12/10/2007

1

Creating Local Ecovillages Creating Local Ecovillages and Neighborhoodsand Neighborhoods

Rolf Disch’s solar-powered neighborhood, Sonnenschiff, "sun ship.” Freiburg, Germany

Findhorn Ecovillage, Scottland

www.thegeographyofhope.com

What is an Ecovillage?

What is an Ecovillage?What is an Ecovillage?“[A]n ecovillage is 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."

Robert Gilman, Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities (1991)

Understenshojden EcoVIllage, Stockholm, Sweden

“The ecovillage model is a conscious response to the complex problem of how to transform our human settlements, whether they be villages, towns or cities, into full-featured sustainable communities, harmoniously and harmlessly integrated into the natural environment.”

Findhorn Foundation

Findhorn Ecovillage, Scottland

“Ecovillages are urban or rural communities of people, who strive to integrate a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life. To achieve this, they integrate various aspects of ecological design, permaculture, ecological building, green production, alternative energy, community building practices, and much more.”

Global EcoVillageGlobal EcoVillage Network .http://gen.ecovillage.org

Myrstacken, Sweden

“From the early stages of ecovillage networking, consideration was given as to whether it would be useful and appropriate to specify criteria and establish a minimum threshold of achievement in order for a community to identify itself as an ecovillage. The decision taken was that we're not about sitting in judgment and monitoring, [but] rather, encouraging everyone to do what they are able, to live sustainably…a community is an ecovillage if it specifies an ecovillage y g p gmission, such as in its organizational documents, community agreements or membership guidelines, andmakes progress in that direction.”

Linda Joseph, Ecovillages of North America (ENA) President andAlbert Bates, ENA International Secretary

12/10/2007

2

• Urban, suburban, rural

• Remote communes to urban upscale developments

A Great Variety….A Great Variety….

developmentsEarthaven. North Carolina

BedZed. Suffolk, England.

• Developing and developed nations

• Spiritual in focus to secular

• “Full-featured” to Green housing

Thlolego Ecovillage,South Africa

g

Auroville Ecovillage, India.Westwood Cohousing, Asheville, NC.

Common Themes

• Habitat preserved/ restored

• Reduced role of automobile

The ideal: full-featured, socially supportive, sustainable community, harmoniously and harmlessly integrated into the natural environment

• Green building• Green Infrastructure:

energy, water, storm water, waste

• Toxics avoided • Food Production

• Onsite business/ economy

• Resident management/ decision-making

• Educational Component

Common Strategies

• Green buildings: materials & design• Clustered housing or Cohousing• Common, auto-free areas • Water catchment greywater reuse constructed• Water catchment, greywater reuse, constructed

wetlands, living machines• Renewable energy systems, centralized systems• Community Supported Agriculture• Consensus or modified consensus decision

making

ExamplesExamples

Ecovillage at Ithaca. http://mha-net.org/msb/graphics/clients/c-nola14.jpg

Village HomesVillage Homes• Davis, CA

• Founded 1975 (building continued into1980’s)

• One of the first modern “green” developments

• 70 Acres;12 acres of greenbelts and open space; 12 acres of common agricultural land

• 225 Homes, 20 apartment units; 4,000 ft2 of commercial office space

12/10/2007

3

• Passive solar, energy efficient design

• Pedestrian/Bicycle paths alternate with cul-de sac streets

• Swales, retention pond

• Extensive common land

• Extensive edible landscape• Extensive edible landscape

• Free cooperative childcare to residents.

• High degree of voluntary resident participation in neighborhood activities.

Ecovillage at Ithaca (EVI)Ecovillage at Ithaca (EVI)http://www.ecovillage.ithaca.ny.us/

• Ithaca, NY• Founded 1991, as a non-profit.• Rural; 3 miles from downtown• 176 acres• 80% green space; 55 acres

conservation easement• 2 cohousing neighborhoods -

30 homes each (clustered housing, cars to periphery).

