Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
environment - some are extremely small, residing discretely and quietly in woods
and forests (like Tinkers Bubble in Somerset, UK), being concerned predominantly
with living simply with the smallest environmental impact possible (Fairlie, 1996),
while others may be more fashionable, consciously modern settlements (and perhaps
not strictly ecovillages) whose eco-values have been tempered by a market-orientated
pragmatism, planning restrictions and desire to blend easily into the mainstream
(Crystal Waters in Australia). Some sustainable community developments have been
informed by innovative green architectural design (BedZed, London) and exemplary
urban eco-planning and spatial development (Kronsberg, Germany). For Dawson,
ecovillages mostly share five common features:
•
the community is of primary importance;
•
their origin as citizen initiatives;
•
self-reliance;
•
the sharing of a strong set of values; and
•
they frequently act as centres of research, demonstration and training.
The Findhorn Community in the north of Scotland is one of the best-known
ecovillages in the UK, if not the world. It has been established for over forty years,
is spiritually based, with a profound commitment to living in harmony with the
natural world, is largely democratic in organization and structure, and aims to be
self-sufficient in food. Over the years it has been exceedingly enterprising in its
approach to green building and design, developing external consultancy, fund raising
and investment, and education and communication. In October 1998, Findhorn's
Ecovillage Project was awarded a UN Habitat Best Practice citation and in 2006 an
independent study concluded that the community had the smallest ecological footprint
of any comparably sized settlement in the industrialized world (Tinsley and George,
2006). People who live in ecovillages, and intentional communities with an ecological
ethos, usually fashion a holistic lifestyle, where the domestic situation becomes part
of an overall project of social transformation, where residents live their beliefs, and
where the communities provide safe places to experiment with different forms of
living, behaving and acting. Many communities have open days or offer interested
people the opportunity to join for a short while to see if they could live the life. In
this way, ecovillages act as showcases for alternative and ecological living. Political
values become infused in both the private/domestic and public spheres - shared living
and working, organic permaculture production, communal decision-making, co-
operative ownership, recycling, and so on. As Sargisson (2001: 88) notes:
Intentional communities form part of individual change: this includes patterns
of behaviour, processes of communication, the integration of personal spirituality,
work and ecology, and, importantly, the opportunity to bring all of these
changes into everyday life. Change, paradoxically, becomes part of daily routine.
In some communities, such as those associated with the Findhorn Foundation,
these changes are consciously desired and cultivated. In others this occurs
subliminally as part of the background and as an effect of participation. Inten-
tional communities are an ideal space in which to effect and sustain personal
transformation through practice and practical experience as compared (or in
addition) to intellectual engagement with proselytizing texts or ideology. They
