In 2012, various initiatives from Deventer, Bergen, Gelderland, and North Brabant came together, all sharing the same dream: to create their own ecological residential community. The Aardehuis Association, which at the time was still focused on Deventer, was one of them. It soon became clear how much they could benefit from each other. Why reinvent the wheel when you can share knowledge and experiences? Together, they could also promote ecological construction and alternative ways of living to the general public and the government more effectively.
That is how the Ecovillage Network Netherlands Foundation, later renamed GEN Netherlands, came into being as part of the international Global Ecovillage Network (GEN).
The network has since grown from a handful of pioneers to more than 70 affiliated ecological housing initiatives. One or more of these communities have now been established in virtually every province.
For a long time, the Aardehuizen played a pioneering role within this network. Since then, a great deal of knowledge and experience regarding ecological construction and communal living has been gained throughout the Netherlands. As a result, GEN Nederland has been able to significantly expand its support for affiliated initiatives, including through national and European collaborative projects.
The CLIPS Community Training Programs are another great example of this. Every year, they help dozens of communities get started on realizing their own ecological housing projects. Because that path has its share of bumps—we at Aardehuis know all about that!
That makes it all the more enjoyable that we get to host these kinds of training sessions at our Middenhuis on a regular basis.
CLIPS Training