A Virtual Visit to an Ecovillage

A Virtual Visit to an Ecovillage
I really enjoyed this assignment, being able to see the ecovillages that are around the world and the opportunity provided through Living Routs to live within an ecovillage shows that there is a growing trend towards global connecting (global community). I chose the ecovillage Kibbutz Lotan (http://www.livingroutes.org/programs/p_lotan.htm) which is located in Israel's southern Arava valley. I chose this ecovillage because I find it really intriguing that “Palestinian-Arab, Bedouin and Jewish Israelis who are striving for a just and lasting peace” are working together to “Gain hands-on experience in ecological design, green building and sustainable agriculture and put permaculture into action in a Bedouin Village in the Negev Desert”. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the world’s most long standing major sources of instability. The U.S. is tied to the conflict by providing military aid ($) to the Israelis. This means we are tied to the blood shed involved in the conflict. In the present situation many Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip live in oppression. Where under Israeli military occupation Palestinians in the area have no citizenship, or power. With the many recent Israeli settlements that have forced many Palestinians to move there are over 65 UN resolutions condemning the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians. For many in the U.S. due to media influence and one sided reporting we often side with the Israelis. We fail to see our unjust active involvement in the military aid we provide only for the Israelis so we overlook atrocities that other nations deplore. This ecovillage intrigued me because it shows that there is positive communication taking place that a community is run with participants from rival nations to tackle global environmental problems. The aspect that intrigued me the most about this ecovillage is the necessity to address social injustices as well as cultural differences. The ecovillage educates “Peacebuilding and Social Justice”...where “Students explore social and environmental justice issues in Israel/Palestine from a variety of Israeli and Palestinian and Bedouin perspectives and learn tools for building a just peace”. In the readings from Beyond You and Me one of the points made in the introduction was the necessity of “learning the subtleties of constructive and mutually beneficial interaction within a community setting may take a major effort. Rebuilding human community is an endeavor whose immense challenges should not be underestimated...and involves a healing process in which we step out of the cycles of pain, mistrust and violence...” This aspect of addressing cultural differences and social injustices intrigues me because it really shows that a global community could be attainable if tremendous effort is put forth to overcome differences and work towards common goals. I would like to visit this ecovillage because I think that this ecovillage above the others may give a deeper understanding of how a functional community can work even when faced with cultural differences. This ecovillage must rely on trust to run effectively therefore there is no room for harbored feelings of animosity and hate. I would like to incorporate the aspect of cultural awareness into my lifestyle. Living in Hawaii it is particularly important to have an understanding of cultural differences that may get in the way of effective communication. This ecovillage really shows the potential for community connection when cultural differences are addressed and commonalities are found by means of environmental stewardship. Maybe addressing the bigger environmental needs of our planet will enable a global connection and hopefully lead to a positive global community.