Ecolonie, an example of Ecovillage in France

by Celine on Jan.15, 2010, under Ecology

“The movement to create ecovillages is perhaps the most comprehensive antidote to dependence on the global economy. Around the world, people are building communities that attempt to get away from the waste, pollution, competition and violence of contemporary life.”

This quote on the home page of the European Ecovillage Network website is a very good, simple and accurate introduction to understand the purpose of ecovillages.

And the best way to describe how an ecovillage works is to take a concret example. I have chosen to present Ecolonie, first because it is one of the main ecovillages in France, and then because I have recently met a Dutch man who stayed and worked there for a while to escape his frenetic business life. I did not know about the concept before and, thanks to him, I am thinking now to take the experience in one of my next trips aborad. It can be a smart and useful way of travelling while discovering a country through its natural environment and culture.

Located in the region of Vosges, northeast of France, Ecolonie has been founded in 1989 by a group of Dutch friends who wanted to create a sustainable environment where people from different cultures could meet and live in harmony with each other and the nature. There are 3 options of stay:

Holidays during which you can do activites like in a holiday “colony” (organic gardening, workshop, excursions in the countryside, art studio, yoga, shiatsu, etc) or simply enjoy the natural environment to rest.
Volunteering to contribute to the continuing existence of the ecovillage. In exchange of accomodation and meals, the volunteer work 8 hour a day helping in the garden, the farm or the guesthouse.
Those who really want to live and get involved in a long term base can become permanent residents after volunteering for a certain period.

With any of these options, anyone can take part of the different projects and learn living “organic”: cultivating fruits, vegetables and aromatic herbs, making cheese in the goat farm or producing teas, oils, herbal remedies, etc.

For more information, you can access the Ecolonie website.

And if you are interested in a similar experience somewhere else, I recommend you to check these networks:
France: Réseau des Ecovillages
Europe: The European Ecovillage Network
Global: WWOOF, Help Exchange and this directory.