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Bergen Ecovillage

Bergen Ecovillage 2008 is a project aiming to establish an ecovillage near Bergen, Norway. Founded in March 2005, the community envisions a future where human-scale living is integrated with sustainable practices. With ongoing activities such as organic farming and permaculture courses, the project fosters a holistic approach to sustainable development. Challenges include creating a harmonious bio-system, sustainable economic activities, effective governance, and nurturing common values. The project focuses on investigation, community building, and detailed planning to realize its vision of a vibrant, ecologically conscious community.

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Bergen Ecovillage

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  1. Bergen EcovillageBergen Økologiske LandsbyBØLTalk held 25th September during the visit by representatives from Eco Info Centrum Ostrava, Czech Republic Bergen Økologiske Landsby 2008

  2. Bergen Ecovillage • Today: A (small) community, gathering regularly to do things related to sustainable development • Tomorrow: A (large, human-scale) community living together in an ecovillage near Bergen Bergen Økologiske Landsby 2008

  3. Bergen Ecovillage • Founded 1. March 2005 • Mission: To build the first ecovillage in the Bergen-region Bergen Økologiske Landsby 2008

  4. Bergen Ecovillage: Highlights • Start: Early 2004 • Summer 2004: Trip (excursion) to Denmark, visiting ecovillages and almost-ecovillages • Autumn 2004: A first draft of a project description • March 2005: Foundation • March 2005: Kick-off seminar (with designers and architects antd others) • Spring 2006: BØL organizes certifying course in permaculture • 2006/2007: Organic farming at Bolstad (east of Bergen): vegetables, potatoes, herb-spiral • 2006/2007: Farmers marked, once a month: Selling own-made flat-bread, vegetables etc., information activity • Spring 2007: BØL organizes the annual national permaculture gathering (1 week-end) • 2007: People Care: adopted by BØL as a useful concept • 2008: A decent web-page is up and going • 2008: A strategy for how to escalate activity on all sectors - in the making Bergen Økologiske Landsby 2008

  5. Bergen Ecovillage: ”Experiences” • 2004: Meetings. The need for an explicit structure ( Foundation) • 2005: Assessment of the Hovland gård estate (200 daa, 30 km south of Bergen) • 2005: Assessment of the Løvås estate (40 daa, 6 km south of Bergen) • 2006: Assessment of the Olav Bjordalsv. 20 estate (house, 1000 sqm), 25 km north of Bergen • 2007: Assessment of a smaller farm (some 100 daa, n. of Bergen) • Ongoing: Assessment of a large farm 25 km n of Bergen, 400 daa Bergen Økologiske Landsby 2008

  6. What is an ecovillage? human-scale100-1000 people: all able to know each other + influence full-featured settlementresidence, food provision, manufacture, leisure, social life, commerce human activities harmlessly integrated into the natural worldall cyclic (energy, food, “waste”), ban on toxic materials in a way that is supportive of healthy human development and can be successfully continued into the indefinite future. physical, emotional, mental, spiritual; also at community level. Network with other ecovillages Bergen Økologiske Landsby 2008

  7. Bergen Ecovillage: Status • About 100 sympathizers: occasional supporters/ future eco-villagers • About 4 co-ordinators organizing activities for members and non-members • Competence in design, lobbying and community building • A high standing on the local political stage and in the Permaculture community in Norway (1 board member) • A web page, fairly useful for internal communication and information to the outside • A good network with architects and some other specialists • Several activities going on, attracting various people Bergen Økologiske Landsby 2008

  8. The Ecovillage: Challenges • The bio-system challenge (preserve natural habitats on the village land, produce food, wood, and other bio-resources on site) • The built-environment challenge (use renewable energy sources, have a minimal need for motorized transport) • The economic system challenge • What are our resources (human, material, skills, economic) and to what time? • What are sustainable economic activities?Common vs. private ownership? Buildings vs. land • How to reduce both expenses and environmental impact?Business organization and alternatives and/or supplements to the money economy • The governance challenge • Conflict resolution and decision making. Decision enforcement. • Leader-ship • Relation to the outside? • The "glue" challenge • Common values, behaviors, or practices. Do we have a vision? How do we evolve it? • Interpersonal closenes and its development. Relation to others /”strangers”. • The whole-system challenge • To grasp the need for change in all areas of life, and the time needed for that process. • How to avoid too big stress on financial resources, emotional resources, and interpersonal relationships. • to get an honest sense of the scope of the undertaking • allowing the community to develop at a sustainable pace. •  Sustainability is not just a characteristic of the "completed" community; it needs to be part of the thinking and the habits of the group from the very beginning. Bergen Økologiske Landsby 2008

  9. Bergen Ecovillage: Plans, near-term • Phase 1: Investigation and design • Become 5-7 co-ordinators • Learn more on community building • Make a more detailed project plan: Emphasize organization, housing design, financiation • Make new brochure and fine-tuning of the web-page • Stay informed and prepared wrt. localization opportunities in Bergen • Keep up skill attaining activities, also to attract new people • Phase 2: Implementation • Active promotion: become a community of committed villagers • Fund raising • Preliminar presentable plans • Preliminar lobbying; extend our network • At the moment (Oct 2008) we are in phase 1 Bergen Økologiske Landsby 2008

  10. Bergen Økologiske Landsby 2008

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