Specifications

• Category: Intentional community ecovillage
• Country: Germany
• Established: 1993 (current position since 1997)
• Number of visitors per year: approx. 2000
• Size: about 140 adults (of which 40 children)
• Area: approx. 81 ha
• Web: https://www.siebenlinden.de
• Contact: info@siebenlinden.de 

The aim of the "Sieben Linden Ecovillage" ecovillage is to create a socially and ecologically progressive model solution for a community ecovillage. The settlement is planned as a space for living and working for 300 people of all ages with social and cultural backgrounds. The self-governing management of the ecovillage is implemented on the basis of Sociocracy principles and the ecovillage allows its inhabitants a certain degree of self-sufficiency. Income is provided by individual residents, but some costs, such as food and services, are shared. The ecovillage organizations themselves provide some jobs, but a small proportion of ecovillage members have to find paid work outside the community.In 1997, they began to build a model settlement as an autonomous spatial unit, located on a 22-hectare plot of land outside the town of Poppau in Germany. Since then, the number of ecovillage members has been growing. At present, they have several large shared houses (each for several members of the community) in a high ecological standard (straw houses, clay plaster), mostly made of local materials. Many members also still live in mobile caravans. They run a thriving education center, a forest nursery, and an extensive garden.As a community ecovillage, they have several steering groups that allow all members to participate in decision-making on the operation of the ecovillage while remaining active in the management process. They gather at least twice a year for at least five days to strengthen the overall community spirit and discuss the common path of life to which they are committed. Ecological life is their basic shared value as well as a very strong sense of community. They accept new members through a mutual learning process and a trial period of at least 1 year, which must be preceded by participation in a two-week seminar called a "community course". After mutual agreement of the members, the initial capital in the case of full membership in the ecovillage is EUR 12,000.