Ecotopias
The member projects of Evolving Cycles, or Ecotopias, are ecocultural educational participatory projects with a focus on working with the land. They are designed with permaculture principles, that’s why they aim to create regenerative ecosystems, collective food self-sufficiency and energy systems as they care for the land, care for people and share their resources equitably.
They host cultural and artistic events with ecological content, conduct educational programs and act as community role models, designing community experiences that embrace the local community.
- Projects need to follow permaculture practices in the management of their land and economy, their internal structure needs to be governed by the principles of dynamic governance and its founding members need to be trained in compassionate communication.
- Evolving Cycles conducts the relevant training for the projects that become members of our network.
- The member projects make up Evolving Cycles, but they operate through them and independently of them. This means that their economic activity and responsibility can be independent. When, however, the activity of a project comes through Evolving Cycles (for example, the project receives funding through the Evolving Cycles organisation) then a specific contribution is required from the project towards the organisation. Evolving Cycles thus proposes a cooperative economy model which shares the legal form and at the same time shares responsibility for each project’s activity.
Evolving Cycles is currently expanding its network of people and projects.
It currently has 4 projects in 4 locations ("hubs"), each focused around efforts to integrate, engage and regenerate their local community.
Calme Garden
Project Manager: Konstantinos Keremeles
Calme Garden is an ecological cultural community education centre based on regenerative practices that operates within an economy of sharing valuable goods and experiences between people of all ages. A founding project member of Cycles of Evolution.
Located in Lagonisi, Attica and active in the local community since 2016. It includes two hubs in which cultural and educational activities and food cultivation take place. It hosts volunteers throughout the year. Calme Garden is also the “home” of the “Mikro Vouno” project, an alternative nature-based pedagogy project for preschool children
Kompostopia
Project Manager: Tina Lymberis
Kompostopia is an Eco-Arts project which artistically spreads Permaculture, Composting and Upcycling. Our mission is to boost our ecology and our psychology through the arts!
The parents of Kompostopia are the Eco-Artivists Tina (Kompostina) Lymberis and Ilias (Xilias) Petropoulos. They are the protagonists of the musical theatrical “Kompostopia”, which is based on their lives and aims to promote composting as the solution for many of the challenges we face today.
We offer upcycled constructions, furniture and art, rhymes, delicious natural food and participatory Eco-Artistic experiences.
In other words, we spread joy, connect communities and inspire leaders to become fluent in communication, collaboration and earth regeneration.
We are creating a space (and dreaming of “Τhe Kompostopia Caravan”) where Eco-Artivists can co-create Eco-Artistic productions such as theatrical performances, music, videos, comics, books, games and whatever you mind can imagine and your heart beats for.
In short, we are Eco-Artivists: we live life as an art and for the earth do our part!
The project is based in the Peloponnese but travels and runs workshops all over Greece.
Kompostopia invites you to co-create Eco-Artistic productions: “If you see the possibility, it’s your responsibility!”.
Community Lab
Project Manager: Karystinos Christos
Community Lab is a lab of tools for community life. It has an interdisciplinary approach to helping communities thrive. It provides spaces for communities to transform and reach their potential. Spaces where people can feel safe to be part of communities led by experienced facilitators. The project is based in the community of Garipa, just outside Chania, Crete.
Community Lab embraces its vision through:
- Permaculture .The aim is the real social and environmental regeneration of the human ecosystem.
- Sociocracy 3.0: A set of tools (patterns) that lead communities to effective organisation and decision-making.
- Facilitation: The art of connecting the collective to their vision while taking care of their people and processes.
Liveloula
Project Manager: Steven Verhelst
“Regenerating landscapes, building soils and creating a strong network of people with a wish to improve the way we walk the earth. That is our mission.“
Liveloula was born out of two people’s dream to step out of the stressful western city life and root back into nature. We are Chenny and Steven and we enjoy simplicity and living a life with a positive impact on our environment while working in tune with nature and its rhythm. For almost 10 years now we have been steadily realising that dream, turning an abandoned field, with overgrazed soil, into a wonderful labyrinth of lush permaculture gardens and food forests. With the help of a constant stream of volunteers, friends and family, we built a homestead, a haven for both wild and domesticated animals. We revitalised our soil and created areas to relax from where you can discover the surrounding nature.
In short, Liveloula is a sanctuary, a community of friendly neighbours, a platform and a learning environment for people that wish to learn to engage more consciously with their environment, a training centre. We offer consultancy and training in topics such as Permaculture, Organic gardening, Soil Care, Natural Holistic Living, landscaping, water management, natural building, home pharmacy, natural remedies and mindfulness.
New member projects