Sustainable Living:
The Rise of the Ecovillage Movement in America

Sustainable Living: The Rise of the Ecovillage Movement in America

In order for any society to survive, it must be sustainable. It must be able to meet the needs of its members or, as history teaches, it will collapse. Consider the ancient Roman empire, for all its wealth, might, and cultural advancement, collapsed not due to external pressure but excess from within.

Human needs can be reduced to three basics: food, clothing and shelter, food and shelter being the simplest to assess. As our population increases exponentially, more and more people are not able to meet these most basic of needs. Increasing population means increasing consumption of resources that are finite. This consumption can be referred to as an individual's impact on the environment, and Earth's "carrying capacity" is "that impact which can be absorbed on a sustainable basis (Wallace, 51)."

Webster's Dictionary defines the word sustain as "to support the weight of" and also "to prolong." Thus, living sustainably means meeting current needs (support) without jeopardizing the needs of future generations (prolong). The current array of environmental and social problems illustrates that the manner in which we live is far from sustainable.

"Oil, coal, and natural gas, along with metals and minerals, form the basis of our technological age-all nonrenewable resources that are quickly becoming depleted (Dadd, 11)." Almost all of the energy we use to live our daily lives comes from the burning of fossil fuels, which have been proven to cause acid rain, carbon monoxide pollution, ozone depletion, airborne concentrations of a variety of toxins, and global warming. Our increased dependence on the automobile, due largely to urban sprawl and the mass migration to suburbia, leads to tons of carbon dioxide emissions yearly. As population and consumption rise, so too rises the amount we throw away. "According to congressional investigators, the air pollution from waste incinerators typically includes dioxins, furans, and pollutants like arsenic, cadmium, chlorobenzenes, chlorophenols, chromium, cobalt, lead, mercury, PCBÍs, and sulfur dioxide (Gore, 156)." All of which end up the air and water and eventually ourselves.

In addition to these environmental problems, rises in famine, poverty, and death rates in lesser developed nations all point to the grim reality that humans as a species are becoming less able to sustain themselves. Consider that "forty percent of the world (more than 2 billion people) has no access to clean water or sanitation (Wallace, 65)." Unless the global situation is reversed, collapse seems almost inevitable.

Yet still we grow. As environmentalist John Nolt comments, "Growth has become a new religion, and consumption so pervades our values that the term "consumer" has become synonymous with "person" (Nolt, 214)." Our natural landscapes are rapidly being replaced by strip malls and shopping centers. Our society is losing its sense of community, replacing it with television watching, fast-food eating, and shopping. "our economy, regional, national, and international, operates blindly from the dogma that money and growth can overcome all ecological constraints and social constraints as well (Nolt, 216)."

We live in an artificial world. In his critique of the pervasiveness of technology, In the Absence of the Sacred, Jerry Mander writes, "We are surrounded by pavement, machinery, gigantic concrete structures Automobiles, airplanes, computers, appliances, television, electric lights, artificial air have become the physical universe with which our senses interact. They shape how we think and, in the absence of an alternate reality (i.e., nature), what we think about and know (Mander, 31)."

With all of modern society's technological advancements and "growth," there are those who would say we have lost our soul, our cohesiveness, and our sense of community on a local and global level. In essence, our environmental crisis seems linked to a social one. While many groups have organized to fight environmental problems, a new consciousness has arisen globally and in America that aims to counter the consumerism and alienation prevalent in modern society as the Ecovillage Movement. "in providing alternatives to urbanization and to a globalised economy, it presents models for living close to the land and in community with one another (Norberg-Hodge, 15)."

"An ecovillage is a human scale, full-featured settlement which integrates human activities harmlessly into the natural environment, supports healthy human development, and can be continued into the indefinite future (Gilman, 12)." As described by the Eco-Village Information Service, such settlements involve "an awareness of the interrelatedness of all life and systems of nature; understanding and supporting cultural, social and spiritual values; leading an ecologically balanced lifestyle; and viable technologies that do not further harm, but rather help to heal the planet (EIS, http://gaia.org)."

Like most social movements, the goal of ecovillage proponents is social change. It represents an organized effort to move the planet towards a society characterized by sustainability. Unlike more traditional modes of social change that operate from the "top-down" through legislation, the ecovillage movement adopts a "bottom-up," or grassroots approach. Its members are individuals who have identified a problem in the unsustainable and unconnected world in which we live, who desire to represent models of community and sustainability. An ecovillage community "has the goal of being reasonably, but not fanatically, sustainable, in the sense of putting a high priority on local, organic food production, renewable energy, permaculture design, ecological building materials, social and family support functions, and in general showing respect for the circulatory systems of nature and the need to not take more away from the earth than one gives back (GEN, http://www.gaia.org/proposal)."

