Page 19 - C.A.L.L. #29 - Winter 2007

Green Acres: Communities Reduce Ecological

Footprints

Published on Worldwatch Institute (http://www.worldwatch.org)
Aug 8 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Municipal leaders from San Francisco to Melbourne are engaging in
sustainability actions from banning plastic bags and water bottles to making commitments to
address climate change. But within and beyond cities, growing numbers of local communities are
also going green, according to a new Vital Signs Update from the Worldwatch Institute.
Worldwide, the 379 “ecovillages” currently registered with the Global Ecovillage Network are
sharing innovative solutions that connect residents socially while collectively lowering their
ecological footprints— including local food co-ops, community-supported agriculture programs,
and carpooling.

“Planned communities tend to evoke over-developed suburban neighborhoods and mini-malls,”
says Erik Assadourian, Worldwatch Research Associate and author of the Update. “But increasingly,
planned communities will come to mean neighbors living with a purpose beyond consumerism,
embracing a sustainable lifestyle and forging meaningful connections with their neighbors.”

Europe leads the world in the number of registered ecovillages, with 138, followed by North
America (110), Latin America (58), Asia/Oceania (52), and Africa/Middle East (21).

Many ecovillages are reducing energy use, localizing farming, and creating more sustainable local
businesses. Other environmentally minded communities, including the more than 450 “co-
housing” projects found in North America and Europe, focus primarily on improving the quality of
life of residents. Co-housing typically includes clusters of smaller houses with shared dining halls
and other spaces, facilitating stronger social ties while reducing the material and energy needs of
the community.

Even mainstream developers are
pioneering green principals in their
ventures. The Beddington Zero
Energy Development (BedZED), an 82-
unit housing complex in London,
aims to produce as much energy as it
uses through a combination of
passive solar design, energy
efficiency, and greater use of walking,
cycling, and public transit. A resident
living at BedZED—or at the Findhorn
ecovillage to the north in Scotland—has just 60 percent of the ecological footprint of an average
individual in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, in Germany’s Sieben Linden ecovillage, per capita
carbon dioxide emissions are just 28 percent the national average.

While all ecovillages and other environmentally minded communities strive toward a similar goal,
the diversity among them is striking. They can be found in rural, suburban, and urban areas, and in
industrialized and developing countries. Ecovillages in Mbam, Senegal; Porto Alegre, Brazil; and
Munksøgård, Denmark, all contribute to the growing global movement.

“Many people think living in an ecovillage would be a life of sacrifice. But research shows that
residents have lowered their ecological footprints and financial costs, and maintain closer bonds
with their neighbors, all of which translates to a less stressed, more fulfilling lifestyle,” says
Assadourian.

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