Ecovillage of the Week II: Ithaca

A brief history of how it began.............

The EcoVillage of Ithaca (EVI) started in a rather peculiar way. One of the founding members, Liz Walker, took part in The Global Walk for a Livable World across America from Los Angeles to New York City. The walk's intent was to raise awareness and promote the idea of creating a better world. Essentially a better world in their view is to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle, live in a more holistic, harmonious fashion with nature, and to push the idea of sustainability.

During the walk Liz discussed various subjects with fellow supporters. The ideas ranged from nature, life, philosophy, spirituality and more. Basically, a solid connection was made. The idea of an ecovillage was eventually discussed during this walk and only months later when the walk was over, the seeds were planted about bringing the Ithaca ecovillage concept into existence.

A retreat was organized in Ithaca, where future residents set up tents in an isolated field in close proximity to the town. It was at this time that ideas were shared and excogitated. After many meetings, disagreements, and difficult choices, the decision to build EVI on a 175 acre site called West Hill was made. The land was gorgeous, spacious and only within 1.5 miles of Ithaca, allowing for a reasonable commute. It was bought for $400,000 just one year after the initial retreat. The money used to pay for the land can be attributed to wealthy donors as well as the hard work of many resident's fundraising efforts.

Now EVI is exemplified throughout the world as a model ecovillage "committed to reaching mainstream, middle-class Americans and others who are open to positive change" (Walker 3). It was a finalist in the World Habitat Awards and has had the privilege of hosting various delegates from all over the world! The success can be attributed to the hard-working, grassroots efforts of those who stuck around from the get-go and never gave up in seeing their dream of EVI materialized. In addition, the success can be linked to EVI's mission statement:

"The ultimate goal of EcoVillage at Ithaca is nothing less than to redesign the human habitat. We are creating a model community of some five hundred residents that will exemplify sustainable systems of living - systems that are not only practical in themselves but replicable by others. The completed project will demonstrate the feasibility of a design that meets the basic human needs such as shelter, food production, energy, social interaction, work and recreation while preserving natural ecosystems" (Walker 7).

To learn about the specifics, such as, architecture, food, energy, sewage, water, waste and recycling, check the Jem Group Blog located on the sidebar.

Sources:

Walker, Liz. Ecovillage At Ithaca Pioneering A Sustainable Culture. New York: New Society, 2005.