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Ecovillages: Living Classrooms for Sustainable Future |
Ecovillages around the world are pioneers of sorts, creating and modeling sustainable lifestyles in harmony with their local environments. By restoring damaged ecosystems, developing participatory governance, growing healthful organic food, building 'green' homes, working for justice and social change, empowering girls and women and youth at risk, and utilizing renewable resources such as wind and solar energy, these communities provide ideal 'campuses' for learning. They are actual living examples of positively evolving sustainable systems.
Living Routes, a unique nonprofit accredited by UMass Amherst, offers academic and experiential programs in ecovillages around the world, with a goal of helping future leaders build the skills, knowledge, and wisdom to create durable economies and healthy communities that restore and nurture ourselves and the Earth.
For a semester, summer or winter break, students from colleges and universities throughout the U.S. study in ecovillages such as Findhorn, Scotland and Auroville, India. Other programs take place in Senegal, Peru, Brazil, Israel, Mexico and the US. The interdisciplinary programs challenge participants on a number of levels from the personal to the professional, and cultivate an intensive learning community within the vibrant living communities that are ecovillages.
Students earn transferable academic credit while exploring environmental ethics, group dynamics, permaculture, health and healing, and sustainable development. They meet and interact with community members at meals, while working on community farms and green businesses, and during community events and celebrations.
"While I was in India with Living Routes we emphasized building a strong community, and all the effort and work it takes to live sustain ably as a part of our educational process. This changed my entire view on what counts and does not as education," says Michael Margolin, one of the program participants.
Students return from travels with an expanded knowledge, valuable skills, and a passion and vision to make a difference in their local communities and around the world. According to director Daniel Greenberg, "Students who study abroad with Living Routes live and learn with people who are 'walking their talk' every day in creative, ever-evolving ways. Our alumni have experienced what is possible and can never again say sustainable living is impossible!"
Contact:
Living Routes
www.livingroutes.org
888 515-7333
