The Park Ecovillage Findhorn is ‘… operating at the interface between the complex ecological and social systems and the interior dimensions of human consciousness.’
May East

The overarching topic ‘The Park Ecovillage Findhorn’ explores the ecological dimensions of the ecovillage at Findhorn and documents the significant developments, at home and further afield, over a period of 60 years. It is to be broken down into a series of topics, presented separately, beginning with this Topic. The titles of topics in this series:

Early Eco-Conferences at Findhorn (1976-1995)
Developing a Planetary Village (1982-1995)
Ecovillage Findhorn: In the World (1995-2024)
Ecovillage Findhorn: Tours of the Park
Ecovillage Findhorn: Nature, Ecology and Biodiversity

We aim to provide an executive summary of each topic, and give access to further material for those wanting to delve more deeply through hyperlinks to stories already existing on the COIF site and other relevant material from elsewhere.

Echoes of what was to become the Park Ecovillage Findhorn can be seen from its inception in 1962 with the focus on co-creation with the intelligence of nature in The Findhorn Garden part 1-4.

In the 1970s David Spangler championed the concept of a planetary culture, at a time when ‘Think globally Act locally’ became a prominent slogan for many different movements all around the world.

Within the spiritual community, the Ecovillage became one outward manifestation of the three guiding principles of

  • Inner Listening
  • Love in Action
  • Co-creation with the intelligence of Nature

The first step was to own the land the Community was living on. This was accomplished in 1983 with the purchase of the caravan park.

1986 saw the beginning of building permanent houses and the early concepts of ecological building standards. Ecological building technology continues to evolve to this day.

In 1995 the Global Ecovillage Network was started at a conference at Findhorn and some still refer to the Community as the ‘grandmother of ecovillages’.

Early Conferences at Findhorn (1976-1995)

Roger Doudna who has organised many conferences over the years recollects in 2024:

 

From the beginning early pioneers of the arts as well as environmental and conservation movements met at Findhorn, jointly presenting at conferences and participating in community life and work programmes.

A rich heritage of architects, artists, poets, conservationists, etc mingled with a growing awareness of the connectedness, and sacredness of all life. An astonishing wide range of individuals with a global reach came together. They influenced and inspired each other as well as their audiences. Thus conferences co-created a rich seedbed for developments in the Community itself as well as fertilising the work of many individuals and projects worldwide.

From 1972 many conferences were held at Findhorn, often two or even three big events a year, some directly contributing to the development of a concept of planetary village.

David Spangler describes how education grew from informal events to international conferences.

In this Topic we are focusing on the following five conferences representing the movement towards sustainability and an ecological base to community:

  • World Crisis and the Wholeness of Life in 1976
  • OnEarth Gathering – Building a Planetary Village in 1982
  • 3rd World Wilderness Congress in 1983
  • OnEarth Gathering: A Call to Action in 1986
  • Eco-Villages and Sustainable Communities: Models for 21st Century Living in 1995

2-9 Oct 1976 WORLD CRISIS AND THE WHOLENESS OF LIFE 

This conference brought together key pioneers in the growing environmental movement: E.F. Schumacher and Lady Eve Balfour, alongside notable spiritual leaders: Sir George Trevelyan, David Spangler and William Irwin Thompson, for the first time at Findhorn.

Schumacher and Lady Eve called for direct change in economic, technological and farming methods in the face of the crisis the world is facing.  Sir George and David Spangler both predicted monumental change ahead that will transform the consciousness of humanity, giving greater access to the subtle realms and an awareness of the interconnectedness of all beings.

All the speakers agreed on the need for a new planetary culture based on sustainable principles that recognise and embrace life in all its many varied forms. They called for the audience to engage in the rebuilding work.

16-30 Oct 1982 ONEEARTH GATHERING – BUILDING A PLANETARY VILLAGE

The concept of Planetary Consciousness became more and more important for Community members in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and plans began to develop in relation to building a Planetary village.

This conference was planned to aid this purpose. The speakers included those focussing on the psycho-spiritual vision and requirements of a planetary village; Eileen Caddy, Sir George Trevelyan and Diana Whitmore; as well as those making practical and technical contributions to the requirements of a planetary village, such as Sim Van der Ryn and James Hubbell (architects), Guy Dauncey (ecotopian futurist) and Keith Critchlow (sacred geometrist), John and Nancy Todd (bioengineers) and John Twidell (wind energy); and those representing the arts, Andre Gregory (theatre director) and Wendell Berry (poet).

John Talbott, co-focaliser of the conference was Director of the Findhorn Ecovillage Project from 1982 for more than twenty years.

8-15 Oct 1983 3rd WORLD WILDERNESS CONGRESS 

A multi-disciplinary gathering of conservationists, scientists, artists, politicians, industrialists, tribal people, psychologists and philosophers too numerous to mention here came together at the 3rd World Wilderness Congress (‘3rd’ here applies to no.3) held at Findhorn and simultaneously in Inverness, with a total audience of 600 delegates from 25 countries.

The congress was focalised by Vance Martin, who was coordinator of Findhorn Foundation’s environmental programmes. Actions to create legislation towards protecting wilderness areas across the world were implemented during the progress of the congress. Questions were raised at the congress concerning the need to balance the needs of individuals and society with life on the planet as a whole, and of our responsibility and obligation to protect the environment and wilderness spaces.

11-18 Oct 1986 ONEARTH GATHERING : A CALL TO ACTION 

This conference was what it said it was, ‘a call to action’. Its main purpose was to encourage participants to make a commitment to a particular course of action that would benefit the future.

The problems the world was facing had been well defined, and the solutions had been identified. What was needed from the audience was action.

Alan Watson focalised the conference and made a significant commitment himself; to regenerate the Caledonian forest in Scotland, that eventually led him to found the charity, Trees for Life.

Speakers at the conference were; Joanna Macy (Work that Reconnects), Jonathan Porritt (Director of Friends of the Earth), Jose Lutzenberger (Brazilian environmentalist), Susan Griffin (eco-feminist), and Peter Russell (Experimental Psychologist).

7-13 Oct 1995 ECO-VILLAGES AND SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

By the mid 1990s many intentional communities were beginning to call themselves eco-villages. This conference in 1995 was one of the most influential and significant at Findhorn. It was successful in terms of numbers, with over 400 attendees from over 40 countries.

It brought together speakers on many aspects of sustainability, alongside workshops and practical projects. Main messages from the conference included; the need for eco-communities to be outward looking and engaged with communicating to a wide audience, an emphasis on the structures and processes needed to build community, and a need for economic trading as if people mattered.

Robert Muller, Assistant Secretary General to the UN, suggested a framework for world development based on eco-villages. The Living Machine was officially opened during the conference and the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) was established at the end of it.

Between them these 5 conferences introduced a breadth and depth of experience and expertise into the evolving consciousness at Findhorn. The ideas had a significant role in the Planetary village that was evolving during the same time period at Findhorn. This will be discussed in the next topic Developing a Planetary Village (1982-1995). Following the 1995 Eco-village and Sustainable Communities conference, there was a cascading of Ecovillage Findhorn teachings through educational programmes, both locally, nationally and internationally. This is the subject of the third topic in the series,  Ecovillage Findhorn: In the World (1995-2024).

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Featured image design by Roy Chillingworth