Eco-circles are communities, which exist in many countries, where people help each other to create more ecological households. Members meet on a weekly basis for several weeks (usually two to three months) and each time discuss a different area of their household with the help of a permanent group leader. They address, among other things, the energy and water consumption of their households, their eating habits, their use of chemicals, as well as the environmental impact of their waste generation and transport habits. The members of the circle brainstorm, experiment, share their experiences (including failures) together, thus inspiring and helping each other. By the end of the process, the change in participants’ behavior will also be quantifiable. For example, they can see how much less water was used or how much food was saved from being thrown away.
The members of the eco-circles can stay together after two or three months and even go beyond the household level: they can also seek community action alternatives and try to affect others in their municipalities, including the local government. Among other things, shopping communities, local green groups and community gardens have been formed by bringing together people who have come to know each other in eco-circles. Furthermore, the creation of an eco-community, in many cases, further strengthened already existing local communities. In this way, eco-circles can be the starting point or the way of development for local communities that are looking for greener lifestyle alternatives.