East September 23 , together with other European communities from 15 countries, we celebrate the 1st European Day for Sustainable Communities , organized by the European network ECOLISE . In the Amalurra community We had the opportunity to share with some 80 people a day of awareness and learning about such a broad, diverse and fashionable concept as sustainability.

After the morning program, each of the speakers who participated in the afternoon panel discussion offered a different perspective on the topic. And yet they all shared the same common idea: the need for a change in consciousness that fosters a sustainable life based on respect for nature and the environment.

A) Yes, Francisco Villar , professor of economics at the University of Burgos , who attended with a group of Social Education students, highlighted education as a basic tool to conserve the resources we have, not only for ourselves, but for future generations.

Gorka Egia, mayor of Orendain (Gipuzkoa) , offered a broad overview of the measures that have turned his town into an example of citizen awareness and practice in sustainability. A) Yes, Orendain aspires to energy self-sufficiency by responding locally and often taking into account practical and simple solutions from our ancestors.

Koldo Santiago , representative of Enkartur , He provided a vision of the work that is being carried out by Basque institutions, specifically in the Encartaciones region, to promote sustainable tourism.

Irene Goikolea , founder of the Amalurra community and member of the council of the GEN (Global Ecovillage Network) , provided a deep perspective of sustainability, emphasizing the need to recover the sense of the sacred that we all carry inside, and that the indigenous peoples have conserved, because “if we recognize the sacred and include it within every expression of life, life becomes he will speak as he spoke to our ancestors and will remind us how to live in harmony with creation and how to restore the intrinsic balance to life ”. For her, the memory of the sacred is the key that can awaken our consciousness to the uniqueness to which we belong, in the face of the separation that Western culture has promoted.

The round table concluded with the participation of Olatz Legarza , member of the Amalurra project, who offered an overview of the 4 dimensions of existence: social, cultural or spiritual, ecological and economic, to which the fifth Dimension or holistic vision encompasses and that have allowed the design of the entire community system. Each dimension includes a series of principles or pillars on which the Amalurra community has relied to implement a way of life that promotes a positive transformation based on reflection, dialogue, research and project design.

In the end, Irene Goikolea He took the floor again to address especially the young people present, to whom he offered all his support and enthusiasm: “All the young ones,” told them, “You dream of making a contribution to Earth. If you put your dream into motion, you will set goals for yourself and, for that, a discipline as well. In time, you will see that some gifts will have awakened in you and those are the gifts that you can give to Mother Earth and she will be happy. The future is yours, “ he continued. “You have a tremendous responsibility, but if you believe in dreams, everything will have a meaning.”

This was the clasp with which a day of exchange and connection concluded.

Amalurra Community