Sustainable Development Glossary
This glossary contains terms related to the field of sustainable development and participatory research, which we promote through our education and projects in ecovillages. Included are terms specific to our organization, to help you better understand our mission and website.
Action research: Reflective process of progressive problem-solving by individuals working with others in teams or as part of a community, to improve the way they address issues and solve problems.
Community empowerment: Enabling a community to actively imagine, manage and direct its own development and development decisions.
Earth Rights Institute (ERI): Incorporated in 2001, ERI is an organization that seeks to join education, advocacy and research in building ecologically, economically and culturally sustainable communities.
Earth Rights Ecovillage Institute (EREV): Africa office of the Earth Rights Institute. Through partnerships with GENSEN and Living Routes, EREV is dedicated to the education of international students, professionals, and local communities.
Ecovillage: Human-scale community or settlement--rural or urban--which creates a model for sustainable living. Integrates social, economic and ecological perspectives.
Ecovillage Design Education (EDE): based on experiences of successful ecovillages, EDE is a comprehensive course on sustainable community development and integrated design created by GEN and Gaia Education. The EDE curriculum has been endorsed by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research.
Ecotourism: Type of responsible tourism that emphasizes the ecological conservation aspect of sustainability.
Gaia Education: International team of educators developing curricula and courses on sustainable development for urban and rural settings.
Global Ecovillage Network (GEN): "Global confederation of people and communities that meet and share their ideas, exchange technologies, develop cultural and educational exchanges, directories and newsletters, and are dedicated to restoring the land and living 'sustainable plus' lives by putting more back into the environment than we take out." --GEN
Living Routes: Develops and supports accredited college-level programs based in ecovillages around the world, helping students to learn how to build a more just and healthy global future.
Microfinance: "Offers poor people access to basic financial services such as loans, savings, money transfer services and microinsurance." --CGAP
Participatory research: “Participatory, democratic process concerned with developing practical knowing in the pursuit of worthwhile human purposes, grounded in a participatory worldview…. [and bringing] together action and reflection, theory and practice, in participation with others in the pursuit of practical solutions to issues of pressing concern to people, and more generally the flourishing of individual persons and communities. " --Handbook of action research: participative and practice. Reason and Bradbury. London: SAGE (2001).
Responsible tourism: Tourism that directly benefits local development, protects natural resources, and addresses the evolving needs of both a target community and visitors traveling to the community.
Service learning: "Teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities." --Learn and Serve America
Sustainable development: Economical, ecological and social development that responds to our present needs while insuring that future generations are able to respond to their own needs.
Sustainability: "Forms of progress that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs." --World Commission on Environment & Sustainable Development
Senegal Ecovillage Microfinance Fund (SEM): Non-profit organization that provides affordable business loans to communities belonging to GENSEN.
Wolof: The most widely spoken national language in Senegal. 40% of Senegalese are native speakers, and another 40-50% speak Wolof as a second language.