User:Liamagnew98/sandbox
Definition
[edit | edit source]Kosha Joubert, Executive Director of the Global Ecovillage Network defined an ecovillage 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." [1]
In simple terms, an ecovillage is a community designed to be sustainable indefinitely, with seamless integration into the natural world. They usually require as little outside intervention as possible, and are mostly self-sufficient. A common goal of ecovillage community members is to encourage societal change and to combat the norm regarding ecological and environmental impact of humans (reference).
Ecovillages are a subset of cohousing communities. Cohousing communities are communities where the residents share communal centers as well as similar values. In the case of ecovillages, the resident’s primary value is sustainability. In accordance with Kosha Joubert’s definition, cohousing communities serve to provide the social and cultural aspects of sustainability.[2]
Cohousing Communities first originated in Denmark in the early 1970s.
Introduction
[edit | edit source][Insert Introduction on Ecovillages]
History
[edit | edit source]With environmental and social problems on the rise in the 1990s, people began to look toward changing their lifestyles in order to address these challenges. In 1998, Ted Trainer outlined key attributes that define an ecovillage. On the low end of technological spectrum, he proposed that an ecovillage would have:
- a more self-sufficient layout that depended on gardens, compost heaps, recycling, and repairing/making their own tools
- energy conservation (ex. using bicycles for transportation)
More technological aspects of an ecovillage would contain:
- solar passive architecture
- Alternative technologies; renewable energy sources, building using earth, alternative water collection and sewage treatment systems, water recycling, sustainable agriculture, and Permaculture
He also argued that self sufficiency was a key property for the long-term health of an ecovillage. As such, the ecovillage must have a healthy economy supported by a local town bank, small firms, farms, dams, and woodlots. He identified unemployment and deteriorating communities as a consequence of the ‘globalization’ of the world economy. Ecovillages offered a solution to these social crises.[3]
Proponents
[edit | edit source]Opponents
[edit | edit source]Social Factors
[edit | edit source]Technological Factors
[edit | edit source]Environmental Impact
[edit | edit source]In a 2017 study, ecovillage households in Ireland were found to have less occupants, be smaller, and be more efficient than average households. The measured ecological footprint of these villages in regards to transportation, waste, food, and energy were found to be much less than the average Irish household. However, the average hectare for an ecovillage resident was estimated to be ten percent greater than that of the average human. This is due to the ecovillage’s dependence on agriculture.[4]
Case Study
[edit | edit source]Conclusions
[edit | edit source][Write together?]
Future Work
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ From Apartheid to Ecovillage, TEDX 2016
- ↑ [Peter Jakobsen & Henrik Gutzon Larsen (2018) An alternative for whom? The evolution and socio-economy of Danish cohousing, Urban Research & Practice, DOI: 10.1080/17535069.2018.1465582]
- ↑ [Ted Trainer (1998) Viewpoint, Local Environment, 3:1, 79-83, DOI: 10.1080/13549839808725547]
- ↑ [Vincent Carragher & Michael Peters (2018) Engaging an ecovillage and measuring its ecological footprint, Local Environment, 23:8, 861-878, DOI: 10.1080/13549839.2018.1481021]
NOTES/BRAINSTORMING (Not part of book)
[edit | edit source]Tentative Sources: http://ecovillagecharlottesville.org/community/design-plans/ ------ Charlottesville Ecovillage https://www.solar.arch.vt.edu/about/index.html ------ VT Lumenhaus https://ecovillage.org/ ----- Global Ecovillage Network http://www.steady-state.ca/articles/JTRJ_EV-Movement2004.pdf ----- Ross Jackson -> The Ecovillage Movement http://www.munksoegaard.dk/index_en.html ----- Munksoegaard existing ecovillage in Denmark https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10855660050085083?journalCode=cdna20 ------ Limitations of ecovillages (why they are not the new democratic movement) http://selvforsyning.dk/wordpress/ --- Self-Sustaining Village on the island of Fyn in Denmark http://www.earthaven.org/ ----- Early -> started in ‘94 http://www.regenvillages.com/ ----- Modern, tech advanced ecovillage concept https://consciouslifenews.com/10-eco-villages-work-look-interesting-sustainable-communities/1197901/# ----- Crystal waters -> first permaculture village Est. 1984 http://consciouslifenews.com/smart-villages-incorporate-high-tech-sustainable-agriculture/1189313/ ----- Article about smart villages http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1068/a140250p --- Grassroots innovation for urban sustainability (if this link does not work, Paul has downloaded the article and can send it to you). I recommend looking at the sources for more ideas. http://ecovillageithaca.org/publications/ ----- LOTS of stuff about ecovillage in Ithaca
—Robert and Diane Gilman, Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities, 1991
Librarian recommends -> https://www.library.virginia.edu/research/ https://guides.lib.virginia.edu/envsci https://guides.lib.virginia.edu/planning Also Maggie Nunley would be the librarian to contact regarding this project
Ask a Librarian: https://www.library.virginia.edu/askalibrarian
