Urban Ecovillages and Neighborhood Initiatives - Essay Example

 A Series of Suggestions of Principles and Strategies that could be Employed to Create More Urban Ecovillages and Sustainable Urban Neighborhood Initiatives. The mass movement to urban areas is having a profound impact on the ecology and environment on a global scale. The changing land use patterns, industrialisation and changing demographics have all played their intrinsic roles in bringing about a multifaceted global crisis.In ecological terms it can be safely said that the carrying capacity of the ecological infrastructure is reaching its tipping point. The explosion of technologies of the 1700s caused by the unbridled combustion of fossil fuels and a greater than seven fold increase in human numbers has put at risk the very basis of the earth’s social and institutional resiliencies. The beginnings of the perception of the changing natural environment and its repercussions were felt in the early 19th century itself when Henry David Thoreau (1854) published his book Walden. The movement to preserve the environment started in the 1960s in the form of the Green Anarchist movements. Murray Bookchin also in the 1960s put forward the social issues effecting the environment at the time and went on to coin the term social ecology in 1974. His belief was that all environmental problems were rooted in deep- seated social problems. Ecovillage Concept and Sustainability Over the years that followed ecology and conservation gained momentum as the period of industrialisation and economic development in terms of productivity and cost- benefit ratios grew. Urban areas expanded exponentially with little or no concern for the ecological quotient. Concern for the environment brought interest in the study on environmental mapping along with the growing realization that the parameters that determine the quantity of industrial productivity and economics don’t add up to an increased happiness quotient or quality of life for humans and the biodiversity. The realisation that the environment was reaching appoint of no return gave way to the ethos of sustainable development and a quest to achieve sustainability through judicious use of resources. The advent of the ecovillage concept or the sustainable neighbourhood initiative was one such effort to mitigate and arrest the loss of habitat and to take nature as a component in the economics and ecology of human living. Hildur and Ross Jackson the pioneers in this field, set up the Gaia Trust In 1987. Their 20 years experience in cohousing gave a head start to the Danish ecovillage network. The ecovillage concept continued without any set definition or principles until 1991 when The Gaia Trust entrusted Diane and Robert Gilman to identify and report on the best ecovillages. The report Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities carried the definition of an ecovillage as stated by Gilman as “a human scale, full-featured settlement, in which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world, in a way that is supportive of healthy human development and can be successfully continued into the indefinite future.” In 1993 Gaia Trust also took the initiative to form the Danish Ecovillage Network and in 1995 at the fall conference of the Gaia Trust at Findhorn Where 400 people from ecovillages from across the world participated the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) was launched. This global ecovillage concept has now come to transcend the urban-rural dichotomy and is fast becoming the post industrial way of organizing society at the grassroots level. Principles Successful neighbourhood initiatives are being based on certain universal principles of sustainability, self reliance and social integrity. These are broadly classified into four components- the social, ecological, economical and spiritual/cultural components. Hildur Jackson (1998) on the other hand visualized the elements in an ecovillage in the form of 4 dimensions-earth, air, fire and water. In each she placed another set of 4 categories of determinants that would constitute the ecovillage and would work as a comprehensive tool for the ecovillage profile. However, for all practical purposes an ecovillage follows the four fold path that is easy to replicate and can encourage creation of more ecovillages in all regions. Social/ Community Every ecovillage requires a vision for the community. This social aspect constitutes a community that shares similar goals for themselves and their environment creating among themselves a deep sense of belonging within the community, a shared support system and responsibility toward each other. Here one refers to a community as typically a wide range of groupings of people: a church, a city, a political party or affiliation. But more fundamentally, a community that suggests a group of geographically rooted people engaged in relationships with each other through these relationships, members in a community have shared responsibilities (Mertzel, 2005). The significant point here is a common sense of responsibility and vision which works optimally in a limited size of community, for its common resources, health practices, employment avenues that is ,meaningful work ethos and embracing the diversity of entire community. This combined goal or vision develops a social capital that is aware and oriented toward the goals of sustainability and community living thus enhancing the life processes of the community for the common good. Ecology The earth and its resources are