If I Was to Start Over On My Ecovillage Journey in 2024, This is What I Would Do
“I wonder what advice you would give to someone just starting out, wanting to move in the direction that you have walked for the past 6 years.
How can we embark on such a learning journey that might have no real ending, while figuring out our personal contribution to the world and financing this way of living?”
The Journey With No Ending
To start, I must preface that this is my life’s work.
You could be wanting to join a full-on community, build your own homestead, implement more ecovillage frameworks in your professional field, or simply transform your urban neighborhood to be a bit more intentional. You might not ever need to be as involved in ecovillage research and design as I am.
However learning how to build and live in community are indispensable skills, and the ecovillage movement has so much to offer you.
If you’re just starting out, it can be overwhelming the amount of possibilities. After 6 years of studying, visiting, living in, and working for ecovillage projects, here’s what I would and would not do again.
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What I Would Do Again
1. Document my Journey (Better)
I founded Terrenity 3 years ago, without a clear idea of what it would be. I just knew I wanted to document what I was learning and create resources for other village builders and seekers.
Now I have a giant drive of pictures, books, projects, organizations, personal experiences, and bookmarked tools that I’ve collected, which have strengthened my knowledge in ecovillages.
That said, if I were to start over, I would absolutely shoot more content documenting my experiences, because visual proof of what ecovillage life is “really like” is hard to come by!
If you’re just starting out, document your journey. Take notes of questions you have or gaps you see. Take photos and videos of places you go. You don’t even have to know what you’re going to use it for. In my experience, people overcomplicate with that BIG documentary about the ecovillage movement when they could probably have more reach with short-form videos.
This documentation will come in handy later down the line when you are developing a course or hosting a conference or promoting your own community.
2. Leverage Online Communities & Cohorts
Online spaces are rich with people who, like you, are fascinated by ecovillage life. It's possible to connect with individuals across the globe who are either living in or actively exploring the ecovillage lifestyle.
The key is to tap into these networks early.
If I were starting over today, I’d definitely make better use of online communities and digital platforms. Back then, I joined a few spaces, but I didn’t realize the sheer power of being consistent and vocal within them. Groups like Global Ecovillage Network, IC.org, Gaianet, Ecovillage Founders Circle and Ecovillage Finders Circle, are goldmines for insights and contacts.
Your network can also grow rapidly by getting into the right WhatsApp, Telegram, LinkedIn and Facebook groups. I’ve also found that some of the best collaborations have come from discovering people online who are creating what I want to create.
Additionally, I’ll never regret completing the Ecovillage Design Education certification, so consider joining a learning cohort like The Regenerators Academy, Living the Offgrid Dream, or a Permaculture Design Certificate from Ecoversity.
Online communities are a fast track to connect with builders, ask questions, create a network, and learn about upcoming in-person gatherings.
3. Travel to As Many Communities as Possible
The experience of traveling to and living in communities, from the jungles of Costa Rica to the urban neighborhoods of Berlin, gave me an invaluable perspective on the many different ways people approach community.
If I were starting over, I’d tell myself to double down on community visits. You cannot overstate how important it is to see these places up close. Photos and articles don’t capture the feeling of living in these communities: the pace of life, the challenges, the small but meaningful details of what it means to share life together.
Visiting a variety of communities gave me perspective. When I eventually found the community I wanted to settle in, I knew exactly what to look for in terms of governance, culture, and infrastructure.
Make the most of each visit by volunteering, asking deeper questions, and—most importantly—observing the community dynamics at play. I recommend this article on How To Find Communities, or booking an Ecovillage Tour.
4. Find a Flag
Don’t rush to create your own thing right away—find a flag to fly under first. Otherwise you might build what someone else is already building when you could have both collaborated. Instead of pretending I was a visionary, I listened to the space.
I didn’t start out trying to build a community, instead I joined existing community initiatives. For example, everything changed for me when I joined Regen Tribe.
I had two major projects that were a 1:1 match with what RT’s founder Oscar was working on. Imagine if we had tried to do them solo — what a waste.
The moment I aligned with a group of like-minded people through Regen Tribe, I gained access to resources, peers, and opportunities I wouldn't have found on my own. It brought legitimacy to my work and helped accelerate my impact in the ecovillage space, whereas Terrenity, my own project, had slower momentum by itself.
I ask, “Why build community alone?”
5. Attend In-Person Events
Some examples: the Ecovillage Gathering in Europe, re:build, Tribalize, Regens Unite, Enchanted, Regen Week, the Free Cities Conference, d:pact, Regen Earth Studio.
There you meet other regens, and you’re not only expanding your network but also building friendships with people who share your vision. Plus, amazing collaborations often emerge from these events.
Getting comfortable in these spaces also led to opportunities for me to speak at conferences and appear on podcasts, which has greatly boosted my credibility and visibility in this field. Being present and active at in-person gatherings is one of the fastest ways to make real progress on your journey.
What I Wouldn’t Do Again
Be a Loner About It — I didn’t take initiative to create local meetups to gather likeminded people. I very well could have found my tribe closer to home instead of scattered across the world.
Don’t assume that there isn’t a community for me — In search of the perfect, people often discount the good. While I am still convinced the solar punk regenerative village of my dreams doesn’t exist yet, and that I’ll have to build it, I’m still glad I made the leap into this world as soon as I had the courage.
Don’t discount the OGs — I was excited at first to find the Global Ecovillage Network and the Foundation for Intentional Communities. But admittedly, I was quick to write them off in favor of sexier new initiatives, most of which had never even built a community themselves, but had these big dreams of solar punk future. Reminder: these organizations represent the largest wealth of intentional community wisdom we have.
Work on a bunch of unpaid passion projects — While financing different projects in the space might be difficult, I would be more choosy about where I put my energy. This wasn’t true until the last year of my work, where I wanted to be a solutionary of ALL the things. I would absolutely narrow my focus more, yet give my products, services, or experiments broader appeal.
I hope this article is helpful for you, whether you are just starting out or want to reassess how you’re approaching your work in ecovillages.
Please refer your friends and colleagues to subscribe to Terrenity, as the support I’m receiving truly helps me with my work.
One of my affiliated partners, Community Finders, run by Cynthia Tina, offers services for people seeking ecovillages or building ecovillages. I highly recommend you join one of her courses to uplevel your ecovillage journey.
Use the code TERRENITY for $100 off your ecovillage tour.
Thank you, Nicole, for turning my questions into a valuable post :)