When TeamSugar user CiaoBella wrote me about the Ecovillage in Ithaca, New York I was glad to know about a green initiative observed by some seemingly normal people away from well-known green centres like San Francisco. It isn't often that I read about ordinary people making a huge difference in their immediate lives and the lives of those around them in this way. I admit that Greg and I have always thought about having a similar sort of thing in Northern BC or the Sunshine Coast of BC but really, we are so anti-social that it would mostly just be he and I out there, although that suits me just fine.
Eco-village Ithaca members

So, What is an Eco-village exactly?

According to the Ecovillage Ithaca website , the Eco-village "is part of a growing global movement for a saner, more sustainable human culture. Comprising an intentional community and a non-profit educational organization, the project aims to develop an alternative model for suburban living which provides a satisfying, healthy, socially rich lifestyle, while minimizing ecological impacts."

How is the village set up?

The Eco-village in Ithaca sets aside 80% of the over 175 acres of land to be green space. The village residents (there are 2 30-home cohousing neighbourhoods currently) work together to grow organic produce, cook communal meals a few times a week, "and volunteer about 2-3 hours per week on various work teams to keep things running smoothly: outdoor maintenance, finances, governance, future projects, and more."

Future village elements under consideration include more accessible and affordable housing, an education center, a charter school, village-scale wind power, organic orchards, a roadside farm stand, on-site biological wastewater treatment, graywater recycling, biomass energy crops, onsite biodiesel/vegetable-oil fuel production, carshare, shuttle van, a natural cemetery, and an expanding portfolio of educational programs.

What are the homes like? How is it like to live there?
All the homes feature passive solar design, with densely insulated walls and multipaned Fiberglas windows that save energy through the freezing New York winters. The lightbulbs are efficient compact fluorescents, of course; some houses have compost toilets to save water; and a recycling and reuse program keeps waste at about a quarter of what a similarly sized development would produce. Simple solidarity goes a long way toward keeping green. "There's a real culture of encouragement here," says Elan Shapiro, a founding resident.

Source

Further Resources

Global Eco-village website

More background info and more resources

So, what do you think? Is this something that you'd like to be apart of? Does this lifestyle appeal to you?