Ecovillages: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 15:29, 11 April 2024

Ecovillages are a kind of sustainable neighbourhood, which are typically planned and managed cooperatively. They are intended to be socially, economically and ecologically sustainable intentional communities^[1]^[2] - though they include models that may be less intense and offer more privacy than some intentional communities. Compared to sustainable cities, they are smaller and typically aim for a population of no more than 150 individuals, which is considered to be the maximum social network according to findings from sociology and anthropology (Hill & Dunbar, 2002). However, cooperative networks of ecovillages do exist.

Ecovillage members are united by shared ecological, social or spiritual values (see Intentional community). An ecovillage is often composed of people who have chosen an alternative to centralized power, 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.

Definition[edit | edit source]

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

Which is human-scale
Which is full-featured
In which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world
In a way that is supportive of healthy human development, and
Which can be successfully continued into the indefinite future^[3]
Which has multiple centers of initiative^[4]

Characteristics[edit | edit source]

The principles on which ecovillages rely can be applied to urban and rural settings, as well as to developing and developed countries. Advocates seek infrastructural independence and a sustainable lifestyle (for example, of voluntary simplicity) for inhabitants with a minimum of trade outside the local area, or ecoregion. Rural ecovillages are usually based on organic farming, permaculture and other approaches which promote ecosystem function and biodiversity. Some ecovillages integrate many of the design principles of cohousing, but with a greater ecological focus and a more "organic" process, typical of permaculture design.

An ecovillage usually relies on:

"Green" infrastructural capital
autonomous building or clustered housing, to minimize ecological footprint
renewable energy
permaculture
cohousing or other forms of supportive community

The goal of most ecovillages is to be a sustainable habitat providing for most of its needs on site. Its organization also usually depends upon some instructional capital or moral codes - a minimal civics sometimes characterized as eco-anarchism:

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
a choice to respect diversity

The term ecovillage should not be confused with micronation, a strictly legal, not infrastructural, concept.

Map of ecovillages[edit | edit source]

From Ecovillages map

This is a collaborative map of ecovillages around the world (most of them ported from ecovillage.org).

External links[edit | edit source]

Intentional Communities wiki
Ecovillages on Ekopedia
Wikipedia:Ecovillages
Ecovillage Wiki - Dead wiki intended to facilitate ecovillages to develop regional and global networks
Global Ecovillage Network
GEN-Europe
Intentional Communities website
Ecovillage Directory - List of Ecovillages in the Intentional Communities Directory
DVDs about Ecovillages worldwide
Living Together: Sustainable Community Development
The Ecovillage Model
Voices of Cohousing: Rebuilding villages in the city - Documentary on mainstream urban ecovillages (cohousing)
Network in Suomi
A Cluster Of Eco-villages
Eurotopia: Living in Community - A Directory of European Intentional Communities
THE REVOLUTIONARY CIVILIZATIONAL PARADIGM ECO VILLAGES
Ecovillages forumat Permies.com
Intentional Communities forumat Permies.com

Books[edit | edit source]

Christian, D. 2003. Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities New Society Publishers. ISBN 0-86571-471-1
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

References[edit | edit source]

Page data
Keywords	intentional communities, utopian communities, urban planning, environmental design, intentional communities, rural community development, ecovillages, simple living, green living, sustainable agriculture
SDG	SDG11 Sustainable cities and communities
Authors	KVDP, Chris Watkins, Facilitator
License	CC-BY-SA-3.0
Language	English (en)
Translations	German, Portuguese, Indonesian
Related	3 subpages, 33 pages link here
Aliases	Ecovillage, Eco-villages, Eco-village
Impact	4,792 page views
Created	February 13, 2007 by Chris Watkins
Modified	April 11, 2024 by Kathy Nativi
Cite as	KVDP, Chris Watkins, Facilitator (2007–2024). "Ecovillages". Appropedia. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
API queries	basic, semantic, html, files, more

[1] What Is Ecovillage? by Tony Sirna

[2] An Ecovillage Retrofit for Los Angeles: Healing an Inner-City Neighborhood by Lois Arkin

[3] "The Eco-village Challenge" by Robert Gilman

[4] Robert Gilman on "Multiple Centers of Initiative"

