Romania

Banat-Timis

The focus of the Romanian Case Study is on ecovillages and similar communities aiming to become sustainable in the region. These types of communities are notable among other sustainability-related lifestyle initiatives because they require their members to undergo a more radical, across-the-board transition to  new lifestyle choices, consumption habits and time-use patterns. They are usually built on the principles of permaculture, downshifting and a sharing economy.

Up to this point, we have started working with three such Romanian communities: Stanciova Ecovillage, Aurora Community and Armonia Brassovia.

The Stanciova group started in 2001 as an eco-village initiative and meanwhile has integrated itself into an existing traditional village near Timisoara. It is the largest group of this kind in Romania at the moment (7 households in a village of ca. 400 inhabitants), and is welcoming to like-minded visitors or volunteers.

Aurora Community is an international, intentional spiritual community. Although it is a very young community, started in 2013, it is highly prolific and active, having organized, hosted or participated in numerous sustainability-related events over the course of the past year. They are also distinguished by their strong connections to other regional and international communities, as well as their strong interest in spiritual practices (e.g. meditation).

Armonia Brassovia is another relatively young initiative that strives to build an ecologically-friendly, self-sustainable community. One of their distinguishing features is the great degree of importance and attention given to establishing a highly cohesive, motivated and tightly-knit community of individuals and families.

Case Study project contact:
 Vlad Pandur (