taken as an integral part of the living space in the ecovillages. Ecology is what defines the root well being of the community. The physical elements of soil, water and air and the accompanying biota create a sense of well being and joy within the system. Day to day interaction with the natural resources provide for the basic needs of the people in the form of food, clothing and shelter consequently they also ensure that the ecological balance is maintained by rejuvenating local indigenous species. The growing of organic food in the region and preserving top soil, creating homes from locally adapted materials, using integrated renewable energy systems, protecting biodiversity and fostering ecological business principles all add up to better living and sustainable growth. The preservation of clean soil, water and air through eco friendly management and protecting and safeguarding wilderness areas all make for sound environment and preservation of nature. Economic The urban ecovillage based on attractive economic principles that don’t compromise the existing standards of living but add to these to augment living conditions are the key to establishing and expanding ecovillages. When these activities maximize the gains within the boundaries set by the natural environment as seen in BedZed (UK) the ecovillages begin to thrive. The utilization of bioregional materials for infrastructure like construction of buildings etc should be integrated into the system. Economic production should be localized as far as possible using bio intensive agriculture and promoting the use of local produce, using local raw material for energy production, reducing the use of fossil fuel, controlling the diminishing water supplies by recycling and recharging waste water through waste water management and rainwater harvesting techniques and ensuring a transit – oriented development with energy efficient transport systems all translate into sustainable economies. Spirituality/ Culture A need for a more spiritual lifestyle in many cases leads to the formation of a sustainable long lasting ecovillage. Findhorn in Scotland, Auroville in India, Lebensgarten, Zegg and Sieben Linden in Germany, Hertha in Denmark, Tamera in Portugal, and Damanhur in Italy are some of the better-known ecovillages that started on spiritual lines (Jackson, R. 2004). Taking into consideration that spirituality varies in different regions and lifestyles and is intertwined with culture is a positive outlook for the glue factor. In principle an ecovillage based on spiritual consciousness grows with respect for different cultures, fostering a sense of joy and belonging through rituals and celebrations, emphasizes creativity and the arts and providing for the development of the inner self. Spirituality and culture hold the thread to the fabric of social development. Established ecovillages: overview The success stories of almost all ecovillages - BedZed ,London, Los Angeles Ecovillage, USA, Ufa-fabrik Berlin and Munksgaard,  Denmark,  have the common thread of commitment within a small group of people towards a common goal for community living. The range of principles may vary on their areas of emphasis but remain fundamentally the same– based on respect for all the components of the ecosystem including, plants and animals and the physical environment and the retention of lifestyles within a set of parameters. A case in study is the Los Angeles Ecovillage. Established in 1993, the principles on which the Los Angeles EcoVillage is based are broadly classified as: Working toward becoming a demonstration of healthy urban community. whole-systems approach to community development to integrate the social, economic and physical aspects of neighborhood life to be sustainable over the long term. Eco-villagers intend to achieve and demonstrate high-fulfillment, low-impact living patterns, to reduce the burden of government, and to increase neighborhood self-reliance in a variety of areas such as livelihood, food production, energy and water use, affordable housing, transit, recreation, waste reduction and education. When compared to other established ecovillages like BedZed and Ufa-fabrik the underlying principles are very similar, adhering to the basis of sustainable cooperative communities. Strategies Urban ecovillages or neighbourhood communities can be promoted only through a multifaceted, widely encompassing approach to the development of large scale ecologically friendly ecosystem approach. Mainstream adaptation of ecovillages The onset of ecovillages is a nascent, new generation concept adopted by small communities comprising of 50 to 500 families. This can be nurtured and grown in adjacent environments through direct contact and by setting a precedent of examples of sustainability and viability. Mainstreaming could not only involve new communities but also the inclusion of futuristic and forward thinking developers who place the objective to sustainability alongside a modern, urban lifestyle. This makes the ecovillage concept attractive to the community and creates a will to work toward a tangible social and economic well being. A case in point is the Beddington Zero-Energy Development (BedZED ) community located in the London Borough of Sutton where the developer has been able to successfully replicate a zero energy deficit community without sacrificing a modern, urban lifestyle. Apart from producing no net carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from energy use, BedZED meets targets across a range of environmental, social