Ecovillage

Sieben Linden

An eco-house at Findhorn Ecovillage with a turf roof and solar panels

Ecovillages are intentional communities with the goal of becoming more socially, economically and ecologically sustainable. Some aim for a population of 50–150 individuals. Larger ecovillages of up to 2,000 individuals exist as networks of smaller subcommunities to create an ecovillage model that allows for social networks within a broader foundation of support. Certain ecovillages have grown by the nearby addition of others, not necessarily members, settling on the periphery of the ecovillage and effectively participating in the ecovillage community.

Ecovillage members are united by shared ecological, social-economic and cultural-spiritual values. An ecovillage is often composed of people who have chosen an alternative to centralized electrical, water, and sewage systems. Many see the breakdown of traditional forms of community, wasteful consumerist lifestyles, the destruction of natural habitat, urban sprawl, factory farming, and over-reliance on fossil fuels, as trends that must be changed to avert ecological disaster. They see small-scale communities with minimal ecological impact as an alternative. However, such communities often cooperate with peer villages in networks of their own (see Global Ecovillage Network for an example). This model of collective action is similar to that of Ten Thousand Villages, which supports the fair trade of goods worldwide.

Definition

In 1991, Robert Gilman set out a definition of an ecovillage that was to become a standard. Gilman defined an ecovillage as a:

"human-scale full-featured settlement in which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world in a way that is supportive of healthy human development, and can be successfully continued into the indefinite future."

In recent years, Gilman has stated that he would also add the criterion that an ecovillage must have multiple centres of initiative.

History

The modern-day desire for community was most notably characterized by the communal movement of the 1960s and 1970s, which became more focused and organized in the cohousing and ecovillage movements of the mid-1980s. Then, in 1991, Robert Gilman and Diane Gilman co-authored a seminal study called "Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities" for Gaia Trust. Today, there are ecovillages in over 70 countries on six continents.

The ecovillage movement began to coalesce at the annual autumn conference of Findhorn, in Scotland, in 1995. The conference was called: “Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities”, and conference organizers turned away hundreds of applicants. According to Ross Jackson, "somehow they had struck a chord that resonated far and wide. The word 'ecovillage', which was barely four years old at the time, thus became part of the language of the Cultural Creatives." After that conference, many intentional communities, including Findhorn, began calling themselves “ecovillages”, giving birth to a new movement. The Global Ecovillage Network, formed by a group of about 25 people, from various countries, who had attended the Findhorn conference, crystallized the event by linking hundreds of small projects from around the world, who had with similar goals but had formerly operated without knowledge of each other. Gaia Trust, Denmark, agreed to fund the network for its first five years.

Characteristics

Ecovillages are "urban or rural communities ... who strive to integrate a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life." Although there is no blueprint for realizing this goal, ecovillages may integrate various aspects of ecological design: ecological building, alternative energy, environmentally benign manufacturing or production, permaculture (landscaping designed to mimic nature and to provide the community with food, fibre and fuel), and community building practices. The hindrance of restrictive policies such as zoning and building codes to the development of sustainable housing and infrastructure in urban areas in particular is discussed. It is argued that the ecovillage movement provides some of the most relevant work and knowledge available for moving into a more sustainable future.

The principles on which ecovillages rely can be applied to urban and rural settings, as well as to developing and developed countries. Advocates seek a sustainable lifestyle (for example, of voluntary simplicity) for inhabitants with a minimum of trade outside the local area, or ecoregion. Many advocates also seek independence from existing infrastructures, although others, particularly in more urban settings, pursue more integration with existing infrastructure. Rural ecovillages are usually based on organic farming, permaculture and other approaches which promote ecosystem function and biodiversity. Ecovillages, whether urban or rural, tend to integrate community and ecological values within a principle-based approach to sustainability, such as permaculture design.

Johnathon Dawson, former president of the Global Ecovillage Network, describes five ecovillage principles in his 2006 book Ecovillages: New Frontiers for Sustainability:

1. They are not government-sponsored projects, but grassroots initiatives.
2. Their residents value and practice community living.
3. Their residents are not overly dependent on government, corporate or other centralized sources for water, food, shelter, power and other basic necessities. Rather, they attempt to provide these resources themselves.
4. Their residents have a strong sense of shared values, often characterized in spiritual terms.
5. They often serve as research and demonstration sites, offering educational experiences for others.

An ecovillage usually incorporates components of "green" infrastructural capital; autonomous building or clustered housing, to minimize ecological footprint; renewable energy and permaculture. The goal of most ecovillages is to be a sustainable habitat providing for most of its needs on site. However self-sufficiency is not always a goal or desired outcome, specifically since self-sufficiency can conflict with goals to be a change agent for the wider culture and infrastructure. An ecovillage's organization usually depends upon some instructional capital or moral codes - a minimal civics sometimes characterized as eco-anarchism, which involves local purchasing so as to support the local economy; local food production and distribution; moral purchasing to avoid objectionable consumption; consensus decision-making for governance and a choice to respect diversity. Ecovillages should not be confused with micronations, which are strictly legal, not infrastructural, entities.

See also

• Anarcho-primitivism
• Bioenergy village
• Bioneers
• Cohousing
• Communities Directory
• Deep ecology
• Diggers and Dreamers
• Eco municipalities
• Ecodistrict
• Eco-feminism
• Eco-communalism
• Green cities
• Intentional community
• Principles of Intelligent Urbanism
• Sustainable habitat

Further reading

Books

• Christian, D. 2003. Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities New Society Publishers. ISBN 0-86571-471-1
• Dawson, Jonathan (2006) Ecovillages: Angelica Buenaventura for Sustainability. Green Books. ISBN 1903998778
• Hill, R. and Dunbar, R. 2002. "Social Network Size in Humans." Human Nature, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 53–72.
• Jackson, H. and Svensson, K. 2002. Ecovillage Living: Restoring the Earth and Her People. Green Books. ISBN 1-903998-16-6
• Walker, Liz. 2005 EcoVillage at Ithaca: Pioneering a Sustainable Culture. New Society Publishers ISBN 0865715246

Articles

• Christian, Diana L. (ed.) The Ecovillage Movement Today. Ecovillage Newsletter.
• Gilman, Robert (ed.) Living Together: Sustainable Community Development. In Context.

External links

• Global Ecovillage Network
• Ecovillage Network of Europe
• Evolving Ecovillage Network of Africa
• Ecovillage Directory
• Ecovillage Network of the Americas
• Red Ibérica de Ecoaldeas (Iberian network ecovillages)