The forest gives without counting and is expects nothing in return. At Eotopia, we gather a part of our food from the wild herbs, flowers and even mushrooms… We give our energy, our time and our know-how to the world around us. Gift economy makes us part of the Earth system and helps us reflect on what is really necessary. This invites us to become aware of the abundance that Mother Nature is offering.
Some of the acts of giving we practice:
• Opening our doors to everyone and organizing public events without financial conditions
• Offering the space, the food, our time and energy freely and with love
• Moneyless exchanges on the land (however we still use money to buy groceries, etc.)
• Practicing permaculture ethics
• Salvaging scrapped items
• Harvesting wild plants
• Take care of ourselves and each other
The practice of gift economy differs from systems based on being totally free or with free price. In gift economy, everyone gives what they want when they want, without conditions. It’s based on a philosophy of mutual trust, commitment, responsibility and self-management leading to a transparent and collaborative economic system. We believe in the balance between giving and receiving at a global level and are aware that what we are working for is collective.