and economic concerns. As the BedZED promoters describe it, the community’s aim is to make sustainability easy, attractive and affordable. The long term goal would be take these microcosms that are ecologically sound and successful and replicate them in city suburbs, landfill areas( augmenting waste management and also use these sustainable communities to reconstruct and regenerate the inner city areas and down town bioregions. Rallying the Policy makers The governments that determine policies should be brought into the picture. by bringing on board the economics and feasibility of the ecovillage concepts. Convincing the policy makers, and negotiating decisions taking into account the encouraging and optimistic cost – benefit ratios in terms of organizing local bioregional goods – local bio-intensive agriculture, raw materials procured locally, employment generated and also the intangibles like natural resource preservation and indigenous biodiversity creation. These self auditing communities can also relieve some of the stress on government agencies thus making them more viable in the eyes of authority. Convincing the policy makers and gaining support from government authorities translates to more funding and subsidies that could further enhance and expand programs and initiatives. Education Environmental planning and management education is by and large, a theory based, classroom oriented study. A hands - on out –in- the- field approach could bring more intelligent and progressive solutions into the issue of integrating environment into the grass root planning system. Incorporating more out door field work in curriculums could retain a sense of balance between nature and the human thought processes. Education that incorporates concepts of organic farming, permaculture, renewable energy, wastewater treatment, facilitation of meetings, ecological building, conflict resolution and much more would not only lead to a generation of new sustainable technologies but also enhance the social capital. Besides imparting sustainability education in formal educational systems an informal system through various other communication methods like street plays, contacts in community third places like religious institutions. Community Participation Models Taking communities as inclusive entities would certainly give a boost to all community neighbourhood initiatives. Here community would imply all the stakeholders – encompassing the majority- the men who have more say on issues, the minorities – women, children, the differently - abled and any other entities that have a stake in the commons. Spatial and temporal studies conducted on community participation reveal a traditional androcentric approach toward community participation (Birkeland, J 1999). Over the years this needs to be replaced by bioregional planning which attempts to integrate community and ecology through systems of social organisation tailored to the regional ecology. The ecofeminist or bioregional model proposed by Janis Birkeland that advocates a four step team design approach for community planning seems to be a more inclusive, practical approach toward system change and alteration. Creating Interlocking Systems for Holistic Development An ecosystem, as defined by Arthur Tansley, is the interaction of the biosphere with the physical environment such that there is a flow of energy and cycling of matter. The ecosystem being a closed system t retains its resilience through interacting pools of energy that move from one trophic level Economic progress of the globe through manmade industries has through the centuries worked on the principles of linear models where waste is generated at different “trophic levels” and released into a quagmire if polluting possibilities. However, if these linear systems were replaced by holistic, circular models where natural resources were considered intrinsic parts of the whole and all byproducts treated as precursors for renewal and regeneration of new vital products a closed system could be envisaged (Hardin,1993). Thus, industry and industrial development could be looked as a benign and coexisting elements and not as opponents of ecological planning and urban growth. Hardin (1993) has put forth in his paper Industrial Ecology: An Environmental Agenda for Industry a very convincing argument of how industrial systems can be designed to develop interlocking ecosystems. Encouraging and optimistic accounts of the benefits of this theory can be seen in Kalundborg, Denmark (Indigo Development, 2003) . Here industry and environment have worked for 20 years in a symbiotic relationship where the flow of resources follows a circular path retaining and reusing the energy produced symbolic of the efficient biological systems where ATP the energy molecule is conserved at each point of metabolism. Building for Success Taking established neighbourhood initiatives and building upon their success by adopting and adopting their models. The first step here would be to recognise that each entity may not be homogenous and harmonious. The identification of the complexity of the community and dealing with the diversity with experiences from earlier models such as conflict resolution techniques, interaction with policy makers, micro financing and ultimately measuring the behavioural change in individuals and communities as a whole communities wiil give a quantum leap to the successful establishment of such communities. Conclusions Urbanisation of the demography is the inevitability of the future of the