Liora Adler

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Biographical Information

"Liora Adler is a visionary social activist, consensus facilitator, psychologist, holistic nutritionist, event organizer, photographer and dancer. Raised in the era of the 1960’s social movements in the USA, she came to understand that protest alone was inadequate for making substantive societal changes. Consequently, throughout the 1970’s and 80’s she explored intentional community as a means to create a basis for culture that provided both for physical needs and the basic human need to belong to an intimate, purposeful community.

"During this time Liora coined the term 'actionist' to describe people who move beyond protesting what they don’t want into creating what they do want through local action based on global thinking. Thus, as an actionist, Liora co-founded Huehuecoyotl, a thriving ecovillage in central Mexico, and La Caravana Arcoiris Por la Paz, a mobile ecovillage and training center that traveled throughout Central and South America for 13 years using theater,workshops, conferences and large gatherings to share knowledge about the nature of ecological systems and regenerative living.

"Liora has been a global leader in the ecovillage movement and was an executive board member of the Global Ecovillage Network from 1999 - 2003. She currently serves on its International Advisory Board and as a representative to the United Nations. She is also an advisory board member of the and vice-president of The Global Village Institute for Appropriate Technology.

"Liora has helped to create ecovillage and permaculture networks in Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, South Africa, China and Cuba. She was the keynote speaker at the First Global Forum on Standards for Ecovillages and Ecoregions in Beijing, China in 2005 and coordinated both the Workshops for Sustainable Living in Colombia and Ecuador in 2000 and 2001 and the Women’s Peace Village Project in Ecuador in 2002. In 2003, she served as the organizing coordinator for the Call of the Condor Gathering in Peru, at which eight hundred representatives from ecological, spiritual, indigenous, peace, bioregional and holistic health groups from around the world gathered to create a ceremonial peace village and celebrate the vernal equinox at Machu Picchu.

"Deep personal process work matched by highly strategic work-in-the-world characterize Liora’s long term portfolio and philosophy. As co-founder and co-president of Gaia University, Liora has been intimately involved with its design and development from the outset. She oversees operations, teaches programs for associates developing new regional organizing circles, and has been known to lead salsa classes when the mood strikes. Her feisty, outgoing nature, her capacity to negotiate for practical action in challenging situations and her resonance with people living both very simple and highly complex lives are key to the success of the project."

Affiliations

• Trainer/Consultant, Living Mandala