Ecotopias
The member projects of Evolving Cycles, or Ecotopias, are ecocultural educational participatory projects with a focus on working with the land. They are designed with permaculture principles, that’s why they aim to create regenerative ecosystems, collective food self-sufficiency and energy systems as they care for the land, care for people and share their resources equitably.
They host cultural and artistic events with ecological content, conduct educational programs and act as community role models, designing community experiences that embrace the local community.
- Projects need to follow permaculture practices in the management of their land and economy, their internal structure needs to be governed by the principles of dynamic governance and its founding members need to be trained in compassionate communication.
- Evolving Cycles conducts the relevant training for the projects that become members of our network.
- The member projects make up Evolving Cycles, but they operate through them and independently of them. This means that their economic activity and responsibility can be independent. When, however, the activity of a project comes through Evolving Cycles (for example, the project receives funding through the Evolving Cycles organisation) then a specific contribution is required from the project towards the organisation. Evolving Cycles thus proposes a cooperative economy model which shares the legal form and at the same time shares responsibility for each project’s activity.
Evolving Cycles is currently expanding its network of people and projects.
It currently has 4 projects in 4 locations ("hubs"), each focused around efforts to integrate, engage and regenerate their local community.
Calme Garden
Project Manager: Konstantinos Keremeles
Calme Garden is an ecological cultural community education centre based on regenerative practices that operates within an economy of sharing valuable goods and experiences between people of all ages. A founding project member of Cycles of Evolution.
Located in Lagonisi, Attica and active in the local community since 2016. It includes two hubs in which cultural and educational activities and food cultivation take place. It hosts volunteers throughout the year. Calme Garden is also the “home” of the “Mikro Vouno” project, an alternative nature-based pedagogy project for preschool children
Community Lab
Project Manager: Karystinos Christos
Community Lab is a lab of tools for community life. It has an interdisciplinary approach to helping communities thrive. It provides spaces for communities to transform and reach their potential. Spaces where people can feel safe to be part of communities led by experienced facilitators. The project is based in the community of Garipa, just outside Chania, Crete.
Community Lab embraces its vision through:
- Permaculture .The aim is the real social and environmental regeneration of the human ecosystem.
- Sociocracy 3.0: A set of tools (patterns) that lead communities to effective organisation and decision-making.
- Facilitation: The art of connecting the collective to their vision while taking care of their people and processes.
New member projects