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{topic header| default.png |Ecovillages}}
+[[File:Govardhan Ecovillage.jpg|thumb]]
-'''Ecovillages''' are a kind of sustainable [[neighbourhood]], which are typically planned and managed cooperatively. They are intended to be socially, economically and ecologically [[sustainability|sustainable]] [[intentional communities]]<ref>[http://www.ic.org/wiki/ecovillage-2/ What Is Ecovillage? by Tony Sirna]</ref><ref>[http://www.ic.org/wiki/ecovillage-retrofit-los-angeles-healing-inner-city-neighborhood/ An Ecovillage Retrofit for Los Angeles: Healing an Inner-City Neighborhood by Lois Arkin]</ref> - though they include models that may be less intense and offer more privacy than some intentional communities. Compared to [[sustainable cities]], they are smaller and typically aim for a population of no more than 50-150 individuals, which is considered to be the maximum [[social network]] according to findings from [[sociology]] and [[anthropology]] (Hill & Dunbar, 2002). Larger ecovillages of up to 2,000 individuals may, however, exist as networks of smaller "''ecomunicipalities''" or subcommunities to create an ecovillage model that allows for social networks within a broader foundation of support.
+'''Ecovillages''' are a kind of sustainable [[neighbourhood]], which are typically planned and managed cooperatively. They are intended to be socially, economically and ecologically [[Sustainability|sustainable]] [[intentional communities]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170702195456/http://www.ic.org/wiki/ecovillage-2/ What Is Ecovillage? by Tony Sirna]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170702224124/http://www.ic.org/wiki/ecovillage-retrofit-los-angeles-healing-inner-city-neighborhood/ An Ecovillage Retrofit for Los Angeles: Healing an Inner-City Neighborhood by Lois Arkin]</ref> - though they include models that may be less intense and offer more privacy than some intentional communities. Compared to [[sustainable cities]], they are smaller and typically aim for a population of no more than 150 individuals, which is considered to be the maximum social network according to findings from sociology and anthropology (Hill & Dunbar, 2002). However, cooperative [https://ecovillage.org/ networks of ecovillages] do exist.
-Ecovillage members are united by shared [[ecological]], social or spiritual values (''see'' [[Intentional community]]).  An ecovillage is often composed of people who have chosen an alternative to centralized power, water, and sewage systems.  Many see the breakdown of traditional forms of community, wasteful [[consumerism|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'' [https://ecovillage.org/ 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.
+Ecovillage members are united by shared ecological, social or spiritual values (''see'' [[Intentional community]]). An ecovillage is often composed of people who have chosen an alternative to centralized power, water, and sewage systems. Many see the breakdown of traditional forms of community, wasteful [[Consumerism|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.
-==Definition==
+== Definition ==
-In 1991, [[Robert Gilman]] set out a definition of an ecovillage that was to become a standard.  Gilman defined an ecovillage as a settlement:
-* which is [[human-scale]]
-* which is full-featured
-* in which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world
-* in a way that is supportive of healthy human development, and
-* which can be successfully continued into the indefinite future.<ref>[http://www.context.org/iclib/ic29/gilman1/ "The Eco-village Challenge" by Robert Gilman]</ref>
-Note: In recent years, Gilman has stated that he would also add the criterion that an ecovillage must have ''multiple centers of initiative''.
+In 1991, [http://www.context.org/about/who-we-are/robert-gilman/ Robert Gilman] set out a definition of an ecovillage that was to become a standard. Gilman defined an ecovillage as a settlement:
-==Ecomunicipalities explained==
+* Which is human-scale
+* Which is full-featured
+* In which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world
+* In a way that is supportive of healthy human development, and
+* Which can be successfully continued into the indefinite future<ref>[http://www.context.org/iclib/ic29/gilman1/ "The Eco-village Challenge" by Robert Gilman]</ref>
