Keynote Speakers

Steffen Emrich

Keynote Speaker

Steffen Emrich is a sociocracy trainer and community consultant, living most of his life in a communal context and since15 years in the gASTWERKe community (Germany). With a background in international NGOs (working on conflict transformation) and deep roots in the ecovillage movement, he co-founded GEN-Germany and served on the GEN-Europe board. He loves supporting communities to grow, connect, and thrive, with a big interest and heart for the projects in Eastern Europe and the global south.

What makes GEN-Europe more than just a network? In this keynote, Steffen Emrich offers insights into the current developments within GEN-Europe and explores what makes the ecovillage movement unique in the European context, its power, its political relevance. He highlights the strength of community-led solutions, the diversity of initiatives across the continent, and the power of connection. At the same time, he addresses the challenges the network faces—internal challenges, external pressures, and the urgent need to scale up.

András Takács-Sánta

Keynote Speaker

András Takács-Sánta PhD is a human ecologist, an associate professor at the Eötvös University of Sciences, the biggest university of Hungary. He is the founder of the Kisközösségi Program (Small Communities Program) supporting local eco-communities in Hungary. His latest book, Világeleje (The Beginning of a World) is about the search for a good life in the time of global environmental crisis.

The urgency for building a new, ecological civilization is undeniable. Local ecological communities might be the most important crystal growing seeds of this great transition. Though ecovillages are the purest, most ideal forms of these communities, their abundance seems to be far from being enough for such a transition. Hence, we should use the power of communities in every kind of locations – from small villages to cities. This keynote speech is mostly based on the nearly two decades of experience of the Kisközösségi Program (Small Communities Program), a Hungarian initiative supporting various kinds of local eco-communities.

Yuluka Kankurua

Keynote Speaker

Happy ecovillager, artist, gardener, herbalist, and a defender of the Rights of Mother Earth. She is part of the NSC of the Global Ecovillage Network and president of the Latin American node CASA Latina. Sociologist and coordinator of the Laboratory of Good Living, Peace, and Rights of Nature at Uniciencia University, has been a facilitator and trainer in Sociocracy since 2017. She is the facilitator of RenaSer, a learning space for the awareness of Being and the author of "Words in Harmony"

Yuluka’s presentation as president of CASA Latina will showcase the process since its founding in 2012, emphasizing the moments of crisis that have led us to the transformations that have brought us here. We will cover the introduction of sociocracy and NVC, the reorganizations, the continental encounters, and the network’s major achievements in terms of its eco-social fabric, Rights of Nature activism and education. We will share images of our trip as CASA Latina and remember the sacredness of being alive on this beautiful Mother Earth that has called us to live and care for life.

Daniel Greenberg

Keynote Speaker

Daniel is currently a Director of the Foundation for Intentional Community. Back in 1998, following his Ph.D. dissertation on Growing up in Communes, Daniel founded Living Routes, which ran study abroad programs in ecovillages. He has lived in Auroville and served as Director of Education at the Findhorn Foundation. He is co-founder of Gaia Education and served as President of GEN from 2015-2019 and his passion is to support the development of whole people, living well and lightly together.

As a representative of GENNA, Daniel will offer an overview of GEN-related activities and initiatives in North America including an overhaul of the Foundation for Intentional Community website, data sharing with GEN International, bioregional gatherings, and more.

Thao Ngo - Kin

Keynote Speaker

Thao Ngo (Kin) is an environmental educator and Deep Ecology practitioner living in the Project Awe community in Vietnam. She entered the ecovillage network in 2016 as a volunteer with the youth network NextGENOA and joined the team at GEN Oceania & Asia (GENOA) in 2021. Since then, she has been serving as the network coordinator. Kin is also a member of GEN’s Network Steward Circle. She will be sharing insights into the terrain of the ecovillage network in Oceania & Asia, drawing from her experience with its rich diversity, deep connections, and the highs and lows along the way.

Thao Kin joined the Global Ecovillage Network Oceania & Asia (GENOA) during the unique time of Covid-19 and Gaia Trust’s funding withdrawal. Her journey with the network has been one of deep connection, personal transformation, and collective transition. The GENOA team has been navigating its way through virtual networking while supporting on-the-ground work and engaging with communities across diverse cultures and contexts. She will share insights into the terrains of the ecovillage network in Oceania & Asia, drawn from lived experiences of its richness and complexity, as well as the highs and lows along the way.

Anna Kovasna

Keynote Speaker

Anna Kovasna is strategic lead for community resilience at GEN International and co-founder of Kincentric Leadership and the Living Systems Alliance. She works with ecovillages and allied movements to accelerate systems change and deepen resilience, solidarity, and regeneration rooted in collective practice and kinship with all life. She cocreated the GEN Map of Regeneration and Ecovillage Design Cards, and is a trustee of Transition Network and Gaia Education.

In a world of ecological and social unravelling, what does it mean for ecovillages to truly matter, now and in the years to come? This keynote draws on insights from our global movement to explore how communities can remain living examples of joy, resilience, solidarity and transformation – while also navigating the interlinked crises shaping our future. What could we strengthen and nurture today to keep the dream of what we’re creating alive, not just for our benefit but for the benefit of all life?