and Financial
Issues
 various legal and financial options
available for ecovillages and social
enterprises, suited to specific contexts
 create own ecovillage projects, and
social enterprises
 feasibility studies and business plans

21. Ecological
Module 1: Green Building & Retrofitting
Module 2: Local Food; Nutrient Cycles
Module 3: Water, Energy and Infrastructure
Module 4: Restoring Nature, Urban
Regeneration and Rebuilding after Disasters
Module 5: Whole Systems Approach to Design

22. Ecological
Module 1: Green Building &
Retrofitting
 the problems inherent in ‘modern’ building
and construction techniques
 ‘green,’ sometimes called ‘alternative,’
building techniques whose designs provide
healthier, more energy efficient and less
environmentally damaging structures
 the choice of building materials and

23. Ecological
Module 2: Local Food;
Nutrient Cycles
 the benefits of growing, distributing, and
consuming local food
 the connections between personal and
planetary health and well being
 local food production scheme design for a
village or a neighbourhood
 methods and techniques for organic food

24. Ecological
Module 3: Water, Energy and
Infrastructure
 water cycles of an ecosystem
 energy issues for human settlements and
individual households
 the elements of local renewable energy
systems
 the principles of mobility, roads, and

25. Ecological
Module 4: Restoring
Nature, Urban
Regeneration and
Rebuilding after
Disasters
 techniques for restoring
Nature and accelerating
natural earth-healing
processes
 reparation for such

26. Ecological
Module 5: Whole Systems
Approach to Design
 comprehensive “Whole Systems Design” –
demonstrating a synergy of spiritual, social,
economic, and ecological parameters in the
design process
 team design and learning how to be a
“midwife” for future community residents and
users of village services

27. Thank you for listening!
Contact: robert@gen-europe.org
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Suderbyn.se
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Gen-europe.org
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Ecovillage.org
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Gaiaeducation.org