Together with the Aardehuizen, GEN NL is also celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. To mark the occasion, GEN NL will be present at the Aardehuis Feestival, right next to the Aardehuizen, with its own Network Weekend on the 'Ecovillage Field' in the Olst Food Forest.

Co-founder, food pioneer, and internationally active eco-multitalent Monique Wijn will give a colorful presentation on the current ecovillage movement in the Netherlands and abroad. What can we learn from real-life examples? What kind of perspective do ecovillages offer Dutch society?

Marjolein ‘in het klein’ Jonker is the pioneer of Tiny House living in the Netherlands. With her first tiny house in Alkmaar, she paved the way for what is now a full-fledged movement. She now lives in Olst, in a newly developed area right next to the Aardehuizen.

She will share the opportunities and challenges of small but beautiful living across the Netherlands, and how the municipality of Olst-Wijhe has helped support this.

Clay plaster has many benefits. As an indoor finish, it provides a beautiful natural solution for a balanced indoor climate: regulating moisture and buffering temperature changes. It's also easy to learn. Learn the basics of clay plastering and see how quickly you can create a beautiful earthen wall!

Cycle Coach Fedde Jorritsma knows his stuff and, through his company Local Wise, is one of the pioneers in the Netherlands using valuable raw materials that many people turn their noses up at. Time for a reappraisal. In “Holy Shit! Humanure,” he gives a presentation on safe composting and closing the loop of human consumption.

At the ‘Ecovillage Field’ next to the Aardehuizen, there will be a compost toilet trailer he built. After the Feestival, he processes the output himself. Thank you in advance for your contribution!

Join an Edible Nature Walk with experienced forager, kitchen garden coach, and caterer Willy Boogaard and food (forest) pioneer Fransjan de Waard. Stroll through the edible greenery in and around the Aardehuizen gardens and the adjacent developing food forest, located on a small hectare of municipal land managed as ‘adopted greenery’ by the Eetbaar Olst-Wijhe Foundation, and discover what wild food you can cook and eat.

Always wanted to know more about maintaining a bonsai? Then don’t miss this! A small-scale technique with a big result. Pruning trees and shrubs is a universal skill anyone can learn. Master the fine art of pruning bonsai trees. Once you can do this, you can scale up—two birds with one stone.

Superuse means giving ‘waste’ a second life as high-quality building material, without energy-intensive reprocessing. The Aardehuizen, with their tire walls and reclaimed wood, are an inspiring example.

Architect Cesare Peeren has extensive experience in harvesting and applying usable construction waste.

How do you make fire without a lighter or matches? Bushcraft expert Leen Smit will teach you how to make fire using only a (safely used) good pocketknife and natural materials.

How can we shorten biobased building supply chains in the Netherlands to also benefit the local economy? Sabine Biesheuvel shows how eco-building, successful entrepreneurship, and agricultural transition can go hand in hand. Biesheuvel, director and co-founder of Blue City, transformed the old Tropicana swimming pool in Rotterdam into a model city for the circular and blue economy. Here, circular entrepreneurs and pioneers come together to develop practical solutions—whether it’s increasing your impact, living zero waste, or developing future-proof materials. She won the Circular Hero Award in 2024.

At the end of 2016, the Aardehuizen received 'Experimental' status from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency for self-generated renewable energy. This led to an international collaboration, with results presented on May 24. Project leaders Richard van Leeuwen (Professor of Sustainable Energy Systems, Saxion) and Ferdi Hummelink (Aardehuis) share the ins and outs of self-sufficiency with a smart grid—and a look into the Aardehuizen's own energy storage paradise.

Using an interactive card game, Aardehuis initiator Paul Hendriksen explains how the design principles of (social) permaculture have been successfully applied in the Aardehuizen project. If you’re thinking “Social perma-what-now?”—this is your chance to join in!

More than 5000 old car tires were used to build the load-bearing walls of the Aardehuizen. Did you miss your chance during the 2012–2015 construction phase? Here’s your second chance in this tire-pounding workshop! Also great for past build volunteers wanting to see if they still have the skills. We’ll be making a lovely bench near the pond in the Food Forest.

This educational theater piece is an introduction to biobased building for all ages by eco-building veteran Wilco Machielse. At 75 years old, he not only installs floor insulation for TonZon but also pursues a career as a cabaret performer. Machielse is also a board member of the Association for Integral Bio-Logical Architecture (VIBA).

At the Aardehuis Feestival, you’ll get a first look at the year-long training in Self-Sufficient Living, starting in January next year. In 8 modules, you'll learn all the essentials of living off the grid—can that really be done in the Netherlands?! Come find out—with early bird registration opportunities!

Zoning plan for an ecovillage? It exists now—municipality Westerwolde paved the way together with ecovillage Land van Aine. Ecovillage initiatives and council members from three municipalities share the opportunities and sometimes big challenges they encountered bringing eco-housing communities to municipal land.

A reflection on three cases of collaboration between ecovillage initiatives and municipalities, focusing on the successful realization of the Aardehuizen in Olst. With Katja van der Valk (BuildingCommunity), Hans van Vliet (former urban planning official, Olst-Wijhe), Ton Strien (former mayor), and Miriam Zijp (Aardehuis Olst).

In light of climate disruption, biodiversity loss, and other global crises, it's more important than ever to assess the resilience of your local community. Ecodorp Boekel participates in a global project where ecovillages evaluate their capacity to withstand external shocks in a structured way.

Discover for yourself! Ecovillage founder Ad Vlems presents an interactive session using a beautifully designed set of educational cards.