There was the greatest interest ever shown on the Hungarian Ecovillage winter assembly this year. More than 140 attendants participated in Máriahalom. Perhaps global crisis, high unemployment, the gas scarcity on the coldest days of winter together made many people to think over how to continue in Hungary. What shall they do and how, if they do not want to continue their wasteful, unsustainable city lifestyle. What kind of knowledge and financial background do you need to start village life? Where to go? What are the requirements of settling down in different ecovillages?
These were the main questions the meeting was meant to answer for the many new interested guests.

At the beginning representatives of each ecovillages gave an introductory presentation and told a bit about the happenings of the last period. They also described the method of joining.
Delegates of Krishna-valley expressed that everybody who is interested in getting involved in life of Krishna-valley for shorter or longer period are most welcomed, though only Krishna believers are aloud to settle down in the Valley. In the other hand anyone can settle down in the neighbouring Somogyvámos. If you are longing for village life, garden, clear are, dynamic and creative community you can find it there and you can participate in this Europe-wide unique eco-program as well.
The delegates told the following too: “We would like other parts of Somogyvámos to be turned into an ecological attitude, cultural and folk handwork centre – a model village. This previously aging, dead-end village has already developed a lot in the last decade. Thanks to Krishna-valley the elementary school and the post office could be kept and 30 000 tourists visit the village per year. In the last couple of years more and more people by houses in Somogyvámos.”
In between the presentations village tours were organized in the Biofalu part of Máriahalom. On these tours guests were invited to enter those houses which have special stoves built in. These stoves called “finish stoves” or mass stoves. All of them are hand built and have a different shape, but thanks to their special structure they burn wood perfectly as they gasify it and they radiate heat effectively inside the building with the lowest level of lose through the chimney. These special stoves will be tested in the next four new built houses in Krishna-valley as well.

Thanks to the great work of the staff of Natural Lifestyle Foundation Agostyán (http://tea.uw.hu) – the organizer of the event – and Biofalu (ecovillage initiative at Máriahalom http://www.biofalu.hu) – the host of the event the all program went very well even with the unexpectedly high number of guests. And special thanks for GEN-Europe (www.gen-europe.org) for financial support of the event.

Next ecovillage meeting in Hungary will be at summer. Until than, we wish all the best for existing ecovillages, for new initiatives and for enthusiastic community seekers too.

Szilvia Rév, Pártha dász, Gábor Tóth