work in progress****

How can community-led movements working on ecosocial just transition influence the European Green deal and use that opportunity to scale-up transformative social innovations?

These and other key questions were explored last month in the advocacy in-person training organised by ECOLISE in Kapellen-op-den-Bos, Belgium. An international event with 35 participants from more than 10 countries. Representing Ecovillages, Transition, Permaculture, Social and Solidarity Economy, Policy and Research institutions, Philanthropy, and much more. The training was  focused on:

• Understanding and integrating advocacy basics
• Campaigning skills and resources
• Embed the participants in a network of peers

ECOLISE`s partner The Good Lobby held a training about lobbying and why community-led initiatives need to engage with politics on all levels. A concrete example of how local levels can contribute to policy change on local levels was given by a presentation of the Community Climate Coaches.

We explored the 10 theses towards transformative community-led local development policies, ECOLISE’s policy flagship project and worked on its next steps in the phase of 2023 - 2024, where the aim is to target the upcoming elections for the European Parliament in spring 2024.

The experience was super rich. A lot of learnings, good connections, diverse types of spaces, care and celebration, a very beautiful place, and energy to move forward together.

The Beyond Growth 2023 Conference is a multi-stakeholder event aiming to discuss and co-create policies for sustainable prosperity in Europe, based on a systemic and transformative approach to economic, social and environmental sustainability and its encompassing governance framework. It is happening from 15-17 May 2023 and is a hybrid event in the European Parliament (Brussels, Belgium).

The Conference is an initiative of 20 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from five different political groups and non-attached, with the support of the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. The conference is supported by about 50 partner organisations, including ECOLISE.

Read our related article "Beyond Growth 2023 Conference – What’s in it for community-led initiatives?" and share with your networks on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook & LinkedIn.

ECOLISE’s 10 theses towards transformative community-led local development have been in a consultation phase since September 2022, with over 300 persons from almost 70 organisations contributing. We will continue to work on ECOLISE’s  policy flagship project in 2023 and will give an insight into our plans for this year in an event on April 20th (16 - 18 h CET, online) - with the hope of building a strong alliance with you as our partner!!

Are you interested in becoming a partner in our policy flagship project? Or just want to hear more about our plans? Here is the agenda:

• Presentation of our goals and plans for 2023, including a review of 2022
• What are joint benefits - and how can you contribute to our flagship project?
• Next step: deepening phase: May - June 2023: Exploring the big leverage points for localisation and community-led action within the European Green Deal, including 2 workshops together with our partner The Good Lobby
• Discussion on a joint advocacy campaign in autumn 2023 at ECOLISE's main policy event & targeting the elections for the European Parliament 2024

It’s time to #RestoreNature!

80% of European nature is in bad shape. But we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put Europe’s degraded nature on the path of recovery: a law to #RestoreNature! Restoring means caring about humanity, about our planet, and about the future. We need your help!

We are calling on national governments and the European Parliament to adopt the urgent and much-needed law to #RestoreNature. This law is now within reach, but we need your support to make it happen. Let your government and Members of the European Parliament know you care and want to see nature restored now! Click here to send a picture of a landscape you would like to see restored and to tell your decision-makers they need to protect our future!

Ireland is the first country in the world to hold a Citizens’ Assembly about biodiversity loss. This week they published their final report. The Assembly was launched in early 2022 and met on six occasions between May 2022 and January 2023. At its final meeting on 21 January 2023, the Assembly voted on a series of propositions that were the culmination of careful deliberation and debate, informed by detailed input from experts, stakeholders and the general public. 

Resources:

• Citizens’ Assembly about biodiversity loss - Press Release
• The Irish Times view on the Citizens’ Assembly report on biodiversity wrote “Once again, our “ordinary” citizens have produced something extraordinary.” 
  
• On Saturday Dr Aoibhinn Ni Shuilleabhan, Chair of the Citizens’ Assembly, spoke on Irish national radio to discuss the assembly's findings. (podcast, tweet)

Are you a practitioner or part of an initiative and organization in Europe that is catalyzing the transition of local communities toward sustainable & regenerative futures?

