Gaia Education

Designing for Sustainability: Introducing the Big Picture of Co-Creating a Thriving Future is rooted in Gaia Education’s over 10 years of international experience in community design education and sustainable systems thinking. The 15-hour, self-paced course offers participants the chance to learn from the pioneers and visionaries who have dared to innovate and bring sustainability resilience, and systemic thinking to urban, rural, and traditional settings around the world. Case studies range from experimental ecovillage communities, to transformative innovation by the mainstream inhabitants of large cities and clustered neighborhoods.

This course is aiming to give a comprehensive overview of renewable energy as a means to enable sustainable development at a global scale conducted in partnership with Strathclyde University and UNITAR.

Ecovillage Design Education programmes, often referred to as ‘EDEs’, take place in more than 40 countries in settings ranging from tribal and traditional communities to intentional ecovillages, from urban slum to universities and training centres. The duration of these programmes are around 125 hours over a full month, although this may vary slightly depending on where and when they are taken. The EDEs provide students of all ages with the knowledge and practical skills on how to design a society which uses energy and materials with greater efficiency, distributes wealth fairly and strives to eliminate the concept of waste.

Students become change agents and sustainability designers, taking active roles in transitioning their existing communities, institutions and neighbourhoods, to more sustainable patterns of production and consumption, as well as leading more joyful, meaningful and healthier lives.

Gaia Education Training of Trainers (ToT) course is answering an international demand for educators and facilitators who are able to conduct our Face-to-Face and Project-Based Learning programmes taking place in 43 countries. Recently, Gaia Education has joined forces with UNESCO Global Action Programme Priority Area 5- Accelerating Change at Local Level. We are embarking on a path of expansion that calls for qualified trainers who can build capacity for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals at local level.

Gaia Education certified facilitators and trainers are equipped with the skills and methodologies to facilitate transformative learning environments and host multi-stakeholder conversations that enable collaborative action.

Gaia Education’s Project-Based Learning is a dynamic learning approach in which stakeholders acquire appropriate skills and analytical tools while actively exploring real-life solutions to the challenges of designing sustainable settlements.
We work with traditional and indigenous communities in the Global South to improve the way they manage their environments and villages, while addressing climate change vulnerabilities. Engaged communities benefit with more stable and fertile soil, secure supply of food and clean water and enhanced livelihoods.