Ecovillages are intended to be socially, economically and ecologically sustainable intentional communities. Sustainability, in a general sense is the capacity to maintain a certain process or state indefinitely An intentional community is a planned Residential community designed to have a much higher degree of Teamwork than other communities Most aim for a population of 50-150 individuals because this size is considered to be the maximum social network according to findings from sociology and anthropology^[1] Larger ecovillages of up to 2,000 individuals may, however, exist as networks of smaller "Eco-municipalities" or subcommunities to create an ecovillage model that allows for social networks within a broader foundation of support. A social network is a Social structure made of nodes (which are generally individuals or organizations that are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency such as Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" Anthropology (/ˌænθɹəˈpɒlədʒi/ from Greek grc ἄνθρωπος anthrōpos, "human" -λογία -logia) is the study of "Eco-municipality" has a specific meaning For a more general discussion of the sustainability of cities see Sustainable city.

Ecovillage members are united by shared ecological, social or spiritual values (see Intentional community). Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of An intentional community is a planned Residential community designed to have a much higher degree of Teamwork than other communities 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. Consumerism is the equation of personal Happiness with the purchase of material possessions and consumption. 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 Global Ecovillage Network for an example). The Global Ecovillage Network is a global association of people and Communities ( Ecovillages dedicated to living " sustainable plus" This model of collective action is similar to that of Ten Thousand Villages, which supports the fair trade of goods worldwide. Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit Fair trade organization that markets handcrafted products made by disadvantaged artisans from more than 120 artisan groups in 35 countries Fair trade is an organized Social movement and market-based approach to empowering developing country producers and promoting sustainability

Contents 1 Definition 2 Characteristics of ecovillages 3 See also 4 Notes 5 References 5.1 Books 6 External links

Definition

In 1991, Robert Gilman set out a definition of an ecovillage that was to become a standard. Robert C Gilman is a thinker on Sustainability who along with his late wife Diane Gilman, has researched and written about Ecovillages The Gilmans’ Gilman defined an ecovillage as a:

• human-scale
• full-featured settlement
• in which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world
• in a way that is supportive of healthy human development, and
• can be successfully continued into the indefinite future. Human scale means "of a scale comparable to a Human being" ^[2]

Note: In recent years, Gilman has stated that he would also add the criterion that an ecovillage must have multiple centres of initiative.

Characteristics of ecovillages

The principles on which ecovillages rely can be applied to urban and rural settings, as well as to developing and developed countries. Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time Advocates seek a sustainable lifestyle (for example, of voluntary simplicity) for inhabitants with a minimum of trade outside the local area, or ecoregion. Simple living (or voluntary simplicity) is a lifestyle individuals choose to minimize the 'more-is-better' pursuit of Wealth and consumption. An ecoregion ( ecological region) sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area smaller than a "realm" or " Many advocates also seek independence from existing infrastructures, although others, particularly in more urban settings, pursue more integration with existing infrastructure. Rural ecovillages are usually based on organic farming, permaculture and other approaches which promote ecosystem function and biodiversity. Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on Crop rotation, Green manure, Compost, Biological pest control, and mechanical Cultivation The word permaculture, coined by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren during the 1970s is a Portmanteau of perma nent agri' An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all plants animals and micro-organisms( Biotic factors in an area functioning together with all of the non-living physical ( Biodiversity is the variation of Life forms within a given Ecosystem, Biome or for the entire Earth. Ecovillages, whether urban or rural, tend to integrate community and ecological values within a principle-based approach to sustainability, such as permaculture design. ^[3]

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. Ecological economics is a Transdisciplinary field of academic research within Economics that aims to address the interdependence between human economies and natural Infrastructural capital refers to any physical Means of production or Means of protection beyond that which can be gathered or found directly in nature An autonomous building is a building designed to be operated independently from infrastructural support services such as the Electric power grid municipal water systems The ecological footprint is a measure of human demand on the Earth's Ecosystems. Renewable energy is Energy generated from Natural resources mdashsuch as Sunlight, Wind, Rain, tides and geothermal The word permaculture, coined by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren during the 1970s is a Portmanteau of perma nent agri' A cohousing Community is a kind of Intentional community composed of private Homes with full kitchens supplemented by extensive common facilities

The goal of most ecovillages is to be a sustainable habitat providing for most of its needs on site. A sustainable habitat is an Ecosystem that produces food and shelter for people and other organisms without resource depletion and in such a way that no external waste is produced However self-sufficiency is not always a goal or desired outcome, specifically since self-sufficiency can conflict with goals to be a change agent for the wider culture and infrastructure. 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. Instructional capital is a term used in educational administration after the 1960s to reflect capital resulting from investment in producing learning materials Morality (from the Latin la moralitas "manner character proper behavior" has three principal meanings Civics is the study of citizenship and government with particular attention given to the role of citizens― as opposed to external factors― in the operation and oversight of government Green anarchism is a school of thought within Anarchism which puts an emphasis on Environmental issues. Local purchasing is a preference to buy locally produced goods and services over those produced more distantly Local food (also regional food or food patriotism) or the local food movement is a "collaborative effort to build more locally based self-reliant Ethical consumerism is buying products and services that are made ethically. In economics consumption is the primary motivating force in the wealth or utility maximizing paradigm WikipediaConsensus here as this is the article namespace and that information is irrelevant to the reader The prerogative to respect diversity, often said to "begin with Biodiversity " of non-human life is basic to some 20th century studies such as Cultural ecology

The term ecovillage should not be confused with micronation, a strictly legal, not infrastructural, concept. Micronations &mdash sometimes also referred to as model countries and new country projects &mdash are entities that resemble independent Nations or

See also

• List of ecovillages
• Intentional Community
• Communities Directory
• Bioneers
• EcoCommunalism
• Eco-feminism
• Green politics
• Sustainable habitat
• Green syndicalism
• Bioenergy Village
• Cohousing
• Principles of Intelligent Urbanism
• Eco municipalities

Notes

References

Books

• Christian, D. 2003. Diana Leafe Christian is an author former editor of Communities magazine and a national speaker and workshop presenter on starting new Ecovillages and community 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
• Dawson, Jonathan (2006) Ecovillages: New Frontiers for Sustainability. Green Books. ISBN: 1903998778

External links

• Global Ecovillage Network
• Ecovillage Network of the Americas
• Intentional Communities website
• Ecovillage Directory - List of Ecovillages in the Intentional Communities Directory
• Eurotopia Book, Directory of Intentional Communities and Ecovillages in Europe
• DVDs about Ecovillages worldwide
• Living Together: Sustainable Community Development
• The Ecovillage Model
• Permaculture Magazine - incorporating Global Ecovillage Network News.
• Voices of Cohousing: Rebuilding villages in the city - Documentary on mainstream urban ecovillages (cohousing)
• Intentional Community and Ecovillage Database
• Eco Villages Article Article by João Silva in Accessible Travel Magazine, March 2007

Articles and photos about ecovillages in the web site of Italian writer Manuel Olivares: http://www.manuelolivares.it

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