Welcome to OUR Ecovillage!
OUR Ecovillage – is located on an extraordinary 25 acres near Shawnigan Lake. OUR Ecovillage began operations in 1999 with a vision to create a model “Sustainable Living Demonstration Site and Education Centre” rooted in social, ecological, and economic well being. As a multi- stakeholder organizational structure there are a number of organizations, industry partners, government/regulatory authorities, researchers and local to global community members participating in OUR Learning Community. With K-12 School Groups, 13 Universities/Colleges, corporate sponsors, and a wide variety of interdisciplinary educators – all walks of life are considered for training of how to live and learn into OUR collective future. Tours, Farm-stays, class trips (including longer term stays), celebrations, eco-conferencing — with accommodation services and break out rooms, industry and professional development, Green Burial, and much more.
Our Featured Courses and Events
Nights of Grief and Mystery
May 2nd, 2020
Nights of Grief and Mystery weaves together the extraordinary talents and skills of internationally renowned author, teacher, storyteller, and cultural activist Stephen Jenkinson with those of singer-songwriter Gregory Hoskins. This an evening for young folk and old folk, for elders in training—an event of interest to parents and grandparents, teachers, scholars, health care professionals, clergy, counsellors, and anyone else pondering matters around human development, rites of passage, aging, and wisdom.
This will be an exclusive all evening event at OUR ECOVILLAGE beginning with a dinner, concert, and after gathering with appetizers for those who want to start and continue the night in celebration with us.Learn More
Spring Writes – Write Your Way In
Friday, May 29-30, 2020
This retreat offers the opportunity to relax into your authentic voice, stretch those writing muscles, and focus on the story you want to tell. In whatever form you want to tell it—poetry, fiction, memoir or essay. All in a safe and nurturing eco-space. Whether you are reviving a dream of writing or well-established in your practice; an old pro or a nervous beginner, this retreat is certain to inspire and motivate you to explore, take risks, and listen deeply. The weekend program includes sensory exercises and meditation to heighten awareness and deepen your experience. Guided writing exercises are facilitated by Deepam with the Amherst Writers & Artists (AWA) method.Friday evening introductory workshop for all levels of writing experience.
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Regenerative Land Management
June 15th to 24th, 2020
With Starhawk, Charles Williams and Guest Teachers Create a meaningful livelihood restoring land and revitalizing community! Our new long-term program is designed to give you the skills, experience and confidence to run a farm, ranch, retreat center or urban farm in ways that heal damaged ecosystems and sequester carbon.
Why? We are beyond the tipping point for climate change, and to prevent global catastrophe we need to both stop emitting carbon and pull it out of the atmosphere. The best way to do that is by regenerating living systems, using trees and plants to change that carbon into wood and food and humus—soil organic carbon. Farmers are the new earth healers!Learn More
2020 Introduction to Permaculture Design with Starhawk ONLINE
April 24 to 26, 2020
Here we are at this time of unprecedented change – and we recognize that every one of us is part of this new CALL TO ACTION!! Permaculture Design has been recognized the world over as a solutionary potency for creating amazing transformation within our full life systems and the needed planetary/earth healing as well. Ecovillage Design is now also known the world over, by Governments to scientists, as a earth/life design ‘to re-invent the future’. Starhawk and the Earth Activist Training international has teamed up yet again with OUR ECOVILLAGE in an effort to bring both of these design frameworks forward in service of the efforts we all need to make as we move into our collective future.
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