Come to the 20th annual Ecotopia gathering!

ECOTOPIA CALL-OUT!

Come to the 20th annual Ecotopia gathering!

This year, Ecotopia will take place between 9-23 August 2008 in Turkey,
close to a city Sinop at the Black Sea. You are invited to take part, and
discuss energy and other issues, support local activists and meet with
groups from different parts of Europe.

The Issues
Every year, Ecotopia pays special attention to one issue. Usually this is
an issue which is of particular concern to the local Ecotopia organisers.
This year, Ecotopia will take place close to a location determined for the
construction of a nuclear power station, and the main theme will be the
energy issues.

In Turkey, the pros and cons of nuclear energy have been debated for
almost 30 years. In 2004, the Turkish government took a sudden turn in the
energy policy and made a plan to meet Turkey's increasing energy demand by
building 3 to 5 nuclear plants between 2008 and 2012. The reliance on
nuclear energy runs huge economic and environmental risks.

The construction of nuclear energy plants wastefully consumes public
resources: both their construction and dismount at the end of their term
are expensive. Not to mention serious risks and problems related to the
storage of nuclear waste and possible accidents.

We believe that the energy crisis should be solved by decreasing energy
consumption, improving energy efficiency and promoting low-impact energy
production. And we would like to focus workshops and activities at
Ecotopia on these issues.

What is Ecotopia?
Ecotopia is an annual 2 week-long meeting of activist individuals and
groups, focusing on issues of environment and social justice. It has been
organized by EYFA (European Youth For Action) since 1989, and is hosted by
local grassroots environmental organizations. The 2008 Ecotopia will be
hosted by Ekolojik Utopyalar Dernegi.

Ecotopia is a horizontally organized space to adopt a sustainable
lifestyle, share skills in workshops or discussions, exchange experiences
and ideas, network with new groups, and spread information on social,
political and environmental actions. Ecotopia usually hosts a few hundred
people, addressing topics such as racism, xenophobia, homo-and
queerphobia, creative dissent, alternative media, social centers,
sustainable building and infrastructure, organic/fair trade food and
farming, climate change, diversity, GMOs, etc.

During the two weeks, the community utilizes methods of low-impact living;
from a vegan kitchen, use of alternative power and ecological cleaning
products (washing liquid, soaps, toothpaste), to organizing events to
benefit the locality (cleaning actions etc.)

Biketour
The Biketour is a great sustainable way to reach Ecotopia. This year's
tour starts in Serbia, and cycles through Bulgaria towards the Ecotopia..
more info coming soon.

Take part in Ecotopia!
Have a look at the website for more info and please fill in the
registration form.

Give a workshop!
Everyone is invited to offer workshops, discussions, screenings on the
theme, or other presentations on related social and environmental issues.
To register a workshop – fill in the workshop form.

Take part in the preparation camp
If you are willing to help with preparing the site, by building the basic
structures such as the kitchen and toilets, please take part in the prep
camp, starting on the 3rd of August.

If you have any questions - write to ecotopia@eyfa.org

Greetings,

...

Links
www.ecotopiagathering.org
www.ekolojikutopyalar.org/tr
www.thebiketour.net
www.eyfa.org


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