From bare dunes and a caravan park to a rich rich natural treasure – the stories of nature, ecology and biodiversity at Ecovillage Findhorn have now been compiled into one comprehensive feature.
By Janet Shaw and Sean Reed
The founders of what is now Ecovillage Findhorn set the community on an environmental and sustainability path that continues so strongly today – coinciding with the recent recognition, by the Scottish Government and NatureScot, of the Hinterland and its dune restoration work as one of Scotland’s first Nature30 sites.
Janet Shaw and Sean Reed have woven together the riches of historic articles in the community’s online archive, Celebrating One Incredible Family, as well as lived experience and recent discussions with community members, to create this compilation ‘Topic’ around Nature, Ecology and Biodiversity in the community.
It is one of a series of topics relating to environmental and sustainability themes at Ecovillage Findhorn.
In summary:
The Topic starts with the founders’ initial focus on the spiritual dimension of nature, at a time when a world-famous garden was grown on the bare sand and shingle at Findhorn Bay Caravan Park.
Dorothy Maclean, one of the founders of the original community, attuned during meditation to the intrinsic nature of each plant grown in the garden, leading to an extraordinary flourishing of the garden, and drawing attention to the Park at Findhorn from far and wide.
The focus widened from the garden surrounding the caravan in which the founders lived, to the environment of the caravan park, and a tree-planting programme was established.
In the 1970s, influenced by increasing global environmental concerns and a rapidly growing green movement, the concept of ‘planetary village’ was born at the park. The three guiding principles of the community were established, including Co-creation with the Intelligence of Nature.
The planetary village became known as ‘Ecovillage Findhorn’. It developed rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s, with the main ecological focus being on eco-housing, renewable energy, recycling, waste-water management and organic food production.
The purchase of the adjoining Wilkie Estate in 1997 led to the beginning of a new phase of working with nature at the Ecovillage, focused more on land management and biodiversity. The Findhorn Hinterland Trust was established and became a charity in 2015, with one of its main aims being to promote environmental protection and improvement.
Further eco-housing development was established at the area called the Whins, this time including an ecological impact assessment for the first time. A growing worldwide awareness of the biodiversity crisis has led to an increase of interest in the subject throughout the Ecovillage and an embracing of national biodiversity priorities.
Please enjoy this rich read here.
Where it began: Nature, Ecology and Biodiversity at Ecovillage Findhorn
By Janet Shaw and Sean Reed
The founders of what is now Ecovillage Findhorn set the community on an environmental and sustainability path that continues so strongly today – coinciding with the recent recognition, by the Scottish Government and NatureScot, of the Hinterland and its dune restoration work as one of Scotland’s first Nature30 sites.
Janet Shaw and Sean Reed have woven together the riches of historic articles in the community’s online archive, Celebrating One Incredible Family, as well as lived experience and recent discussions with community members, to create this compilation ‘Topic’ around Nature, Ecology and Biodiversity in the community.
In summary:
The Topic starts with the founders’ initial focus on the spiritual dimension of nature, at a time when a world-famous garden was grown on the bare sand and shingle at Findhorn Bay Caravan Park.
Dorothy Maclean, one of the founders of the original community, attuned during meditation to the intrinsic nature of each plant grown in the garden, leading to an extraordinary flourishing of the garden, and drawing attention to the Park at Findhorn from far and wide.
The focus widened from the garden surrounding the caravan in which the founders lived, to the environment of the caravan park, and a tree-planting programme was established.
In the 1970s, influenced by increasing global environmental concerns and a rapidly growing green movement, the concept of ‘planetary village’ was born at the park. The three guiding principles of the community were established, including Co-creation with the Intelligence of Nature.
The planetary village became known as ‘Ecovillage Findhorn’. It developed rapidly in the 1980s and 1990s, with the main ecological focus being on eco-housing, renewable energy, recycling, waste-water management and organic food production.
Further eco-housing development was established at the area called the Whins, this time including an ecological impact assessment for the first time. A growing worldwide awareness of the biodiversity crisis has led to an increase of interest in the subject throughout the Ecovillage and an embracing of national biodiversity priorities.
Please enjoy this rich read here.