+* Which has multiple centers of initiative<ref>[http://www.ecovillagenewsletter.org/wiki/index.php/Robert_Gilman_on_%22Multiple_Centers_of_Initiative%22 Robert Gilman on "Multiple Centers of Initiative"]</ref>
-An '''eco-municipality''', (also known as '''eco-town''') is a [[local government]] government that has adopted [[Natural environment|environmental]] and [[social justice]] values in its [[charter]].  The development of eco-municipalities stems from changing systems in [[Sweden]], where more than seventy municipal governments have accepted varying principles of [[sustainability]] in their operations as well as community-wide decision making processes.<ref>http://sustainablebusiness.com/features/feature_template.cfm?ID=1269 accessed on Nov 5, 2007 at 2:24pm CST</ref>  The purpose of these policies is to increase the overall [[sustainability]] of the community.
+== Characteristics ==
-The distinction between an eco-municipality and other [[sustainable development]] projects (such as [[green building]] & [[alternative energy]]) is the focus on community involvement and social transformation in a public agency as well as the use of a [[holistic]] [[systems thinking|systems]] approach. An eco-municipality is one that recognizes that issues of sustainability are key to all decisions made by government.  Many eco-municipality projects also incorporate the [[Natural Step]] into their change processes.<ref>http://www.wisconsinplanners.org/Ecomunicipalities/EcoMunicipalitySynopsis.pdf</ref>
+The principles on which ecovillages rely can be applied to [[Urban area|urban]] and [[rural]] settings, as well as to developing and developed countries. Advocates seek infrastructural independence and a sustainable lifestyle (for example, of [[voluntary simplicity]]) for inhabitants with a minimum of trade outside the local area, or [[ecoregion]]. Rural ecovillages are usually based on [[organic farming]], [[permaculture]] and other approaches which promote [[ecosystem]] function and [[biodiversity]]. Some ecovillages integrate many of the design principles of [[cohousing]], but with a greater ecological focus and a more "organic" process, typical of permaculture design.
-===History of ecomunicipalities===
+An ecovillage usually relies on:
-In 1983 the Övertorneä community of Sweden first adopted an Eco-municpality framework followed by a formal organization in 1995 (SEKOM).
-==Characteristics of ecovillages==
-The principles on which ecovillages rely can be applied to [[urban area|urban]] and [[rural]] settings, as well as to developing and developed countries. Advocates seek infrastructural independence and a sustainable lifestyle (for example, of [[voluntary simplicity]]) for inhabitants with a minimum of trade outside the local area, or [[ecoregion]].  Rural ecovillages are usually based on [[organic farming]], [[permaculture]] and other approaches which promote [[ecosystem]] function and [[biodiversity]].  Some ecovillages integrate many of the design principles of [[cohousing]], but with a greater ecological focus and a more "organic" process, typical of permaculture design.
-An ecovillage usually relies on:
+* "Green" infrastructural capital
-* "[[green economics|Green]]" [[infrastructural capital]];
+* [[autonomous building]] or clustered housing, to minimize [[ecological footprint]]
-*[[autonomous building]] or clustered housing, to minimize [[ecological footprint]];
+* [[renewable energy]]
-*[[renewable energy]];
+* [[permaculture]]
-*[[permaculture]];
+* [[cohousing]] or other forms of supportive community
-*[[cohousing]] or other forms of supportive community.
-The goal of most ecovillages is to be a [[sustainable habitat]] providing for most of its needs on site. Its organization also usually depends upon some [[instructional capital]] or [[moral code]]s - a minimal [[civics]] sometimes characterized as [[eco-anarchism]]:
+The goal of most ecovillages is to be a sustainable habitat providing for most of its needs on site. Its organization also usually depends upon some instructional capital or moral codes - a minimal civics sometimes characterized as eco-anarchism:
-*[[local purchasing]] so as to support the local economy;
-*[[local food]] production and distribution;
-*[[moral purchasing]] to avoid objectionable [[Consumption (economics)|consumption]];
-*[[consensus decision-making]] for governance;
-*a choice to [[respect diversity]].
-The term ''ecovillage'' should not be confused with [[micronation]], a strictly legal, not infrastructural, concept.
+* 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
+* a choice to respect diversity
