Presented by the Findhorn Foundation in partnership with Gaia Education and Global Ecovillage Network

You are invited to take part in this comprehensive A Training of Trainers programme, based on the four core pillars of the Ecovillage Design Curriculum: the social, economic, ecological and worldview dimensions of sustainability. The curriculum draws on the experience and expertise developed in a network of some of the most sucessful ecovillages and community projects across the Earth.

It is an advanced training course based at the Findhorn Ecovillage providing a practical forum for learning and developing skills needed to work effectively with design for sustainability at all levels. It comprises four separate week-long modules, which may be attended as a whole or separately.

Facilitated by:
Pracha Hutanuwatr - Director, Wongsanit Ashram, Thailand
May East - Director, Gaia Education
Jonathan Dawson - Senior Lecturer, Findhorn College
Michael Shaw - Director, Ecovillage International
Findhorn Ecovillage experts

Module details:
Social Design – Week 1: Oct 2 – 8 Building Community and Embracing Diversity; Communication and Facilitation Skills, Decision-Making and Feedback; Conflict Facilitation; Personal Empowerment and Leadership; Celebrating Life: Creativity and Art

Economic Design – Week 2: Oct 9 - 15 Shifting the Global Economy to Sustainability; How Money Works: Community Banks and Currencies; Right Livelihood; Social Enterprise- Nurturing Local Economies; Legal and Financial Issues

Ecological Design – Week 3: Oct 16 - 22 Whole Systems Approach to Ecological Design; Appropriate Technology: Water; Organic Agriculture and Local Food; Appropriate Technology: Energy; Green Building & Retrofitting

Worldview – Week 4: Oct 23 - 29 Holistic Worldview, Listening to and Reconnecting with Nature; Awakening and Transformation of Consciousness; Personal Health & Planetary Health; Socially Engaged Spirituality and Bioregionalism

Gaia Education Ecovillage Design Curriculum is an official contribution to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development 2005-2014. The Findhorn Foundation works closely with UNESCO, the agency which leads UNDESD, designing and delivering programmes to complement, correspond with, and assist in setting a standard for the decade.

Training fees
For the whole programme
£1675 payable by participants with low income
£1925 payable by participants with medium income
£2235 payable by participants with high income

£475/£545/£635 per module according to income

Fees include tuition, accommodation, vegetarian meals and field trips.

For more information please visit our website

or contact: sustedu@findhorn.org

For bookings:
Please contact: bookings@findhorn.org
Booking Form: GDSapplication2010


Gaia Education Design for Sustainability - Training of Trainers 2009
34 participants shared four weeks of intensive studies in social, ecological, and economic design. 21 participants were women and 13 men and the age range stretched from 22 to 59. The professional and educational backgrounds of the group were almost as diverse as the countries of origin. Amongst the participants were various educators, scientists, academics, activists, NGO workers, civil servants, designers, engineers, entrepreneurs, development workers, and project managers. The teachers were participants and facilitators in a process of knowledge and experience exchange that involved everybody as teachers and as learners.
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