Curriculum

CLICK HERE to view the *NEW 2012 VERSION* of Gaia Education’s Ecovillage Design Education curriculum, which we will be basing the course off of!

 

The 4 dimensions overview:

Ecovillage Education includes the three main pillars of sustainability – ecological, economic and social, but adds a fourth dimension, which we call “worldview”. Within each dimension, several case studies, hands-on-projects and classroom teachings are shared.

ecological

This most common arena of sustainability conversations takes on a different tone when it is happening within a functional ecovillage. We’ll look at food, water, energy, building, transportation and entertainment and all the concrete ways you can meet those basic needs in greater harmony with the local chunk of the earth you find yourself on. We look at technology as one piece of the puzzle, alongside sane evaluation of what we really need, thoughtful, place-based design and systems for cooperation.

worldview

The world view dimension is one of the things that makes this course special. At the heart of every decision we make is our essential life philosophy. Aspects of world view include spirituality, culture, social norms and attitudes, and creativity. In order to become a sustainable culture, we need to be willing to look at the things we carry internally that color how we make decisions, what our capacity is for growth and change, and how resilient we are internally. We also need to explore our relationship to leadership, speaking up and action. Without an understanding of the paradigms we are operating from, we are limited to doing what has been done in the past.

economic

At its core, economics is about the means we use to get our needs met. In our culture, that is primarily through dollars and credit, and a healthy economy is defined as an ever expanding one. The economic dimension teaches about the past, present and future of getting our needs met through reduced consumption, localization, direct exchange and creative cooperation.

social

One of the primary lessons learned in ecovillages is that technology and individual choices only get us so far. In order to really get to a sustainable world, we have to be able to cooperate, resolve our conflicts peacefully, and wield power responsibly. These three aspects of our social lives form the core of the social dimension learnings.