Are you looking for a place in a sustainable, ecological environment where you can volunteer for a period of time — from two weeks to a year?
Ecolonie is an ecological work-and-living community with a long tradition of building a sustainable community together. Since its foundation in 1989, the community has been shaped by voluntary commitment. Residents and permanent participants receive a small allowance, but volunteering has always been at the heart of Ecolonie. Without this foundation, Ecolonie could never have developed into the place it is today. Donations have also played an important role in sustaining this unique place.
Ecolonie is an association, which means that the property is not owned by individuals, but by the community. This makes Ecolonie a special and inspiring place — one that offers a way of living together that you will not easily find elsewhere in society.
A long story...
Before applying as a Temporary Participant, we ask you to take the time to read the story below in full.
We know it’s a long read, but we feel it’s important that you understand something about our background and where Ecolonie comes from. This will give you a better sense of why we do things the way we do — including working 40 hours a week and the importance of discipline within our community.
By being clear about these expectations from the start, we can create a shared understanding that helps life and work together at Ecolonie run smoothly and pleasantly for everyone.
Background information
Pioneers
When the first group of pioneers arrived in 1989, they found run-down, uninhabitable buildings and an overgrown site. Step by step, and with very little money available, residents and temporary participants gradually transformed the place. Some of the buildings, including guest accommodation and homes, were renovated. A large vegetable and herb garden and a campsite were created. An old farm was purchased and completely renovated into a home, cheese dairy and goat farm.
And all of this was done with our own hands, the hands of thousands of temporary participants and residents, and with money earned by the community itself.
An example
Ecolonie is a unique example in Europe of how a number of core values can be put into practice in a way that contributes to a liveable and just future. These include shared ownership, an internal system of exchange and barter, ecological living, self-sufficiency, vegetarianism, learning to live as a community, service to others, and more. Of course, we realise that Ecolonie may seem like just a drop in the ocean. But we also know that every meaningful change in life has only ever become possible because someone took a first step, followed by a second.
In that sense, Ecolonie is a source of inspiration for many people who carry dreams and hopes for a different way of living and share a similar vision. We see ourselves above all as a place to practise. Because it is only through practice, something we often forget, that we can move forward.
Again and again, this means finding the discipline, even when it is not always easy or enjoyable, to create something worthwhile within yourself and around you, with attention and care. In doing so, we cultivate a positive attitude towards life. That is what we practise here. As human beings, we are never finished learning. None of us.
Living in this way creates a very different kind of energy. You will notice it when you stop simply reacting, as so many people do in everyday society, and begin to act consciously.
Our purpose
In short, we want to create something here that has become increasingly difficult to achieve elsewhere, for example in the Netherlands, because of the high cost of land and housing. Here, in the Vosges in France, we still have the space and the time, both literally and figuratively, to shape our ideas in an organic and careful way. Some of these ideas are gradually becoming visible, while many others are still like seeds lying in fertile soil, waiting for the right moment to germinate.
That willingness to wait, to take our time and to be patient is an essential part of our way of life and our vision. Because, after all:
“If human beings did not feel a sense of lack, what would drive them forward? What need would they have to imagine a different or better world for themselves and their descendants?”
— philosopher Ernst Bloch
It is also a plea for creating a slower future. In our view, much of what goes wrong in society stems from the fact that money, and the idea that time is money, increasingly determines our lives. As a result, other values, such as those mentioned above, are increasingly pushed aside. All these years of hard work and perseverance, of joy and sorrow, of togetherness and loneliness, of superficial and profound encounters, of fulfilment and disappointment, would not have been possible without a deeper understanding, a vision, underlying it all.
An understanding that reminds us that living responsibly requires a new way of thinking and acting, if we are to create the possibility of a different, liveable world for everyone.
Ervin Laszlo expressed one of our underlying motivations beautifully in his inspiring book You Can Change the World:
“The task is simple. Go back to the basics and realise that global problems are not far removed from our everyday lives. They are our problems. And all of us have not only the ability to understand these problems, but also the ability to make a real contribution to solving them.”
We greatly appreciate it when you want to contribute as well. Your motivations do not have to be exactly the same as ours. After all, our own motivations have also developed step by step. Ecolonie is a good place to explore what you yourself are looking for and what matters to you.
The encounters you have here with other people can help you clarify your own motivations and insights. There are many different reasons why people come to work with us. Below are fifteen of the most common. Perhaps you recognise yourself in one or more of them.
Reasons for participating
- to give concrete form to your own ecological ideals;
- to learn about organic gardening or other practical skills and crafts;
- to spend time outdoors, in nature, and work with your hands;
- to take a break from everyday life without spending much money;
- after experiencing stress or burnout, to discover what it is like to build a working life again, together with and among other people;
- to do more than simply relax during a holiday and instead make a positive contribution to projects you believe are worth supporting;
- to gain knowledge and experience in growing and processing herbs;
- to be reconsidering your direction in life — your work, studies or next steps — and to take some time and distance to reflect;
- to spend a planned sabbatical year after school or university, travelling between different communities in Europe;
- to experience living in a work-and-living community and explore what that is like in practice;
- to be looking for a like-minded partner and hope to meet someone at Ecolonie;
- to be living a nomadic lifestyle and see Ecolonie as a place where you can have accommodation and food;
- to have developed a deep personal vision of life and see Ecolonie as a place where you can put that vision into practice;
- to need support and structure after a period of chaos in your life;
- to have technical or other practical skills that you are happy to offer for a shorter period because you believe in a project like Ecolonie.
Often, it is a combination of motivations that brings people to Ecolonie. This diversity of backgrounds and motivations is what makes our community such a unique and vibrant meeting place.
