It is an oasis of peace, a lost paradise, a far cry from the fast-paced world and traffic-clogged Chennai. Several energy audit programs have already been implemented. IS Auroville an Eco-Village? Auroville is an eco-village inspired by teachings of Sri Aurobindo on integral yoga. In addition to the on-site solar systems six wind turbines of 800 kW each have been installed in the south of Tamil Nadu and in Karnataka. It is meant for all those everywhere in the world who want to participate in our efforts at putting into practice a vision of environmentally-responsible living. The total capacity of grid-connected solar PV systems in Auroville has meanwhile grown to 132 kW, distributed over fourteen rooftop systems and one ground-mounted system. Today, Auroville is a 5,000-acre spread and a 3,000-person family. In January 2012, Auroville Consulting (a unit of Auroville) made a presentation to the Tamil Nadu Government in which it was proposed that Auroville would install at its own cost a few grid-connected rooftop solar PV systems as demonstration projects. Pleasant Valley Eco-village is located on a 100-acre organic agroforestry farm. The Global Ecovillage Network is a registered charity: SC043796 and has consultative status in the UN – ECOSOC. This continued to encourage new innovative green energy initiatives over the years. All necessary precautions will be taken following the applicable SOPs, and visitors are requested to observe social distancing, hand sanitization, and the wearing of face masks. Most of these systems can be found in the green belt of Auroville. As a solution-based, multi-stakeholder alliance, GEN provides information, tools, examples, and representation to the expanding global network dedicated to demonstrating principles and practices of sustainability in their lifestyles and communities. Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. Auroville has two units that are active in the area of solar system design, supply, installation and maintenance, Auroville Energy Products (www.aep-auroville.com) and Sunlit Future (www.sunlitfuture.in). The Dune welcomes guests all through the year. Auroville has residents from 49 countries and has become a hub for applied research in sustainable living. It was proposed by Sri Aurobindo Ghosh and founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (known as "the Mother") and designed by architect Roger Anger. Auroville Consulting also supported several state electricity regulatory commissions in shaping their solar energy policies. In the 1970s Chinese agricultural advisers came to the rice-growing area and taught new methods that involved a lot of chemical fertiliser. Your donation helps to support and to spread ecovillages around the world. She is a screenwriter for theater and film, was the editor of the magazine The female voice - politics of the heart, press officer of the house of democracy in Berlin, the ZEGG in Belzig and Tamera in Portugal, where she mainly lives today. She teaches constructive journalism for young professionals and stu…. The Auroville Visitors Centre is reopening to the public on Monday, December 7th. Auroville, a growing international township near Puducherry on the Coromandel Coast in India, is an inspiring model for sustainable practices and ecologically-responsible living. In Auroville extensive use is made of energy efficient lights and equipment. The Auroville Charter: a new vision of power and promise for people choosing another way of life A Dream: Envisioning an Ideal Society Sri Aurobindo's teaching and spiritual method Also, the organizers of this petition have not been authorized by Auroville to do fundraising in its name. In coming to visit Auroville, I’ve carried a post-colonial anxiety all day — bracing myself for the revelation that Aurovillians, like so many white people, might care more for chai and yoga than they do for India and Indians. Pleasant Valley Eco-village is a place, where we live in perfect harmony with nature, spirit, ourselves and a like-minded conscious community. It will be possible for day visitors to visit the Matrimandir Viewing Point to see the Matrimandir from outside. Pleasant Valley Eco-village is surrounded by sacred Kunda river and richly bio-diverse Attapadi Reserve Forest. But by 2002, the soil was seriously degraded and the villagers decided to take action. Established in 1968 in the South of India, Auroville was founded with the spiritual objective of embodying the ideal of human unity. Auroville’s overarching vision is grounded in the Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo, which understands biophysical reality as an evolutionary unfoldment of Spirit. These pilot projects also helped in addressing apprehensions and concerns on the part of Tamil Nadu Electricity Board relating to safety, interconnection standards and metering. Volunteering supports the network while forming valuable connections, meeting incredible people, and contributing to a positive future. … Auroville, a growing international township near Puducherry on the Coromandel Coast in India, is an inspiring model for sustainable practices and ecologically-responsible living. Auroville Consulting organizes Green Practices Workshops on a regular basis (www.agpworkshops.com) and has established an Auroville Green