Ecovillage of the Week: Findhorn Ecovillage

Photo courtesy of The Findhorn Ecovillage

This week the JEM group will be showcasing the Findhorn Ecovillage in Scotland. The Findhorn Community began in 1962 as a sustainable and holistic living center. In 1972, the Findhorn Foundation was established to educate people on holistic living systems and brings over "4,500 residential visitors a year from over 50 countries." The Findhorn Ecovillage Project was initiated in 1981 as an organic continuation of the Findhorn Foundation. The Ecovillage Project is an incredible example of an ecovillage that integrates a sustainable human settlement with one that also addresses the "spiritual, social and economic aspects of life". Click here to visit the Findhorn Ecovillage website. You can also visit the JEM Group's individual blog sites to learn more about ways Findhorn is addressing building and design; water and waste; and food and energy. Their links are provided on the left sidebar.

Before the Ecovillage

Timothy Miller analyzed the communal movement in the 1960s in his book, The 60's Communes: Hippies and Beyond. He states that during the early 60s a counter culture of youth began to live communally in cities and soon after moved out to rural areas to settle there. As the environmental movement began to take shape in the late 1960s, early 1970s, an alternative lifestyle began to emerge as well. People became concerned with the state of the environment for the first time on a great scale. Over the years the rise in communes and intentional communities grew. It was not until 1990 that the Gaia Trust initiated a study to explored ecovillages around the world. In 1991 the first meeting on how to develop and spread the ecovillage concept occurred. Great interest was shown during the meeting and in the subsequent years, community members from around the world gathered to discuss a global ecovillage strategy. The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) was set up in 1995. Three regional networks were set up to cover the globe: one in the Americas, one in Europe, and one in Oceania. Over the years, the GEN has been placed on the international radar by attending international conferences on Sustainable Development and Human Settlements. Not only do ecovillages practice sustainablity in their own communities, but they educate people on ecovillage living through courses and workshops. A full history of GEN can be found on their website. A link is provided on the left sidebar.

From here on out

The JEM group has created this blog as a group page in order to access each of their individual blogs. The links are located on the right sidebar. John will be working on the environmental design of homes and communities. Matt will be focusing on ways that ecovillages address water, waste, recycling, and sewage issues. Emmy will be looking at food and energy issues, as well as permaculture design practices. Collectively JEM will be looking at the social, political, and economic dynamics that are associated with their portion of the research project. Check back to learn more about ways communities around the world are enacting a low impact lifestyle!