-==List of ecovillages==
+The term ''ecovillage'' should not be confused with micronation, a strictly legal, not infrastructural, concept.
-===Ecovillages in Europe===
-* [http://ecocommunity-transylvania.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=51&Itemid=34 Mediaeval Ecovillage Transylvania]
-Findhorn Eco Village Scotland http://www.ecovillagefindhorn.com/<br />
+== Map of ecovillages ==
-Suderbyn Ekoby (Sweden): http://www.suderbyn.se<br />
-===Ecovillages in North America===
+{{Excerpt|Ecovillages map}}
-* [http://bosquevillage.com/ Bosque Village] (Michoacan, Mexico) : [https://www.facebook.com/bosqueforest/ Facebook] : [https://www.youtube.com/user/bosquevillage YouTube ]
-* [http://dancingrabbit.org/ Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage] (Rutledge, Missouri)
-* [http://earthaven.org/ Earthaven Ecovillage] (Black Mountain, North Carolina)
-* [http://www.ecoreality.org EcoReality] (British Columbia, Canada)
-* [http://www.ecovillage.ithaca.ny.us/ EcoVillage Ithaca] (Ithaca, New York)
-* [http://www.laecovillage.org Los Angeles Eco-Village] (Los Angeles, California)
-* [http://www.thefarmcommunity.com/ The Farm] (Summertown, Tennessee)
-* [http://www.weinviteyou.org A-Welcome-To-All: We Invite You Ecovillage] (Olympia, Washington)
-* [http://directory.ic.org/21200/PAZ_Ecovillage/ PAZ Ecovillage] (Terlingua, Texas)
-* [http://ranchodelicioso.com/ Rancho Delicioso] (Montezuma, Costa Rica)
-==References==
+== See also ==
-{{reflist}}
-===Books===
+* List of ecovillages
-*[[Diana Leafe Christian|Christian, D.]]  2003.  ''[http://www.creating-a-life-together.org/ Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities]''  New Society Publishers.  ISBN 0-86571-471-1
+* [[Ecovillages & Intentional Communities Energy and Climate Action Research Project]]
-*Hill, R. and Dunbar, R. 2002. "[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281203308_Social_Network_Size_in_Humans Social Network Size in Humans.]"  Human Nature, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 53-72.
+* [[Sustainable cities]]
-*Jackson, H. and Svensson, K. 2002.  ''Ecovillage Living: Restoring the Earth and Her People''.  Green Books.  ISBN 1-903998-16-6
+* [[Intentional communities]]
+* [[Bioneers]]
+* [[Cohousing]]
+* [[Eco-municipality]]
+* [[Types of communities]]
+* [[Sustainable cities]]
+* [[Sustainable development]]
+* [[Sustainable design]]
+* [[Green living]]
+* [[Green communities]]
+* [[Appropriate technology villages]]
+* [[Sustainable city living]]
-== Interwiki links ==
+== External links ==
-* [http://wiki.ic.org/ Intentional Communities wiki]
+* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080725040608/http://wiki.ic.org/ Intentional Communities wiki]
 * [https://www.ekopedia.fr/wiki/Écovillage Ecovillages on Ekopedia]
 * [[Wikipedia:Ecovillages]]
-* [http://ecovillage.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page Ecovillage Wiki] - intended to facilitate ecovillages to develop regional and global networks. (Still active at mid-2011, but a low level of activity.)
+* [http://ecovillage.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page Ecovillage Wiki] - Dead wiki intended to facilitate ecovillages to develop regional and global networks
+* [https://ecovillage.org/ Global Ecovillage Network]
+* [https://web.archive.org/web/20200417101452/https://gen-europe.org/home/index.htm GEN-Europe]
+* [http://www.ic.org Intentional Communities website]
+* [http://www.ic.org/directory/ecovillages/ Ecovillage Directory] - List of Ecovillages in the [http://directory.ic.org Intentional Communities Directory]
+* [http://livinginthefuture.org/shop.php DVDs about Ecovillages worldwide]
+* [http://www.context.org/iclib/ic29/ Living Together: Sustainable Community Development]
+* [http://www.habiter-autrement.org/05.eco-village/03_eco.htm The Ecovillage Model]
+* [https://vimeo.com/ondemand/voicesofcohousing Voices of Cohousing: Rebuilding villages in the city] - Documentary on mainstream urban ecovillages (cohousing)
+* [http://rihmasto.fi/ Network in Suomi]
+* [https://www.context.org/iclib/ic29/cluster/ A Cluster Of Eco-villages]
+* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170703234404/http://www.ic.org/community-bookstore/product/eurotopia-2/ Eurotopia: Living in Community - A Directory of European Intentional Communities]
+* [https://permaculturenews.org/2017/09/14/revolutionary-civilizational-paradigm-eco-villages/ THE REVOLUTIONARY CIVILIZATIONAL PARADIGM ECO VILLAGES]