planet. .The United Nations World Population Prospects (2007) estimate a 40% increase, that is an estimated 69% of the population of the world to be living in urban areas by the year 2050. With urban areas already reeling under the pressure of constrained resources and overexploitation, ecovillages and neighbourhood communities seem to be the most relevant solution to mitigating this problem and arresting further degradation. At present there are 385 registered ecovillages and about 500 co-housing societies worldwide (Assadourian, E 2008). Even if one were to take the unregistered neighbourhood communities into account, they comprise just a small fraction of the world’s population. The sustainable neighbourhood initiative needs to be promoted through relevant strategies to bring the living planet to sustainable mode with ecologically corrected, viable ecosystems. Niche Ecologies The principles and strategies that have been discussed in the previous sections are just a dynamic framework that depicts the amplitude of the working of sustainanle neighbourhoods.. However, a comprehensive insight into the workings of different ecovillages suggests that these ecovillages can be turned into global entities only by applying niche social, environmental, economic and spiritual and cultural principles and strategies to form new and rejuvenated niche ecologies. Each ecovillage has developed its own set of principles and strategies and priorities. For example, green energy production is being carried out (Assadourian, E. 2008), in the form of micro hydroelectric power ( Inverie, Scotland), biomass (Zegg, Germany), Biogass (Hammarby, Sweden) or a combination of two green technologies (BedZED, Germany) .Each a classical example of sustainability. Therefore, it maybe suggested that ecological niches located in different bioregions be replicated in larger ecological areas that are conducive to a particular technology or a set of technologies. .Expanding existing systems As each urban ecovillage develops it moves through phases of high energy inputs in the form of social capital, economic vitalization, ecological inputs and the setting up of cultural and spiritual systems. Over time a stage will be reached where the system starts working efficiently within its chosen framework and amplitude. At this point it would be ready for replication and would be able to absorb an additional system in this case another ecovillage to enlarge and expand the whole in the form of overlapping, mutually coherent groups. For example a small ecovillage like the Los Angeles Eco-Village that has been successfully functioning for the last 15 years can be emulated by other communities living in similar ecological and economic spaces thus creating larger neighbourhood communities that although would be function as separate entities to retain their close knit community and social adherence but would in totality be recognisable as larger sustainable units. This would in turn create more resilient environments forming circular models or webs that hold these communities together. To sum up, the ecovillage or sustainable neighbourhood Initiative is on its way to creating a sustainable and functional world that educates itself to live and thrive within the limits defined by the natural ecosystem processes. Each small ecovillage endeavour helps to reduce the ecological footprint on the planet. As more and more awareness develops the ecovillage can strive to form coalescing communities that forms inter linked participatory communities. Although not homogenous these communities can exist as harmonious entities and further coalesce into eco municipality, an eco town, an eco city and finally an eco bioregions. References Assadourian, E. (2008). Engaging Communities for a Sustainable World, State of the World: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy The Worldwatch Institute, Chapter 11.pp. 151 - 246. BedZED – Beddington Zero EnergyDevelopment, Sutton (2002) BedZed General Information Report 2002 pp.1- 30.Publisher: BRECSU Birkeland, J. (1999) Community Participation in Urban Project Assessment (An Ecofeminist Analysis) Technology and Public Participation Wollongong, Australia: Science and Technology Studies, University of Wollongong1999), Brian Martin (ed.), pp. 113-142. Gilman D. and Gilman R. (1991) Eco-Villages and Sustainable Communities, Gaia Trust. Hardin B.C.T. (1993) Industrial Ecology: An Environmental Agenda for Industry Global Business Network pp 1-30. Indigo Development(2003)A Center in the Sustainable Development Division of Sustainable Systems Inc..Available at:www.indigodev.com/Kal.html[Accessed 15 Apr.2011]. Jackson, H. (1998) What is an Ecovillage? Based on the working Paper presented at the Gaia Trust Education Seminar, Thy, Denmark.pp.1-15. Jackson, R. (.2004) The Ecovillage Movement Permaculture Magazine, vol 40, pp. 1-11. Los Angeles Eco-Village: Demonstrating Higher Quality Living Patterns at a Lower Environmental Impact (2002) (Online)[updated 15 Apr, 2011] Available at www.laecovillage.org [Accessed 10 Apr.2011]. Meltzer, Graham (2005) Sustainable Community – Learning from the cohousing model, Trafford Publishing The United Nations (2007). Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Urbanization Prospects: the 2007 Revision [Online] Available at: http://esa.un.org/unup,  ( Accessed 13 Apr. 2011). UfaFabrik, Berlin (2003) Ecology and sustainable development A Chance for Our Future [Online](updated15 Apr.2011) Available at: www.ufafabrik.de/en/ [Accessed 15 Apr.2011]. 1. Read More