ALUNA TEMPLE MAGAZINE EDITION No4 'BRIDGES' | Page 74

In “developed” countries we find Ecovillages (often also called intentional communities) formed by people who for different reasons want to live closer to nature, be part of a community, build their own houses, choose dry toilets and rainwater catchment, live more slowly, be creative and more. In places “less developed” e.g. Senegal and Bangladesh the eco-village movement is more about keeping and improving traditional villages / communities to function in a sustainable manner. I actually lived eight years of my childhood in a co-housing community, an experience I appreciate. And later I’ve also lived in two big Danish ecovillages. In Thailand, Colombia and Mexico I have visited eco-villages, these are younger, smaller and more spiritual than the ones in Denmark. www.casacontinental.org Especially in Colombia they honour and use some of the pre-hispanic indigenous traditions: www.resilience.org/stories/2013-03-18/the-colombian-renaissance www.schumachercollege.org.uk/blog/learning-from-indigenous-traditions-in-latin-america-by-jonathan-dawson Other important solutions are Appropriate Technologies, a term for innovations that uses renewable energy and can be made of easy accessible materials, some examples are bike machines, biochar makers, hippo water roller and the universal nut sheller. I recently met two inspiring women from the organization Fuprosomunic that helps women in Nicaragua to change from wood burning stoves to solar cookers. They received: ‘The Energy award 2013 category’: Globe world in the AIR www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZufkUK_xlxQ Martha Veronica Rocha from Nicaragua receiving ‘The Award’ for her Fuprosomunic organisation.