Then come and join us this April for a unique international gathering in Brussels! This three-part blended event gives you a chance to meet European policymakers and like-minded individuals who're working towards socio-ecological changes.

This event is made possible through the cooperation of the following groundbreaking Erasmus+ projects: the Community Catalysts project series, Community Climate Coaches, and iACT (Activating Community Transformation).

Join us in the next Communities for Future Event which explores why social change organisations should write radical people care (HR) policies, and how to do that. In this event we'll present the new ECOLISE People Care Manual and you'll hear expert insights from People Support Co-op.

The ECOLISE People Care Manual has been inspired by radhr.org -a website and database worth checking before joining the event!

Every year, GEN Europe invites hundreds of ecovillagers and explorers from across the world to a celebration of regenerative community living.

With hands-on workshops, inspiring speakers, music, movement, an ecovillage showcase and much more, everyone is welcome to join this embodied community experience from 12-17 July 2023. 

This year the event is hosted by Nature Community, an ecovillage surrounded by pristine nature in Bavaria, Germany.

Exciting news! Since the prototype started with a small group of “early adopter” members last year, it is time now to share a first version of an interactive network map for ECOLISE. The map is designed with and for you as members to make profile information, your work, connections, skills, and collaborative projects visible and findable. It also shows systemic and dynamic network patterns and can spark ideas and dialogue for building relationships, enabling value exchange, learning, collaboration and growth of the network. 

You will get an introduction and digital tour to the network map, be invited to join and further co-create as well as learn how to practically use the map in a self-organised way for network weaving.

"Once you know" is the intimate journey of director Emmanuel Cappellin across the abyss of a world at the edge of climate-induced collapse. His voyage into this uncharted territory is that of a whole generation turning to climate scientists, local democracy, grassroots initiatives, and mass rebellion in a courageous search for an exit.

Watch the film online until April 23, 2023. You will receive a private link as soon as you book your ticket as well as a link for the live event. This event is on a pay-what-you-can basis and any donation is welcome to support the Once You Know production team distribute the film worldwide.

The "Regenerative Communities for all" (REGEN4ALL) project had its kick off meeting in March in Lisbon, with CEI - Iscte, Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) Europe, The Danish ecovillages network Landsforeningen for Økosamfund (LØS) & ECOLISE. 

REGEN4ALL aims to assist researchers, practitioners and educators in the eco-community as well as the academic world. The idea is to make eco-community research and knowledge accessible to all so that practitioners can better utilize that knowledge in their teaching and advocacy work, and researchers can become stronger connected to the ecocommunity field. Furthermore, field research must be made more accessible to policy-makers when it comes to sustainable lifestyle and lived life in ecocommunity.

Among other things, the project will be realized by:

• Developing "Communities of Practice"; Nationally in Denmark, Regionally in Iberia, Continent in Europe, Globally
• Creating an ICT platform that includes a “match system” and a Code of Conduct
• Building a library to create easy access to all eco-community related research
• Holding online colloquies where researchers, practitioners and teachers meet around specific topics

The project is the starting shot for a fruitful collaboration between researchers, teachers and practitioners.

REGEN4ALL is funded by Erasmus+

What is ALTER NATIVAS?
“Alternatives”, from Latin Alter (other) y Nativus (born), refers to the search for new realities, and new origins. This is the starting point for this documentary project: showing innovative initiatives of socio-ecological transition. Diverse experiences provide responses to the worldwide systemic crisis (energetic, economic, ecological, social, cultural and epistemic) that we are suffering.

ALTER NATIVAS is a collaborative film that seeks to address specific questions from a proactive approach. How can we cope with this situation and adapt to a changing reality? What individual and collective alternatives are being put in place in order to transition towards resilient communities and more sustainable lifestyles? What new stories and experiences can shape the future of our neighbourhoods, towns and cities? How can we start walking towards a new economy that promotes social justice and harmony for our planet and ourselves? This documentary feature aims to answer all of these questions by showing initiatives from diverse fields that can inspire people to take action. 

We invite you to visit the resources section of our website, where you will find very valuable information and learning materials. From publications and webinars to podcasts and courses, these resources will keep you up-to-date and will be useful for your ongoing development.