Ecovillages as a Solution to Global Challenges

Abstract

Ecovillages are sustainability focused cooperative communities that strive to provide social and economic support to residents whilst utilizing regenerative design to minimize the environmental impact of settlements. Ideal elements of ecovillages include community-scale renewable energy systems, ecological design, organic farming, holistic health and nutrition, collective decision making, shared social support, and to varying extents, economic support. They are normally created with individuals of shared philosophy, often Earth based spirituality. As of 2021, at least 10,000 registered ecovillages exist worldwide with an estimated population of over 500,000 people, according to the Global Ecovillage Network. This research argues that the rise in ecovillages is a responsive solution to globally pervasive ecological, social, and financial risks and challenges. This historic research outlines the history and development of the ecovillage movement and examines best practices for ecovillages from existing literature, case studies, and the author’s experience. It shows why given the history of the movement, ecovillages may be best utilized most specifically by segments of the population that are housing or socially insecure, such as: youth, impoverished persons, elderly persons, housing insecure individuals, and political or climate refugees. This research concludes that despite the high failure rate of ecovillages, ecovillage development and scholarship has increased due to the movement’s innovative and make sense solutions for pressing global challenges such as poverty reduction, the need for social cohesion, climate change mitigation, refugee housing, poverty reduction, housing for the homeless, and increased quality of life. Furthermore, the low-carbon, low-cost and relatively high quality of life reported by ecovillage residents and supporting statistics reinforces the theory that ecovillages can provide material and social security to humans in a variety of valuable ways in an increasingly unstable world.