Hello and welcome to Environmental Minute! This segment is brought to you by WDIY, in part by the Estate of Don Miles, and I am your host, Maddie Yang, a junior in high school at Moravian Academy, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I am super passionate about all things climate change, sustainability, and empowering and educating others to take action against the climate crisis. My goal for this segment is to provide listeners with a glimpse into a whole variety of topics in the vast realm of sustainability from biodiversity to ecotourism, and plant-based diets to sustainable swaps.
In this episode, we are going to be stepping into the world of Ecovillages. But first of all, what even is an Ecovillage?
Ecovillages are intentional communities that are specifically designed with sustainable practices at its core. They focus on minimizing ecological footprint while promoting a high quality of life among residents.
The concept for this unconventional way of living began in the 1960s and 70s as people sought alternatives to industrialized lifestyles, and the very first ecovillage conference took place in Findhorn Scotland which is now an annual event. Soon after, the Global Ecovillage Network was founded in 1995 and now connects thousands of eco village communities across the globe.
These ecovillages go beyond just being environmentally sustainable. The main point is that everything is shared including land, facilities, and responsibilities, and decisions are always made collectively across the community. Furthermore, they often achieve 80-90% lower ecological footprints compared to the average industrialized Western lifestyle.
Some key features of ecovillages that are commonly seen include:
- Sustainable housing, involving houses often being made from natural or recycled materials that are designed with environmental efficiency in mind. Think solar heating, green roofs, which are roof systems that incorporate a layer of vegetation on roofs, and natural ventilation.
- Community gardens that feature permaculture farms, which mimic natural ecosystems and encourage seasonal eating.
- Water conservation techniques such as rainwater harvesting, composting toilets, and greywater recycling.
- A collaborative government where decisions are made through complete consensus or sociocracy.
- And finally strong relationships among members that are maintained through regular communal meals, celebrations, and cultural events.
Globally, it is estimated that there are 10,000 ecovillages, with a combined population of over 500,000 people.
You can find one of the oldest intentional ecovillages right in the United States. Located in Tennessee, The Farm is one of the most well-known ecovillages in the world. Other ecovillages include Findhorn in Scotland, Auroville in India, Punta Mona in Costa Rica, Crystal Waters in Australia, and Yarrow Ecovillage in Canada.
Many ecovillages around the world actually double as learning centers, offering workshops on topics such as permaculture and renewable energy. The funds from these projects sometimes even fund community projects for the ecovillage to help continue their efforts.
Despite the utopia that ecovillage may appear as, they also face their fair share of struggles. Firstly, legal and zoning restrictions make it difficult for eco villages to get the space that they need as traditional zoning laws are designed for conventional housing and land usage. Things like compostable toilets and shared kitchens, which are key components of eco villages, can violate health codes, making implementing these systems difficult. Secondly, ecovillage communities are bound to face social conflict with one another as they live in such close contact with one another, especially considering that ecovillages must make decisions collectively and come to one unanimous decision. Third, implementing the sustainable infrastructure that ecovillages desire such as solar panels or natural material based homes can require a significant upfront investment that creates a financial barrier for many beginning ecovillages. This is why reliance on eco-tourism, workshops, and farming is a must for ecovillages, but these sources of income can be unreliable. Lastly, modern day society isn’t necessarily compatible with their lifestyle. In today’s world, nearly everyone has a cellphone and internet access, which doesn’t exactly align with the values of an ecovillage due to the processes that it takes to create them.
Ecovillages challenge us to rethink what ‘home’ really means. If you would like to learn more or even visit an ecovillage near you, check out the Global Ecovillage Network at ecovillage.org, which has an interactive map of communities worldwide. Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of Environmental Minute, and until next time, I’m Maddie Yang, and this has been Environmental Minute.
