Ecovillages represent living laboratories and innovative campuses for learning how to live well and lightly together.
Lifestyle Change as Climate Strategy is an article by Ditlev Nissen presented at the 6th Living Knowledge Conference – An Innovative Civil Society: Impact through Co-creation and Participation, at Aalborg University in Copenhagen, April 11, 2014.
ABSTRACT: The article describes the common lifestyle found in ecovillages and how it contributes to lower environmental impact and use of resources. It also looks at how the ecovillages cover basic needs and at the quality of life they create. Furthermore, it investigates what the academic world can learn from ecovillages when viewing them as centers of education in sustainability. Finally it looks at the role of social capital and social experiments can play in promoting sustainable lifestyle changes in the greater society.
Download the article as pdf.file here.
What Ditlev Nissen wrote when the article was released at the Danish Ecovillage Associations website May 7 2014:
Thank you for the wonderful feedback I got from my colleges in Gaia Education.
- “Excellent article. Well researched and from the heart with many salient points.” MARTI, Auroville, India.
- “I really enjoyed reading your article. You brought parts of the ecovillage movement together in a way that I think most people can easily understand, and I like the way you frame lifestyle change as an important part of addressing climate change.” Lis Walker, EcoVillage Ithaca, USA.
- “Thank you for sharing this lovely article. Heartfelt compliments! I found it very clear, expressing with simplicity our complexity.” Macaco Tamerice, Damanhur, Italy.
A heartfelt thank you to my friends who help me with feedback and translation: Nina Paludan-Müller, Ross Jackson, Morten Winkler, Matawan Baio, Niels Johan Juhl-Nielsen, Hildur Jackson, Niels Aagaard, Camilla Nielsen and Jonathan ‘Hertha’.
In community
Ditlev Nissen,
Chairman of The Danish Ecovillage Network.