User:Parbhu/sandbox

Eco-villages are urban or rural communities of people who strive to integrate a supportive social environment with a way of life which has a low impact on the natural environment. To achieve this, they integrate various aspects of ecological design, ecological building, green production, permaculture, alternative energy, community building practices, and much more. The means by which an eco-village grows and evolves are as follows: Social aspects • Recognising and relating to the needs of the local community • Sharing common resources and providing mutual aid • Emphasising holistic and preventive health practices • Providing work by fostering ecological business ideas • Promoting unending education • Fostering cultural expression. Ecological aspects • Growing food as much as possible within the community bio-region • Supporting organic food production • Creating homes out of local materials where possible • Using village based renewable energy systems • Protecting biodiversity • Fostering ecological business principles • Assessing the life cycle of all products used from an ecological point of view • Preserving clean soil, water and air through proper energy and waste management • Protecting nature and safeguarding wilderness areas. Cultural aspects • Shared creativity, artistic expression, cultural activities and celebrations • Sense of community unity and mutual support • Shared vision and agreements that emphasise the cultural heritage and the uniqueness of each community. Source: The Village – Building Sustainable Community © 2009 Accessed on August 11, 2009 http://www.thevillage.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=115&Itemid=240 Also see: The European Ecovillage Network http://www.gen-europe.org/ http://gen.ecovillage.org/iservices/publications/articles/ec_08_may_ecovillages.pdf