Date: January 19th 2009

> hello fellow ecotopians,

> major impact on what i am now and what i live for. and, hell yes, i want
> future generations to have their ecotopia, too!

And hopefully not only future generations, but allso those people,
older generations, for whom Ecotopia is still new... By the way I like
to use the name Ecotopia ? (with the questionmark) to make clear that
we will never be able to create THE ecological paradise, but we try
and are open for better ideas, dreams...

By the way I have been on I think also on 6 ecotopias, organised 2
(the first ones)....

> ok, about the questions, let me be your person on the inside. although i
> am not representing the eyfa board here, just for the record. ;)

I see this as an iniative group of private individuals, some of them
connected to organisations and/or networks, but first of all persons
who represent themselfs....

> things on this page to this list:
> http://ecotopia.belzignet.de/tiki-index.php?page=what_it_takes&bl=y

For those who do not know that page on the website, it where some
thoughts from Paxus and when I started to react on them on the website
the internet become slower and slower, so I stop trying and decided to
do it later this week when I am visiting the Tollense Community, they
have fast internet :-)

> eyfa has always been short with staff and time the last years. and since
.....
> drain blues here..

I am happy that EYFA still exist after almost 22 years, I know the
time that the office was my sleepingroom ... therefor no hard
feelings...

>
>> (like can we have your permission to use the name "Ecotopia" since
>> you ar enot any more?) (it not real true I recieved a email from EYFA
>> that there is no copyright on the name and we are therefor free to
>> use it,wam)

I putted this line within Paxus text, since I recieved an email from
Shannon finally saying precise that what I wrote... there is no
copyright on the name and we are therefor free to use it...

Ofcourse there is no copyright on the name, I stole it myself from
Ernesto Callenbach's book, I nevertheless hope also that the answer
from EYFA would be a little less formal, but knowing that most
organisations and offices are understaffed, overworked and whatever I
was already glad that any answer came, I wrote over the last year
almost 6 emails asking what was planned after Turkey, not wanting to
start realizing a dream I had for many years, namely organsing
Ecotopia or something like that here in the Flaeming.

> newsletter list and website that points ecotopia fans to this collective
> here, as soon as there is some sort of plan, proposal or announcement
> for a 2010 gathering.

That what I also expected and had already in the back of my mind... as hope.

> it would be foolish to expect them to see us as competition. they will
> help. they also means me.

thanks !!!!

> in the last years it took about 1 person full time for approx. 6 months
> to work on ecotopia, then 2-3 more for the weeks before and after the
> gathering. these numbers need to be confirmed, but that's how i recall
> it from the board meetings.

I am counting with a bit more people over a longer period of time,
especially here in the Flaeming, therefor I am happy that already a
small working group here in the region has been formed, we have 5-6
people here who like to put a lot of time into this... also since we
see this not as one time event.... Ecotopia ? should be the start of a
bigger ecological camp place, where also other groups can have there
camps, travellers (we are directly on the R1 (fahrrad road from Poland
to Paris)) and when Ecotopia ? we have I mind to organise under the
same name, or under another name when Ecotopia ? starts traveling
again, simular festivals/camps also in the future....

This region wants to promote themselves as a nature rich, ecological,
soft tourism region next to Berlin in the future, and tries every
thing to go bigger events to this region, in 2012 f.e. the German
Wandertag (walkingdays) will take place here, with expected over
25.000 or more participants, so there is a wish already that a camping
place get realised before that, etc. We already had some longer
(in)formal talks with the different townhalls here...

>
> at the site a lot of work was done by the local partner organisations (1
> to 3 ngos). a similar model could be chosen in future.

Don't worry it already starts to become a bit the talk of the town,
and also some people starts to think how to get some bigger grants for
building up the infra structure needed for 1000 people in an
ecological way. We are not sure if it all works but most reactions are
positive..

>
>> Also not having the famous EYFA database
>
> are you referring to the network mailing list? i think that's the only
> contact database type of thing in use for promoting things.

The famous EYFA database was a DBASE III programme I wrote back in the
80'ties with in it over 15.000 addresses of youth, environment, human
right, etc.. organsiations, networks, persons, old participants,
etc... A perfect tool for massmailings, that basically why over 1500
people came to the first Ecotopia in Cologne, we mailed like idiots.

>> or not being part of the ative EYFA network is not really a big help.
>
> consider yourself part of it now. :)

Thanks, so we are back on the base again in a way to speak... :-)


>> It is clear we have to rebuild an new network of possible helpers and
>> participants...
>
> i would say in the last year about 20% of the participants came
> regularly. the rest of the people changed from year to year. so it was
> always some kind of new beginning.

Yes, you are right, but it had a tradition... most people knew that
somewhere in Europe in the beginning of August Ecotopia would take
place... and since we, or let's say, I, like to aim also on other
targets group, like "older" people (in my age or so) and also on what
I call single-parents with children, those who do not really have the
money to go somewhere in the summer with their childs... that means
that also new contacts have to build up to those groups, also to get
an Ecotopia ? children programme (the ecotopia way)

> it would be a good idea to directly contact some of the key
> infrastructure people that showed up every year to build the kitchen for
> example, and ask them about participation or hints.

Besides EYFA and Ecotopia I also was one of those who started
Rampenplan and we have also an own smaller mobile kitchen with riends
in Berlin, besides that we have different bigger communities in the
area who also have gear and experience to cook for bigger groups...
and we already talked about this idea, in the past, and more concrete
in the last weeks... and with this experience and ofcourse those from
other Ecotopia organisers from the past it must be possible to get
some dreams being realise (finally)...

> i will be in amsterdam in two weeks, visit the eyfa office and also ask
> about "ecotopia reloaded" and their new, much shorter and
> conference-like summer activist gathering of course.

Please !!!!

>
> i wrote the ecotopia online application software, and i will of course
> chip this in. along with any type of website/mail/whatever hosting (on
> renewable energy) - if needed. also a few k towards the 10k mentioned by
> paxus would be no problem.

I think we need a bit more money, especially for the infra structure
we like to build up, but since that it NOT only for that one Ecotopia
? camp we think we can get via the official structure programme from
land, bund, eu, in cooperation with the Town Wiesenburg and Belzig and
the landkreis at least some substancial financial help. Nevertheless
money will be needed for a buro and the whole propaganda thing, and I
geuss all the bit we can get is helpfull to make the realisation
easier...

But let's say, the is a lot more to tell, I will do my best to get it
to the website in the coming weeks, wouldn't send it all over this
mailinglists...

Ljubav i Mir,

wam :-)