Eco Village

An eco village is a self-sustaining community aimed at creating an environment that can support itself through its own development. It is a vision of a new world, one in which people must take responsibility for their own energy sources, food and well-being.

Why should I be aware of this?

• Eco village is not just a vision but many experts believe this to be the only way forward if the world is to continue. The urgent need to find real alternatives to the rapidly diminishing energy sources that has made the need for eco village real. The eco village is the prototype of the community of the future where recycling, solar power and non-toxic materials are all used as standard.
• Eco villages 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

All about eco village

Eco villages typically build on various combinations of three dimensions:

• Social/Community
• Ecological
• Cultural/Spiritual

Share common values

Eco village inhabitants share common values and desires to not take away more from the earth than they can give back. The quality of their lives should not be improved at the cost to the earth’s environment.

The inhabitants usually are a close-knit group of people with strong spiritual and social beliefs. They aim to find a model for a sustainable answer to the world’s economic and environmental problems. Most eco villages have their own local organic food production and renewable energy systems. The decision-making process is a group effort, and global networking is used to pass on new solutions and methods to other eco villages.

As with any community, in an eco village the families will all work together to farm the land and provide for one another. It becomes more important in view of the deteriorating economy the world over. Not only for food but also for work.

Answer to those seeking something different

In these times of a depressed economy, climate change, loss of community and peak oil, ecovillages may be the answer to those seeking something different in their lives than just regular home ownership or apartment dwelling.

Many such intentional communities were formed a few decades ago but thousands of new ones are sprouting up all around the world. In fact in the United States alone there are several hundred existing and thriving eco villages. It has become a movement unto its own creation and visions for a better world.

Religious beliefs

Some eco villages may be built around specific religious beliefs, while others are open to religious diversity. Often people from different cultural paths come together to live, work and play in unity. Many eco villages are involved in smaller scale agriculture, homesteading, environmental causes and permaculture practices.

Harvesting alternative energy for power and renting out space for cottage type industries are other important activities. The residents agree on the creation of rules and regulations and respect is the basic foundation of most eco villages.

Various types

It is not essential that eco villages be always located in the wilderness. Many are set up in rural areas and a large number thriving around the United States in urban and suburban areas. An eco village might consist of single dwelling homes or more communal types of arrangements. Loss of privacy can be a concern for some but autonomy is respected and encouraged in many eco villages as well.

Various types of people inhabit these eco villages. They may be young and old, diverse in age, race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and cultural backgrounds living in harmony with one another and their communities.

Unlearn

One of the most common misconceptions is that eco villages are utopias and that there is total absence of conflicts and hierarchies. But often, because of the intimacy of everyday life in the community, there are many areas of conflict that appear that an outsider may not be aware of. Conflict definitely does not diminish in an eco village setting, and the most successful eco villages seem to be the ones who are able to deal with incidences of conflict best.

References:

• What is an Ecovillage?
• What Is Ecovillage?
• What is an Ecovillage?
• Ecovillages - Sustainable and community minded living