An Introduction to Auroville
The spirit of Auroville is multi-faceted and ever-changing. Take a moment to watch A Dream Down to Earth to get a quick introduction to Auroville’s origins and its evolution as a nebula of human unity, sustainable solutions, and spiritual pursuits.
Auroville’s Initiatives
Farms & Forests
When Auroville was founded in 1968, the area was a mix of dry canyons and farmland cultivated by Tamil people who had endured centuries of colonialism and resource extraction. European companies had decimated the local indigenous forests, causing excessive topsol erosion during the annual monsoons.
Early Aurovilians set about working with the local people to reverse the course of ecological degradation. Over time and through intensive experimentation, they have developed a profound and unique understanding of how to rebuild an ecosystem.
Waste Management Innovation
Auroville’s spirit contains an integral ethos to live in harmony with the Earth by living an ecologically conscious lifestyle. This commitment to protecting our planet can be traced back to Auroville’s origin when “repair and reconstruct” were a necessity and living within your means was ideal. Many people and units in Auroville continue to make an effort to lower the amount of solid waste going to landfills in innovative ways including upcycling, recycling, composting, refusing, and more.
Village Outreach
As Auroville has grown and prospered, the standard of living and scope of opportunities for the people in the neighboring villages have grown as well. And as the nature of the challenges in the villages have shifted, from access to food, clean water, and other basic necessities to alcoholism, waste management, and loss of cultural practices and traditions, the village outreach programs have expanded and shifted their focus. There is more emphasis today on empowerment and cultural preservation, and quality education.
Auroville’s Diverse Projects
Permaculture Education
Microplastics Education
Auroville Art Camp
Auroville’s Capacity to Flourish
Flourish is a unique project developed by Auroville International USA to support projects in Auroville that want to scale their work globally, while generating income to support Auroville’s work. We started collaborating with Aurovillians Helen and Manjula to conduct research into the Auroville economy and the opportunities and limitations for these kinds of projects.