• 3rd neighborhood (12 homes) in planning phase.

• Common facilities: dining room, children’s playroom, teen room, wood shop, neighborhood gardens & play areas, walking trails

• Most land owned by EVI, inc.; 5.5 acres owned by First Resident Group (FROG); 5.5 leased long term by Second Neighborhood Group (SONG).

• FROG & SONG are cooperatives. Residents own shares pin coop & get a proprietary lease for home.

• Land planning & design achieved with great future resident input and utilizing community resources, including university students.

• Buildings have passive solar design, are energy efficient, some green material & features.

• Some homes have solar energy (hot water & PV); hope to have village scale wind energy in future; also planning to grow crops for biomass.

• Wastewater currently treatedWastewater currently treated conventionally. However, homes plumbed to accommodate gray water treatment on site. Plans include future onsite biological wastewater treatment.

12/10/2007

4

• Community pond and underground cistern capture rainwater to irrigate neighborhood gardens.

• Large Organic Farm (CSA) & a berry farm on site.

• Strong educational mission & activities (including connections with 2 local universities).

EcoVillage at Loudon CountyEcoVillage at Loudon Countywww.ecovil.com

• Loudon County, VA. • 180 rural acres; 5 minutes to commuter rail to

Washington D.C.• 85 % open space/ preservation and reforestation

2 h i i hb h d 2 h h• 2 cohousing neighborhoods; 25 homes each.

• In construction phase. All but 2 lots sold.

• Individual homesites owned individually. Site price includes share in common facilities.

Residents construct playground.

Common house.Interior of home.

• Managed by EcoVillage Community Association.

• Architects have designed 6 “model” home plans.

• Green features in homes: Passive solar, super insulation, high-tech ventilation systems

• Green stormwater management.

• Utilities currently provided from off-site.

• All 180 acres are organically managed/certified. ECA is looking to hire a farmer to work 20 acres.

Berea College Ecovillagehttp://www.berea.edu/sens/greensteps/physicalplant.asp

• Ecologically-sustainable residential and learning complex

• Housing needs for student families- 50 apartments & a common house

• Childcare for campus children- Child Development Laboratory

• Living/labor opportunity for students (SENS) demonstration house

• Solar heating

• Photovoltaic panels and wind-d l t i l tpowered electrical generators.

• On-site treatment of waste: Ecological machine, SENS house composting toilets

• Wetlands

• Permaculture food forest, and individual gardens

12/10/2007

5

Six Crucial Steps in Establishing an Ecovillage – Diana Christian

• Identify you community vision and create vision documents

• Choose a fair, participatory decision-making process appropriate for your groupmaking process appropriate for your group and get training – Consensus ?

• Make clear agreements in writing including an appropriate legal entity for owning land together

Six Crucial Steps (cont.)

• Learn good communication and group process skills. Make resolving conflicts a priority

• In choosing cofounders and new members• In choosing cofounders and new members select for emotional maturity

• Learn the head skills and heart skills you need to know. Founders need to be generalists

Clear Creek Ecovillage - Denton• Vision: build an ecovillage on land adjacent to

the Clear Creek Natural Heritage Area and future site of the Clear Creek Water Reclamation Plant.

• Why that location: – Near City of Denton – Near Nature– Education –Future home of Clear Creek Natural

Heritage Center – Water, Compost, Services– Partners – UNT, private sector, master naturalist ?

A Good Place to Start Learning About Ecovillages

Other Resources• Global Ecovillage Network http://gen.ecovillage.org/

• The Farm EcoVillage Training Center http://www.thefarm.org/etc/

• Ecovillage at Ithaca weekend emersion & weeklong training in building ecological communities http://www.ecovillage.ithaca.ny.us/evi_programs.html

• Living Routes. Study abroad in Ecovillages. http://www.livingroutes.org/

• The Cohousing Association of the United States http://www.cohousing.org/