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Moray project aims to build sustainable communities


By Staff Reporter

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COMMUNITIES across Moray with sustainable aspirations are being invited to tap into free expertise.

Representatives from the charity Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) are looking for projects which they can help take to the "next level".

Between now and the end of September, the team – working in partnership with tsiMORAY with funding from Moray LEADER – will hold meetings with up to 20 groups.

GEN ambassador coordinator Tessa Brock urged people who want more information to get in touch.

She said: "We are providing free support as part of a Building Sustainable Communities project and we would love to connect with local communities in Moray.

"GEN is based in Findhorn and started in 1995. We have an amazing amount of experience working with communities and especially ecovillages all over the world and now we are trying to focus more on the local area.

"So in these meetings, we want to really listen to what theses communities are needing and what projects they are wanting to run; what is really getting them going."

It is hoped the projects will tie in with the aims of Moray's Local Development Strategy.

Later, participants can apply to be one of three showcase ecovillages, which will go on a learning visit to GEN community partners in Germany and Norway.

The showcase communities will also receive support from GEN and the tsiMORAY delivery partners for a year before having the chance to present at the Ecolise Day of Sustainable Communities Conference in Brussels in 2020.

While Tessa said geographical communities would be best, she added: "We realise that unfortunately not all communities have that capacity at the moment or they are too few people in the town or they can't volunteer so many hours, so if there is interest from interest groups or social enterprises we are opening it up to them as well.

"We really want to showcase them on a global level and say, 'look at what these amazing communities are doing'.

Visit the Moray Ecovillage Development Project page on Facebook for more information or email tessa.brock@ecovillage.org for details.


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