Find the shortest, simplest way between the earth, the hands and the mouth

Lanza Del Vasto

"Our current food system damages the land, not only here, but wherever the food is grown, and everywhere in between (Nolt, 103)." With increasing population and consumption, it has become necessary to increase food production and importation. Agriculture has become a huge industry as well as a huge polluter, as chemicals from fertilizers and pesticides designed to increase production end up in the soil and water. Our reliance on imported foods causes destruction of the natural environment, as exemplified by the clearcutting of rainforest to create pastures for cattle and new sources of cropland. By growing their own food organically (without the use of chemicals), ecovillage inhabitants provide for their own health, as well as the health of the Earth. Instead of chemical fertilizers, organic compost (composed of food waste and human waste by way of composting toilets) is employed, and pest control is managed through practices like crop rotation and physical pest removal. Growing their own crops also reduces cost and pollution involved in transportation of imported foods.

In his book Down to Earth, John Nolt describes the world's oil dependence through the analogy of a drug addiction. Sadly, this rings true. So entrenched are we in our need for fossil fuels that we use them at an alarming rate to fuel our factories, cars, and other aspects of our daily lives. Even though supplies are decreasing and pollution is increasing, we have yet to "break the habit." Through conservation and the use of alternative energy sources (mainly, solar power), ecovillages demonstrate the feasibility of renewable energy resources. While the initial implementation of solar technologies can be costly, it is far more economical in the long run than conventional energy sources. A one-time investment in solar equipment eliminates a lifetime of utility bills in addition gained from the lack of dependence on fossil fuels and large, impersonal power companies. Solar technology can and has been utilized for heating, cooling, and lighting, and the powering of virtually all household appliances. Thus enabling solar power users to maintain the same quality of life as municipal power subscribers, while having more control of their lives. "Solar energy is intrinsically biased toward democratic use. It is build able and operable by small groups, even by families. It does not require centralized control. It is most cost effective at a small scale of operation, a reason why big power companies oppose it," and why it is easily integrated into an ecovillage (Mander, 36).

ISAIAH 5:8

With the rise of population, there comes a need for the construction of more homes. "Urban sprawl can be defined as the unplanned and erratic spread of population, commerce, and infrastructure away from an original center (Nolt, 206)." As new subdivisions develop daily it seems, many signs point to the unsustainable practices of the construction industry. "In Colorado, for example, houses account for 22 percent of the total energy use, and construction waste comprises 25 percent of landfills. Carbon-dioxide emissions from home heating contribute a substantial proportion of air pollution in the state (Burrell, 1)." There has also become a sense of individual alienation characteristic of the construction industry. "The construction industry has separated itself from its roots: nowadays homeowners basically give up any connection to their dwellings or to the process of creating them. The homeowner's function has become that of walking wallets,â who, feeling anxiety tempered with hope, watch impotently as their future home is designed, planned, and constructed with little input from them except for the requirement that they now work without interruption for the next 30 years (Burrell, 1)." There is a need, both ecologically and spiritually, to break away from current unsustainable, stick built, energy inefficient, "production" homes and ecovillages do just that. Environmentally sound building materials are employed, such as strawbale, adobe, and cob which enable residents to live in touch with the land. Ecovillage homeowners put time and energy into the construction of their own homes, rather than contracting someone else to do all of the work for them. In ecovillage construction, there is often community effort, much like an Amish barnraising, in which participants work together to construct their built environment. All of this contributes to the health of the community and preserves the health of the land.

The design of an ecovillage is characterized by permaculture. "Permaculture is a design system for creating sustainable human environments (http://www.ozonline/permaculture)." More specifically, it is "the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter and other material and nonmaterial needs in a sustainable way (Gaia Villages Annual Report 1997, 2)." Permaculture includes organic farming and sustainable technology, but goes beyond. It is a way of life that involves responsible action, cooperation, recycling, reforestation, efficiency, diversity, and community.

In order for ecovillages to sustain themselves, many have developed cottage industries that "give residents an opportunity to promote and build their community without dependency on external funding (Austin, KEVP pamphlet)." Eco-industry examples include organic food production and distribution, ecological landscaping, eco-product development, appropriate technologies development, eco-housing design and construction, permaculture, eco-multimedia productions, and printed publications. Ecovillages have become centers for the design and research of sustainable technologies, often holding seminars, workshops, and marketing technologies to mainstream society. These activities provide funding for ecovillages, as well as contributing to sustainability on a larger scale.

The term "ecovillage" almost seems to suggest a quaint, unadvanced village, but as illustrated, this is far from the truth. The name is meant to convey and emphasize the importance of a sense of community. "There is a general consensus among ecovillagers that the current way of life is unsustainable ecologically, and that the philosophical and moral basis of our late twentieth century materialistic society is spiritually unsatisfying (http://www.gaia.org)." There is a certain degree of alienation that has come to characterize man in the post-modern age. As Wendell Berry states in The Unsettling of America, "From morning to night he does not touch anything that he has produced himself, in which he can take pride. For all his leisure and recreation, he feels bad, he looks bad, he is overweight, his health is poor. His air, water and food are all known to contain poisons. There is a fair chance he will die of suffocation He does not care much and does not know why he does not care (Berry, 20)." The ecovillage movement can be seen as a reaction to this perceived deficiency in modern mainstream society. There is an emphasis placed on taking responsibility for one's own life and compensating for the modern lack of spirituality through a reestablishment of community. In most ecovillages, everyone owns their own home and there is a common space that is shared by everyone. The common space is managed through democratic decision-making about its use, and is generally an area where community members can interact together. Often members share the responsibility of meal preparation. Everyone feels more sheltered from crime. There is a return to a "love thy neighbor" philosophy, rather than the modern ethic of "every man for himself." Ecovillages are designed for pedestrian traffic with greenways and community gardens. Plazas and paths replace the noisy cars and endless expanses of concrete prevalent in mainstream society. Cooperation, not competition, characterizes human interaction.

