What are Ecovillages? Ecovillages
are intentional communities with a
particular focus on sustainability and being a model
for environmental stewardship. What this means is that
these communities seek to position themselves as forward
thinking in relation to policies and practices which
maintain or augment the health of the environment, while
improving human health as well. An ecovillage can only
work when the people involved in the project are committed
to working with each other. Underlying this is an integration
of the below components into cohesive process of community
development in which all the members feel they are active
participating in the process:
Key Success Factors for Successful Ecovillage
Formation:
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Successful business plan
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Strong cohesion
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Ability to compromise
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Common values
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BackGround: Denmark in the 1980s
was at the forefront of the co-housing and communities
movements. ”Ross Jackson was one of the founders
of the ecovillage movement. He made a fortune on the
stock market through a company called the Gaia Corporation
and channeled it into the Gaia Trust.
Bottom Up Focus: Ecovillages
“work from the bottom up making individual lifestyle
change a cornerstone of global transformation, a sustainable
balance of human and ecological needs. However, they
do not necessary need to focus their fundraising efforts
on the grassroots. Key to our success is to demonstrate
the importance of empowering the grassroots in relation
to promoting democratic values by convincing wealthy
organizations and individuals to contribute towards
true grassroots economic development.
Considering Social Sustainability:
Any project to become part of a human habitat that is
committed to sustainable development as part of an actual
practice must become a practical alternative to conventional
systems. Wherefore the social benefits of sustainable
development are as important as the environmental ones.
Towards this goal we must develop an aggressive program
towards redesigning human habitats to reflect social
as well as environmental considerations.
Preconditions to Ecovillage Movement Take-Off:
The Preconditions that need to be employed
as a common set of strategies within the movement for
it to gain widespread global momentum include:
1. |
Implementation of the Green Cell
Model. Developed by Swedish physician Dr Karl
Henrik Roberts as part of the Natural
Step process, it says that for any sustainable
system to work it has to operate from an integrated
perspective in relation to the use of time and
space.
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Reform of western education model towards
more flexible model that encourages informal
forms of education including the idea that we
should approach learning as a lifelong process. |
3.
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Borrowing from the shock therapy programs
in Eastern Europe that shifted people from a
state controlled economy to a market one, Ecovillages
need to be designed and organized to rapidly
transition people from an archaic and greed
driven socioeconomic system to a more functional
one that emphasizes self-rule, decentralization
and personal empowerment. |
The Economic Case for Using Ecovillages to
Rapidly Scale Bottom Up Economic Development:
One common mistake progressives have made is that they
argue for social change from a purely moralistic perspective.
However, there is increasing evidence that decentralized
bottom up social systems are more dynamic organizational
structures that can more easily adapt and reconfigure
themselves to changing events coming up with and new
innovative approach as the situation demands. Such systems
of management and governance are becoming more valuable
in today’s world of increasingly rapid change
and spirally complexity.
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For a complete list of ecovillages
go to the Global
Ecovillage
Network.
Ecovillage/Ecoliving Prototypes
Eco
Yoff is a sustainable community located in the city
of Dakar, Senegal and also the coordinating center for
the Senegalese Ecovillage Network.
Tamera
- Peace project in Alentejo, southern Portugal. The
project's research work deals with new ways of healing
both humans and nature.
Tlholego
Ecovillage - Established in 1991 in South Africa
to address the challenge of rural sustainable development
and establish a rural 'living and learning centre'.
Yoff
EcoCommunity Program - Part of a network of communities
in Senegal that promotes sustainable community development.
EcoEarth
Alliance - Promotes best practices providing global
access to information and resources with regard to developing
integrated, multi-sectoral approaches to community-based
sustainable development.
Auroville
- A community in south India where, for more than 36
years, an increasing number of people from all over
the world have been quietly and painstakingly working
on the construction of a new township, a new way of
living, a new way of being.
Gaviotas
- Village of about 200 people in Colombia that is providing
many innovative, appropriate technology solutions for
the world.
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