The function and purpose of ecovillages is a really interesting and debated topic around here and especially in my group. Some people feel that these ecovillages are simply an escape from reality and that they do not acknowledge the urban environments and all of the structures that already exist. This is an interesting point that has truth to it. But it is not the whole picture.
Here are the unifying aspects of ecovillages:
· Communitarian-focused around community and cooperation. Below are two folks working on the grounds outside of the community center, where community members eat all of their meals.
· Citizen initiatives-rather than governmental or business initiatives
· Shared Values over Blood Ties-whether it to be peace activism, social justice, or spirituality, values are the unifying principle of the community
· Reverence for a larger purpose-whether it be God, Gaia, the Universe, or whatever else people deem sacred.
· Created by visionaries-sometimes eccentric, sometimes non-law abiding folk; a deviation from the societal norm; manifestation of visionary ideas
· Peace Activism-Reverence for peace and conflict resolution, Example: Tamer in Portugal sends people to Columbia in order to protect citizens--there is less violence with the threat of bad international press via harm to international people.
· Respect for Ancient Wisdoms-Acknowledgement and revival of ancient knowledge and techniques.
· Human-scale technology-Manual labor and small-scale technology over larger and more inherently dangerous technologies. Farming usually done manually and communally.
· Community Currency-Many ecovillages have begun to encourage local economic resiliency by printing local currency and using the capital to support community projects.
· Social Inclusion Blatant discrimination unacceptable, though more subtle economic discrimination can be an issue
· Alternative Education for Children Examples of this would be Waldorf schools, Kibbutz L’otel, and homeschooling.
· Intergenerational Interaction Inherent in community life that there is more interaction between generations
· Earth restoration Reforestation at Findhorn and Auroville Ecovillage in India, Findhorn was once a trailer park and an army base. Lebens Garten in Germany was once an old arms stock of Hitler. Ecovillages seem to arise in inopportune places and they begin to restore and heal the land that they are situated on.
· Tend to be quite beautiful Artistry put into the design of spaces and buildings
So the fact is, the current systems that we live in will not sustain humans for much longer—so we need some different ideas to pick up pace in the mainstream. Ecovillages are hubs of old and new ideas—simple ideas yet largely forgotten. They stress community, local goods, and the local “culture in agriculture”—not so radical really, just different from most of the Western world today. As Ivan Illich pointed out in his article “Deschooling Society”, “The progressive underdevelopment of self- and community-reliance is even more typical in Westchester than it is in the northeast of Brazil.” I grew up in Westchester so I can attest—if money suddenly lost its value, I would not have known how to medicate myself, grow food, or even where to find clean water in Westchester. I was many steps removed from the actual production of most of the goods that I needed to survive.
Rural ecovillages may not be practical on the large scale because so many infrastructures are already in place. Nonetheless, they can function as catalysts for the societal leap we are about to take. Ecovillages are educational centers where people can come for support in making change, while simultaneously learning the practicalities of sustainability—everything ranging from strawbale house construction to permaculture. Who knows how these ideas will manifest; there are already budding urban ecovillages and other sustainable initiatives in towns worldwide. If you are interested in visiting an Ecovillage to see for yourself what kinds of things are going on there, here are some links:
Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage Rutledge, Missouri: www.dancingrabbit.org
Ecovillage at Ithica Ithica, New York: http://www.ecovillage.ithaca.ny.us/
Findhorn Ecovillage Findhorn, Scotland: http://www.ecovillagefindhorn.org/
Los Angeles Ecovillage: http://www.laecovillage.org/
Culver Way Ecovillage Clayton, MO: http://www.culverwaycohousing.com/
Auroville Southern India: http://www.auroville.org/
There are a ton more, these are just some of the ones I’ve learned a lot about and gotten involved with. The GEN (Global Ecovillage Network) has a directory of all the ecovillages in the world. (http://gen.ecovillage.org/) Something that I want to acknowledge is that ecovillages are much more distinguishable in industrialized nations. In nations like India and Africa, ecovillages are simply defined as communities committed to staying in touch with non-consumerist values and local economies. In the industrialized world, ecovillages stick out much more because they are in stark contrast to mainstream communities which have heavier shopping-mall, celebrity, reality TV influence.
Here is some additional info on Findhorn’s local currency:
Findhorn developed a trust called Ekopia to support local business endeavors, specifically projects which promote organic agriculture, fair trade, ecological practices, renewable energy, and affordable housing. Each adult member has one vote independent of how many shares they own. The community invests with the knowledge that the community will gain resiliency and strength. Discounts at the local shops are offered to share holders and there is local currency, called the Eko, that has equivalent value to the British Pound. The purpose of Ekos is to promote local purchasing. One study done showed that only 20% of the money spent in an average European town actually stays in the local economy, meaning that the majority of capital gets funneled right into the pockets of larger corporations—national and international. I’m sure this is true for most towns in the states as well.
Imagine if your town had a local currency? What would it look like? Where would you use it? It's a really cool idea and a great way to encourage local trade and build community resiliency.
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