Portal that gives an overview of Auroville activities and projects relevant to sustainable development (www.green.aurovilleportal.org). Over the years, Auroville has won international acclaim for its efforts in social and environmental sustainability. Fifty years ago, inspired by the writings of Indias great philosopher-yogi Sri Aurobindo, the concept of an international-universal town devoted to an experiment in human unity was born. Nov 25 2020 The exhibitions, information, boutiques, bookshop, cafeteria, and other outlets will be open. Auroville acts as a living laboratory in developing, adapting, and testing renewable energy designs, systems, and products that can then be adopted elsewhere. Sullivan noted in his book The Dawning of Auroville… Founded in 1968, Auroville is based on the vision of The Mother from the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and is endorsed by UNESCO and Government of India as an ongoing experiment in human … Auroville Road | C/O Zakti Eco Farm, 2nd, Left of Dhana Community Check Post, Auroville 605101, India 4.3 miles from The Dune Eco Village & Spa #13 Best Value of 957 places to stay in Pondicherry In the immediate future additional rooftop solar PV capacity will be added. Auroville Green Practices conducts workshops on sustainable practices in Energy, Building and Architecture, Organic Farming and Art & Crafts With the energy produced by these wind turbines and the on-site solar PV systems, Auroville produces more renewable energy than the energy it draws from the electricity grid, thereby making Auroville (electrical) energy positive. Friends of GEN – Building the New Normal! Please note that on arrival in Auroville all guests, volunteers, and family members will be expected to follow the rules as applicable from the state government guidelines about quarantine and safety regulations. Today Auroville has stand-alone solar PV installations with a total capacity of about 250 kW. It is almost impossible to include an exhaustive list of current renewable energy initiatives; they include – solar home and street lightings, solar drier, solar water heater, solar space conditioning (dehumidifier /air conditioner), solar cart, electric vehicle, biodiesel, algal-fuel, wind-generator, passive solar buildings, and many more. Auroville has also installed several micro wind turbines. You can also subscribe to your region's newsletter for local updates! Located in the south of India near the former French colony Pondicherry, it brings together in the same place the 100 communities scattered across the globe that I have been able to see until today. 358 likes. Started approx. It will be possible for day visitors to visit the Matrimandir Viewing Point to see the Matrimandir from outside. Moreover, the supply is not reliable even for those who are connected. Auroville is first and foremost an international township with a spiritual objective—to embody the ideal of human unity—and its ecological work comes as a consequence. By plan, the green belt in Auroville that surrounds the city-area in the center is mandated to remain off the grid. Since 2012 Auroville has also been installing grid-connected solar PV systems. The Tamil Nadu Government came out with a solar energy policy in October 2012 and small scale (rooftop) grid connected solar PV systems with net metering is part of that policy. An eco-village is defined by Global Ecovillage Network as, “An intentional or traditional community using local participatory processes to holistically integrate ecological, economic, social, and… Auroville coexists with several local villages, most of which existed before Auroville's inauguration in 1968. The Working Committee, Greetings from Auroville, the City of Dawn, Auroville was inaugurated on February 28th, 1968, in the presence of 5000 people, Youth representing 124 Nations participated in the inauguration of Auroville, "Coming to Auroville...means coming to a gigantic effort for progress". Connecting Communities for a Sustainable World. Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to keep up to date with the latest news and happenings in ecovillages and their allies around the globe. Auroville was founded as a project of the Sri Aurobindo Society founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (also known as "The Mother"). Is Auroville An Eco-Village? We live and work in Auroville, a UN-backed global centre of sustainable practices dedicated to the ideal of human unity. It is the world’s largest spiritual utopia. Auroville Consulting developed technical specifications and guidelines for small scale grid connected solar PV systems and these were adopted by the Tamil Energy Development Agency. Auroville means “the City of Dawn”.The promise of a money-free existence, surrounded by people who believe in the energy, who wouldn’t want to live there. Auroville “Experimental" township in Viluppuram district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India, near Pondicherry in South India. https://auroville.org/contents/194, Disclaimer regarding the Change.Org petition. Auroville has much to contribute towards materializing sustainable development through renewable and decentralized energy systems. Energy Conservation and Energy Efficiency. 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