EcoVillage at Ithaca: Pioneering a Sustainable Culture Liz Walker

1
EcoVillage at IthacaPioneering a Sustainable
CultureLiz Walker
2
The Challenge

• Humans must learn to live sustainably
• Climate Change
• Environmental Destruction
• Social and Cultural Breakdown
• Economic Injustice

3
How can you make a difference?

• One way I save energy.
• One way I connect to nature.
• One way I create community in my life.

4
What is an Ecovillage?

• Communities modeling sustainable
  lifestyles...
• ecological
• social
• economic
• spiritual-cultural

5
EcoVillage at Ithaca Ithaca, NY
6
(No Transcript)
7
EVIs Best Practices for Sustainable Living

• Conserve 90 of land as Open Space
• Integrate Organic Agriculture
• Develop a village of several Cohousing
  neighborhoods
• Build Energy-efficient, Passive Solar homes
• Develop On-site Businesses
• Create Educational opportunities

8
Original Developers Plan

• 150 homes
• 10 open area

9

• 100 homes
• 90 Open Space

10
Integrated Agriculture

• 10 acre organic farm
• Feeds 1000/week
• CSA Farmers Market
• Community gardens
• Sheep chickens
• Berry farm, orchards

EVI organic farm
Berry Farm
EVI sheep
11
Weekly pick-up at C.S.A. Farm
12
Cohousing - Definition

• Balance of privacy and community
• Common House
• Pedestrian street
• Cooperative Decision-making

FRoG common house
13
EcoVillage currently 100 adults, 60 kids, all
ages
14
(No Transcript)
15
(No Transcript)
16
COMMUNITY SOLAR DRYING
17

• Green Buildings
• Local materials when possible.
• Design to minimize waste and maximize
  multi-functionality, doing more with less.
• Link residents, building, and place together
  harmoniously

18
GREEN BUILDING STRATEGIES

• Passive Solar Design
• Solar panels
• Reused Materials

Reused barn beams in timber frame home
Photovoltaic Panels
19
(No Transcript)
20
EcoVillage homes use 40-50 less gas
electric than other homes in Northeast.
21
(No Transcript)
22
REASONS FOR SUCCESS OF EVI

• Inspiring Vision
• Privacy/Community balance
• Community spirit
• Environmental concern
• Living demonstration
• Mainstream approach
• Easily accessible

23
KEY CHALLENGES OF COHOUSING EVI

• Project Complexity
• Affordability
• Zoning Code Hurdles
• Pervasive culture of individualism

24
EDUCATION

• Living laboratory
• Action based education research
• Affiliation with Cornell

• Partnership with Ithaca College
• Internships, Graduate research
• Education Ctr/ Land-based High School

25
(No Transcript)
26
Hands-on learningopportunities
Passive solar bus shelter
27
Earth bag Root Cellar
28
EcoVillage at Ithaca.ripple effects
29
(No Transcript)
30
Sustainability Educator Jaime Cloudplans
strategy with EcoVillagers to reach Ithaca City
School District
31
Ithaca Carshare was awarded 177,220 to support
its first two years of operation. The first
carsharing services will start in the Ithaca area
at EcoVillage as soon as insurance is figured
out, and operations are expected to expand to
Ithaca College, Cornell University and downtown
locations.
32
Publicity and Outreach

• Phenomenal media attention
• CNN, PBS, Nickelodeon, NPR, Japanese and Spanish
  TV
• Time Magazine, New York Times, Wall Street
  Journal, Popular Science, Residential Architect,
  American Demographics, Utne Reader, Japanese,
  British, Korean, Arabic and Spanish national
  magazines
• Featured in many books
• Tours for U.S. visitors, professionals, and
  international groups
• National international speaking/consulting

33
EcoVillage at Ithaca Pioneering a Sustainable
Culture, has been getting great reviews around
the world. It has been translated into Japanese
and Korean.
34
(No Transcript)
35
Gaia Education teaching best practices from
ecovillages around the world
36
AV - Student harvesting rice
37
Morning circle at a week-long intensive training
at EcoVillage at Ithaca on "Creating Sustainable
Communities The Ecological Dimension, part of
the Ecovillage Design Education.
38
Filipino groups work to save Mainit National
Park, and create an ecovillage
39
(No Transcript)
40
www.ecovillage.ithaca.ny.uswww.ecovlllizilizll
age.ithaca.ny.ulills

• 2008 Workshops
• EcoVillage Experience Weekends, May 9-11, August
  29-31, Oct. 17-19
• Creating Sustainable Communities the Social
  Dimension, July 12-19