Eco-Villages Are the Future of Green Communities
We need to re-consider the way our neighborhoods are set up.
When discussing climate solutions, many of them deal with large scale overhaul of systems. These include trying to find environmentally friendly ways to continue living the same energy inefficient lifestyles that are currently the norm. The issue with these overhauls, of course, is that it will take a lot of time and money to carry out¹. In order for there to be economically viable ways to mass produce ecologically friendly goods, entire systems will have to be dismantled and started anew. Machinery and SOPs will have to be replaced. There is very little incentive for corporations to do this at the moment. Looking to capitalist corporate juggernauts, whose sole interest is profit, to change the world is going to be an exercise in futility.
There are, however, solutions that scale down the problems drastically. The line of thinking goes that localizing the enactment of change toward a green lifestyle would be a more efficient way to proceed with the handling of ecological issues.
So how does one look at overhauling how communities are set up and removing the dependence on mainstream, ecologically harmful systems? One way to do this is by setting up eco-villages, which are types of intentional communities.
The concept of intentional communities is not new, many western practical applications of them were started in the 60s and 70s, borne out of the “back to the land” movement at the time. These communities sprung up in resistance to the urban sprawl lifestyle that had become the norm thanks to automobile use. Seeking more sustainable lifestyles, people came together to create their own communities that would reduce their carbon footprint and be more self-reliant.
The term “eco-village” was coined by Georgia Tech Professor George Ramsey. The approach to eco-villages is varied, but they all hold the same basic principles of sustainability, emphasizing (1) the small and tight-knit scale of communities, (2) renewable energy, and (3) local production of food and goods. Kosha Joubert, Executive Director of the Global Ecovillage Network, defined an eco-village as an:
“Intentional, traditional; rural or urban community that is consciously designed through locally owned, participatory processes in all four dimensions of sustainability (social, culture, ecology, and economy) to regenerate their social and natural environments.”
In short, eco-villages are walkable neighborhoods, with locally grown food, locally sourced and made goods, community built around social well-being and equality, all while being climate-conscious. Sounds like a utopian society, doesn’t it?
Of course, all this comes with giving up some comforts of modern life. Physical labor is an inevitability in these societies, for example. Contributing to community farms will be necessary so that there is enough help to go around. However, there is a focus on creating minimal labor requirements by setting up self-sustaining systems. Permaculture, a type of agriculture that focuses on biodiversity regeneration, is often practiced in eco-villages as it goes hand in hand with the ideals of building systems that mimic nature and is generally self-sustaining.
The great thing about creating eco-villages is that they are doable in urban settings. The same principles apply, to urban spaces used for gardening and trade. The key to eco-villages, both urban and rural, is that the production and trade of goods are limited to eco-regions. Massive ecological issues exist with the business of transporting food, goods, and services across regions. These include a carbon footprint of transport itself (of trucks, freight trains, cargo ships, etc…), along with the various measures that need to be taken to preserve the food and goods so that they reach their destinations in sellable conditions. By limiting the ecoregion of most goods, the production remains localized, and not only is that more beneficial for the environment, it is also beneficial for communities in terms of trade, growth, and preserving tradition.
Most eco-villages have their own governing systems as well, with some adopting consensus based decision making, and others using sociocracy. The community based governance of eco-villages is a more holistic approach that gives a chance for community members to voice their concerns and needs. Communities can decide what type of system works best for them, and enact it accordingly. Eco-villages also emphasize the importance of community building in a social sense:
“Preservation and restoration of nature can only succeed when the social fabric is strong, cultural heritage is celebrated and people find ways to marry their love for the planet with their need to make a living.”
In order for eco-villages to take off, however, there needs to a culture shift. First, eco-villages, or eco-communities, need to be set up as viable alternatives in order for us to let go of the otherwise inefficient energy use patterns of mainstream lifestyle. The transition to locally produced food and goods will have to be a grassroots effort, rooted in the needs of individual communities. The dependence on governments that are so intrinsically linked to neoliberal capitalist systems to get rid of these very systems that are harming the environment will be a long shot. An acceptance of these limitations and understanding the power of community will be a big step toward starting a movement that is long overdue.
It is vital here to mention that the effort to popularize eco-village needs to take into account the fact that many of the mainstream efforts are being made exclusively for the wealthy and privileged among us. Examples such as ReGen Villages and Neom (which admittedly is more a city and less a village) will cost residents to live in, with ReGen charging up to nearly a million dollars for a home. Sure, the initial investment might be worth it in the long term, but that doesn’t erase the fact that many, if not most, of the population, cannot afford even that initial price tag. There are many smaller examples of people getting together to create eco-villages with much smaller sums of investment, but these are not getting the same attention from mainstream news outlets, which may be discouraging for those who are attempting to implement sustainable solutions in their own neighborhoods. It is absolutely crucial that we keep working class communities at the forefront of this movement, and not as an after-thought. Creating sustainable alternative communities only for the continuation of the same class distinctions and conflict that exist in our current systems is folly.
I have to admit, the groundwork is difficult, especially when starting from scratch and with little money. There are, however, many examples that we can look to in order to create intentional communities. There is no reason to re-invent the wheel when there are eco-villages in over 70 countries worldwide that can be learned from. They have systems set up that is open-source and free for anyone to pick up.
The first call to action that I can present is starting a garden- the principles of permaculture are easy to pick up and self-sustaining. Starting a garden and distributing its produce is also an excellent way to learn the basics of community building and trading. Mutual aid is necessary for the first steps of leaving mainstream lifestyle behind, and what is more necessary in this process than the provision of food? Starting an eco-village can seem a daunting task, but starting a garden is always a fruitful (hah), fun, and relatively easy first step.
So go out there, and start gardening!
Notes:
1: That is not to say that this money should not be spent, especially because the amount of money regularly spent on military endeavors are much, much higher than the two trillion proposed for the Green New Deal. My point was merely that the price seems to still be too high for corporate interests, which is obvious judging by the fact that it has not yet been passed.
2: Please, do check out the hyperlinks. There are plenty of useful resources!