While all of these things may seem utopian ideals not possible in todays highly industrialized society, they do in fact exist. Intentional Communities, defined as "a group of people who have chosen to live together with a common purpose, working cooperatively to create a lifestyle that reflects their shared core values," are over 500 in number in North America alone (Questenberry, 34). The Movement, which began with the Danish co-housing movement of the 1960's and 1970's, has now spread to twenty-three other countries and is still growing. There has been a global consciousness rising about the need for sustainable settlements.

"The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) is an evolving network of ecovillages around the globe, brought together initially by Gaia Trust," a Danish charitable cooperative which sponsors GEN's activities (http://www.gaia.org). Established in 1992, GEN is comprised of a diverse network of intercommunicating ecovillages around the world, including: Findhorn Community, Scotland; The Farm, Tennessee, USA; Lebensgarten, Steyerberg, Germany; Crystal Waters, Australia; Ecoville, St. Petersberg, Russia; Gyurufu, Hungary; The Ladakh Project, India; The Manitou Institute, Colorado, USA; and the Danish Association of Sustainable Communities. These projects around the globe attempt to serve as examples of sustainable communities and provide useful information to those wishing to establish such settlements. GEN, in addition to providing printed materials, has established an Internet Information Database (http://www.gaia.org) as a "how to" manual for new sustainable communities. While advocating a simpler, more spiritually satisfying lifestyle, the movement is by no means technologically backwards. It is not an outright rejection of modern society, but rather an effort at making it more sustainable.

While it is recognized that the realization of the ecovillage movement will take some time, its success thus far gives it hop[e for the future. Southern Appalachia alone is home to three such sustainable communities: Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center in Washburn, Tennessee; Earthaven Village in Black Mountain, North Carolina; and Eco-Village Training Center, The Farm, in Summertown, Tennessee. Currently, plans are underway for the development of an urban ecovillage in Knoxville as part of the Foundation for Global Sustainability's (FGS) Sustainable Living Program. In short, what began as a small group of individuals seeking more meaningful lifestyles has evolved into a consciousness rising about the human settlements crisis brought on by a planet experiencing the limits to growth.

As illustrated by the Earth Summit of 1992 in Rio de Janeiro and this year's conference in Kyoto, Japan, we must learn to live sustainably if we are to survive as a species. The Ecovillage Movement is a self-proclaimed response to this global crisis. It is a vision for the future which "provides a high quality of life without taking more from the earth than it gives back, does not deny existing technology but considers it a servant and not a master, and satisfies the human need for a society with social, ecological, and spiritual content that is often lacking in contemporary mainstream society (http://www.gaia.org)."

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Foundation for Global Sustainability. The Knoxville Ecovillage Project (pamphlet). Knoxville, Tennessee, 1997.

Berry, Wendell. The Unsettling of America. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1977.

Burrell, Buzz. "How Not to Build Your Community Home." Communities Magazine. Online. Internet. 3 December 1997. Available http://www.well.com/user/city/fic/cmag/95

Dadd, Debra Lynn. Nontoxic, Natural, and Earthwise. New York: Putnam, 1990. Gaia Villages Annual Report 1996

Gilman, Robert. "Why Ecovillages," in Eco-Villages and Sustainable Communities. Ed. Jillian Conrad. Scotland: Findhorn Press, 1996.

Gore, Al. Earth in the Balance. New York: Penguin, 1993.

Mayur, Rashmi. "Earth." In Earth is Our Habitat. Ed. Dr. J.T. Ross Jackson. GEN, 1996.

Nolt, John.,eds. What Have We Done? Washburn, Tennessee: Earth Knows, 1997. ¬ Down to Earth. Washburn, Tennessee: Earth Knows, 1995.

Norberg-Hodge, Helena. "Models for the New Millennium," in Earth is Our Habitat ed. Dr. J.T. Ross Jackson. GEN,1996.

"Permaculture." Online. Internet. 3 December 1997. Available http://www.gaia.org/evis/permaculture.html

Questenberry, Dan. "Who We Are: An Exploration of What Intentional Community Means" in Communities Directory: A Guide to Cooperative Living. Langley, Washington: Fellowship for Intentional Community, 1995.

Wallace, Samuel E. Ecology of Social Problems. University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Hayden-McNeil, 1997.

What is An Ecovillage? Online. Internet. 3 December 1997. Available http://www.gaia.org/evis/what is ecovillage.html