What Is An Ecovillage?
An Ecovillage Defined

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Robert Gilman, along with his late wife Diane Gilman, are recognized by most as not only defining the ecovillage movement but also shaping the direction of the global network for ecovillages.

According to the Gilmans: "An ecovillage is a human-scale, full-featured settlement in which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world in a way that supports healthy human development, and which can be successfully continued into the indefinite future."

It is, perhaps, similar to a precept of the Great Law of Peace of the Haudenosaunee (Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy) which mandates that chiefs consider the impact of their decisions on the seventh generation yet to come.

An urban ecovillage is a housing settlement which strives for sustainability in design and cooperation among residents. It is comprised of cohousing communities where residents share common spaces and some common land while retaining their privacy with individual home ownership. The cohousing site design resembles a village green. Additional land is shared by all communities in the ecovillage. Often that extra land is placed in a conservation easement.

Cohousing started in Denmark in 1969 when a group of practical-thinking professionals started an intentional community to make life in general and child rearing in particular, easier. Literally hundreds of cohousing variations have been completed in Europe since that time.

Living in cohousing is like sharing a large extended family without loosing the privacy of your own home or the bonds of your nuclear family. When people care for, and are cared for, by their friends and neighbors, a safety factor arises that can not be assured by modern civilization in any other way.

An ecovillage takes cohousing a step forward by joining several communities to provide an economy of scale in construction and amenities. It also assures a large degree of sustainability by the use of passive solar designs, clustered homes and parking, and energy-efficient building techniques and materials. Alternative energy sources are used when practical or affordable by the community.

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972 251-1532

 

 

 

 

 

Questions? Please come to our next introductory meeting. In the meantime, call metro 972 251-1532 for answers. 

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Please call 972 251-1532 or 817 545-0140 for locations.

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