Globalization has changed the world and humans have put the urban areas of the world against nature. The environmental challenges cities are facing have become significant and it requires a commitment to make the situation better. With the increasing density and size of cities, several noticeable changes are generated on the air, ground, water, and on life itself. These environmental problems are also in turn affecting the welfare of citizens.
Ecovillages have appeared as a new archetype to shape the way of living in the modern world. The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) aims to “support and encourage the evolution of sustainable settlements across the world”. GEN obtained its consultative status in 2001 at the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
What are Ecovillages?
Ecovillages can be defined as small, self-reliant communities that live from and for their natural surroundings. The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) defined eco-village as “An intentional or traditional community using local participatory processes to holistically integrate ecological, economic, social, and cultural dimensions of sustainability in order to regenerate social and natural environments”. Ecovillages interweave together the five dimensions of sustainability- social, culture, ecology, economy, complete system design, and innovative solutions. Ecovillages are mainly based on one fundamental principle, i.e., concern for people and the environment. Ecovillages mostly comprise 50-250 inhabitants, nevertheless, there are few ecovillages that have more than 1000 inhabitants. The whole community has shared objectives and they collectively work together. The ecovillages are willfully planned communities that attempt to produce the least possible negative impact on the natural environment. For example, a small community from different age groups comes together to look for alternatives, with a motive of living far away from the capitalist society. They find abandoned and quiet places to start the settlement, they grow their own food, recycle water in their own setting, etc. Every ecovillage has its own setup defined by the community of people living in the village.
There are many benefits of ecovillages such as the use of renewable resources, building houses with mud, wood, and straw, they regenerate the environment, they promote education in the community, they also contribute to the responsible economy by using bioclimatic architecture and organic agriculture rather than using machinery or chemical pesticides, in turn consuming less energy and fighting the cause of global warming. There are currently 500 self-identified ecovillages registered on the GEN.
One of the most renowned ecovillage examples is Sieben Linden in Germany. The site for the ecovillage was bought in 1997 and at that time 15 people moved to Sieben Linden with construction trailers. They converted the site into a “self-sufficient ecological village”. The ecovillage as of 2020 has 145 people and a total area of around 100 hectares among which 64 hectares is forest. The site plan of Sieben Linden can be seen in Fig 1.
Performance Measurement of Ecovillages
According to Rosen & Bennet, “performance is a product’s ability to answer user’s needs and environmental impact. A performance concept is a basic tool for materials, products and systems evaluation and investigation when there are no known standards”. As ecovillages is a product that cannot be systematized, GEN designed a framework to assess the impact of ecovillages that is moving to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Ecovillages encompass four dimensions of sustainability i.e., social, culture, ecology, and economy. In the following section three main performance indicators will be discussed i.e., Social, Ecological, and Economic
Social Performance
The social attribute of an ecovillage can be seen as the most vital characteristic for the realization of any ecovillage. SDG 4 Quality Education, SDG 5 Gender Equality, SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals are considered as goals to be addressed by ecovillages.
In Sieben Linden, the aspect of community building is given high importance. They use community building as a form of communication. Sieben Linden regularly offers around six young people to do a voluntary ecological year. These volunteering opportunities help the young people gain a deeper understanding of living in an ecovillage, the importance of the environment, engagement with politics, and developing innovative solutions. Sieben Linden has also formed a strong partnership with the Beetzendorf community, and they are committed to the “Healthy Beetzendorf Region” initiative to contribute towards sustainable development in the Beetzendorf Region.
Ecological Performance
The name “Ecovillage” already shows the importance of the ecological aspect holds in setting up such a community. The most important motive behind promoting a culture of an ecovillage is to dynamically improve and heal the Earth’s conditions. A total of 90% of ecovillages consciously isolates carbon in the soil and in biomass, fighting climate change. 90% of ecovillages recycle, reuse, and repair more than half of the consumer goods and nearly 85% of them transform all their organic waste into compost. 97% ecovillages restore and replace water sources and cycles.
In Sieben Linden, the people cultivate around 2.5 hectares of garden land and supply the community with vegetables, fruit, and herbs. They cover approximately 75% of food needs through their own cultivation. Sieben Linden is famous for its straw bale houses and it has the highest density of straw bale houses in the world. Sieben Linden produces 65% of the electricity it consumes every year. The total area of the photovoltaic systems in the Sieben Linden is 392 m2 with an output of 47 kW.
Economic Performance
Sieben Linden in addition to a sustainable lifestyle also includes a sustainable economy. As a community they have different initiatives, they also support start-ups and self-employment in the village. They try to retain most of the money in the internal economy of the village.
Bibliography
- Iberdrola. (2020). Iberdrola. Retrieved April 9, 2021, from https://www.iberdrola.com/environment/ecovillages-alternative-ecological-communities#:~:text=The%20development%20of%20ecovillages%20is,fairer%20and%20more%20egalitarian%20societies
- Travel Earth. (2020, March 10). Medium. Retrieved April 10, 2021, from https://medium.com/responsible-travel/what-is-an-ecovillage-here-are-some-of-the-best-international-ecovillages-6346107ef419
- Aoki Bissolotti, P. M., Santiago, A. G., & Oliveira, R. d. (2006, September 6). Sustainability Evaluation in Ecovillages. PLEA2006 – The 23rd Conference on Passive and Low Energy Architecture, 20-30.
- Global Ecovillage Network. (2019). Ecovillage. Retrieved April 20, 2021, from https://ecovillage.org/resources/impact-assessment2/
- World Habitat Awards. (2007). World Habitat. Retrieved April 20, 2021, from https://world-habitat.org/world-habitat-awards/winners-and-finalists/straw-bale-housing-in-the-sieben-linden-ecovillage/