Practical information
You stay with us on a room-and-board basis, which means that all your meals (naturally, organic) and accommodation are provided. Depending on availability, this may be a room, log cabin or caravan. You work 40 hours per week. During July and August, you work 36 hours per week instead of 40 and receive a contribution towards your travel expenses. During these months, we also ask you to bring your own tent. We will agree on the exact arrangements with you in advance.
As a temporary participant, you contribute to keeping our community running and will be assigned wherever help is most needed at that particular time. This means that your workplace may vary depending on the season and the needs at that moment.
In the summer, we need plenty of help in the vegetable and herb gardens, in the kitchen as an assistant and dishwasher, and in the service team to ensure that breakfast, lunch and dinner run smoothly. We also need help with housekeeping, keeping guest rooms, accommodation and communal areas clean and tidy. Other important tasks include setting up furnished rental tents, working bar shifts in the Orangerie, helping in the shop, and maintaining our composting and waste areas.
In the autumn and winter, in addition to kitchen and housekeeping duties, the focus is also on work around the grounds, such as chopping wood, painting and carrying out other maintenance tasks that help take care of Ecolonie.
In the spring, we prepare for the new season: everything is set up and cleaned, the goat shed is mucked out, and the accommodation and workshop spaces are prepared and brought back into order.
Some tasks may be more physically demanding than others, but everything you do is essential to our shared life here. We greatly appreciate your commitment and make sure that you are part of an inspiring and enriching experience!
Good to know in advance
Social well-being: To maintain a healthy and positive social environment within our community, we consciously choose to create space for digital downtime. Therefore, phones, laptops, tablets and other electronic devices are switched off or put on airplane mode. This creates room for peace and quiet, presence, and genuine connection with one another and with our surroundings. If you would like to use your phone or laptop intentionally, there is a designated space where you can go online quietly and with full attention.
Biodegradable personal care products: Our water is purified naturally. That is why everyone staying here uses biodegradable personal care products, such as toothpaste, shampoo, shower gel and hair gel. In this way, we work together to keep our water clean and minimise our impact on nature.
An addiction-free community: Ecolonie is an addiction-free community. We consciously choose a healthy and clear living environment in which awareness, presence and responsibility are central. Therefore, participants and residents do not smoke, including outside the grounds. Alcohol consumption is permitted only to a very limited extent.
Working with love and attention: We approach our work with love and attention. That is why we work in silence as much as possible.
Organic food: As a temporary participant, you become part of our community and support our ecological principles. That is why we eat organic food at Ecolonie. When you buy food or groceries outside Ecolonie, we also expect you to choose organic products. This is not an arbitrary rule, but a practical expression of our vision: treating the earth with care and taking responsibility for the choices we make.
Insurance: Ecolonie cannot be held responsible for any illnesses or injuries occurred during your stay here. We expect you to have, or to take out, your own medical and accident insurance. A travel insurance may serve the purpose.
For more practical information, please see our frequently asked questions. We also ask you to read the introduction letter (PDF) before coming to work with us. You will also receive a copy upon arrival.
What do we expect?
This meeting place, with all its guiding principles, can only continue to exist if everyone who comes here understands that, alongside their own personal and worthwhile motivations, there is at least one shared basic motivation that is essential if you want to work here.
When everyone who comes here is aware of this motivation and consciously chooses to say YES to it, a shared foundation is created, one that is essential for taking the kind of step that, in the words of Ervin Laszlo, can “change the world.” Here, we can put our desire for change into practice, and experience has shown us what can be achieved when we share this common focus.
The essence of this basic motivation is:
Ecolonie deserves my unconditional support. That is why I offer my time, talents and skills, and I am happy to come here to do whatever needs to be done.
What do we have to offer?
Since Ecolonie was founded in 1989, we have gradually expanded the range of activities we offer. We have organised these activities into what we call projects, currently around 26 in total. You can read more about these projects on our website. A few examples include our vegetable and herb gardens, cheesemaking, goat farm, beekeeping, guest accommodation, kitchen, grounds maintenance, shops, herb processing, renovation and much more.
As a Temporary Participant, we ask you to contribute to these projects. Depending on what is needed, we may decide each day what you will be working on, or sometimes create a work schedule for the week. This flexible approach allows us to respond to constantly changing circumstances, influenced by the weather, but also by whatever needs doing at that particular moment: planting onions, hoeing the gardens, harvesting potatoes, making hay, or perhaps helping the farmer muck out the stables.
It’s a lively and enjoyable way of working that gives you plenty of variety. Helping out in the kitchen for a day is also part of the many tasks you may take on.
Food and accommodation
As a Temporary Participant, we provide food and accommodation. Your stay is free of charge, and you receive three organic vegetarian meals a day. During June, July and August, you will generally stay on our campsite and bring your own tent. If you don’t have a tent or camping is not possible for you for another reason, this can always be discussed. We will look for a suitable solution together.
We sincerely hope you’ll come and join us. We still rely greatly on your help to keep Ecolonie going.
Background information and registration
If you are seriously thinking about coming to help us here, then please read also:
- the FAQ and
- the Letter of Introduction (PDF).
After reading that, you can apply by completing the application form.
Residents
A resident lives and works at ECOlonie permanently and has committed himself/herself to ECOlonie and its visions. These visions are described in the statutes and domestic regulations.
A resident is a member of the association and has obtained the right to vote in meetings and the right to live here permanently. Before someone becomes a resident he or she has to have spent a year at ECOlonie as a candidate resident.
Before somebody is eligible to become a candidate he or she has to have worked here for a certain period as a volunteer. The duration of this period depends on several circumstances and is determined by the person concerned and the chair board of the association.