Gaia Terra. Permaculture in an Ecovillage Setting

Abstract: In a profit-dominant narrative/world and a commodifying social-ecological system, the interactions between humans, environment and nature show us complex inequity and effects on the interwovenness of human health and the health of the environment. In this study, I aim to depict a different approach to human well-being. For that I lived in a so-called ecovillage named Gaia Terra and studied their way of life by conducting interviews and participating in daily practices. Permaculture, which is applied there, is more than merely an agrarian practice and rather a holistic approach to health. Safe spaces are created or re-used where new embodied selves perform within. I found that ecovillages align with certain ethics: “Caring for the People”, “Caring for the Planet” as well as “Fair Share” are specific conceptions of well-being. The embodied dwellers in GT work towards a harmonic, regenerative and healthy interrelation between human and non-human.