+* [https://permies.com/f/162/ecovillage Ecovillages forum]at [https://permies.com Permies.com]
+* [https://permies.com/f/6/intentional-community Intentional Communities forum]at [https://permies.com Permies.com]
-==External links==
+== Books ==
-* [http://gen.ecovillage.org/index_body.html  Global Ecovillage Network]
+* Christian, D. 2003. ''[https://ecovillage.org/resources/market/creating-a-life-together/ Creating a Life Together: Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities]'' New Society Publishers. ISBN 0-86571-471-1
-* [http://gen-europe.orgecovillage.org GEN-Europe]
+* Hill, R. and Dunbar, R. 2002. "[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281203308_Social_Network_Size_in_Humans Social Network Size in Humans.]" Human Nature, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 53-72.
-* [http://ena.ecovillage.org/ Ecovillage Network of the Americas]
+* Jackson, H. and Svensson, K. 2002. ''Ecovillage Living: Restoring the Earth and Her People''. Green Books. ISBN 1-903998-16-6
-* [http://www.ic.org Intentional Communities website]
-* [http://directory.ic.org/records/ecovillages.php Ecovillage Directory] - List of Ecovillages in the [http://directory.ic.org Intentional Communities Directory]
-* [http://www.eurotopia.de/ Eurotopia Book, Directory of Intentional Communities and Ecovillages in Europe]
-* [http://www.undercurrents.org/ecovillage DVDs about Ecovillages worldwide]
-* [http://www.context.org/ICLIB/IC29/TOC29.htm Living Together: Sustainable Community Development]
-* [http://www.habiter-autrement.org/05.eco-village/03_eco.htm The Ecovillage Model]
-* [http://www.permaculture.co.uk Permaculture Magazine] - incorporating Global Ecovillage Network News.
-* [http://notsocrazy.net/cohousing.html Voices of Cohousing: Rebuilding villages in the city] - Documentary on mainstream urban ecovillages (cohousing)
-* [http://www.icdb.org  Intentional Community and Ecovillage Database]
-* [http://www.accessibleportugal.com/revista/2007/March/eco-villages.html Eco Villages Article] Article by João Silva in Accessible Travel Magazine, March 2007
-*[http://ena.ecovillage.org/ Ecovillage Network of the Americas]
-*[http://www.ecovillages.org/ EcoVillage Network]
-*[http://rihmasto.fi/ Network in Suomi]
-*[http://www.context.org/iclib/ic29/cluster/ A Cluster Of Eco-villages]
-=== External links of ecomunicipalities ===
+== References ==
-*[http://www.sekom.nu/ National Association of Swedish Eco-municipalities]
+<references />
-*[http://www.sjamesassociates.com/ecomunic.htm Sarah James Associates] Consulting firm working in the field.
-*[http://www.wisconsinplanners.org/Ecomunicipalities/index.htm Wisconsin Chapter of the American Planning Association] Eco Municipalities links
-*[http://www.1kfriends.org/Eco-Municipalities.htm 1,000 Friends of Wisconsin] page on Eco-Municipalities
-*[http://www.planning.org/policyguides/sustainability.htm The American Association of Planners] policy guide on sustainability.
-*[http://www.koltepatilexente.co.in Kolte Patil Exente] The residential homes in Bangalore provide Eco friendly environment.
-==See also==
+{{Page data
-<!--Note: Please do not list ecovillages here. There is a list (below) for that purpose.-->
+| keywords = intentional communities, utopian communities, urban planning, environmental design, intentional communities, rural community development, ecovillages, simple living, green living, sustainable agriculture
-{{Portal|Sustainable development|Sustainable development.svg}}
+| sdg = SDG11 Sustainable cities and communities
-*[[Sustainable_cities]]
+}}
-*[[List of ecovillages]]
-*[[Intentional Community]]
-*[[Communities Directory]]
-*[[Bioneers]]
-*[[EcoCommunalism]]
-*[[Survivalism|Survivalist communities]]; proponents of ecocity (due to their aligning to the self-sufficient nature of sustainable neighbourhoods)
-*[[Eco-feminism]]
-*[[Green politics]]
-*[[Sustainable habitat]]
-*[[Green syndicalism]]
-*[[Bioenergy Village]]
-*[[Cohousing]]
-*[[Principles of Intelligent Urbanism]]
-*[[Eco municipalities]]
-*[[EcoVillage Myth]]
-*[[Types of communities]]
-*[[Ecocities]]
-*[[Sustainable cities]]
 [[Category:Intentional communities]]
-[[Category:Utopian communities]]
 [[Category:Urban planning]]
-[[Category:Environmental design]]
-[[Category:Intentional communities]]
 [[Category:Rural community development]]
-[[Category:Ecovillages|*]]
+[[Category:Ecovillages]]
 [[Category:Simple living]]
-[[Category: Green living]]
+[[Category:Green living]]
 [[Category:Sustainable agriculture]]