Ecovillage?

For thousands of years, people have lived in communities close to nature. Many of these communities, towns and Villages, exist to this day but are struggling for survival. The modern Eco-Village movement aims to recreate this sustainable heritage within a modern context. An Eco-Village can be an urban or rural community whose members try to provide a high quality lifestyle without taking more from the Earth than they give back. EcoVillages attempt to integrate a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life and take many forms from small urban co-housing schemes to clusters of Villages in a bioregion.

The problem in our world today is that our planet is experiencing the limits to growth, and that our lives are often lacking social and spiritual content. According to increasing numbers of scientists, we have to learn to live sustainably if we are to survive as a species concluding that “the present course is unsustainable and postponing action is no longer an option.”

EcoVillages, by striving for lifestyles which are “successfully continuable into the indefinite future“, are living models of sustainability, and examples of how action can be taken immediately. They represent an effective, accessible way to combat the degradation of our social, ecological and spiritual environment. They show us how we can move toward sustainability in the 21^st century (Agenda 21).

In 1998 the first ecoVillages were officially named among the United Nations’ top 100 listing of Best Practices, as excellent models of sustainable living.