What Are Ecovillages?
Nowadays, it seems that many people are looking for more to life than the proverbial nine to five grind. These people are fed up with materialism, government control, lack of good options and the toxic stress levels created by life in the 'civilized' world. As the world faces a looming financial crisis as seen recently in Greece, and Peak Oil draws closer (www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil), the absolute reliance on the bottom dollar is quite a scary thought. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of communities looking for self-sustainability. These 'Eco Villages" are environmentally conscious at the core of everything they do, focusing on low impact housing, natural resources for power, fresh clean water, organic gardens for veggies and free range chickens and goats for eggs and milk. In these communities, people work hard at 'green' living, with a connection to one another as well as the Earth, opting rather to use their skills to feed themselves and their families instead of becoming a tiny cog in the giant corporate monster machine. Undoubtedly, there are severe problems currently facing our planet and her people. Our food and water supplies are being polluted, manipulated and controlled, and the global push to vaccinate all our children is jeopardizing the long-term survival of our species. Living in an environmentally conscious community like the eco-villages springing up all over the world, could be the only future humans have.
Out of Balance?
These modern day 'Eco Villages' reflect the very way humans lived in a time not so long ago when everything they did was in line with the natural order of the universe. They lived in harmony with Mother Earth and based their lives on the seasons and tides of the natural world. However, within the past 100 years of the industrial revolution and the explosion of consumerism, competition for bigger, better, faster, MORE , forced separation amongst society and somehow it became 'more stuff is a better life.' Now we have people living, or dreaming of living with lots of land surrounded by a giant wall and a huge mansion resting on perfectly landscaped gardens that serve no productive purpose whatsoever but to look good. Those with money hire others to take care of the child rearing, the housekeeping and anything else that involves day-to-day survival in the modern world. The whole system is out of balance with the natural order.
The Shift
There are people seeking a different way of life that are moving into 'Eco Villages' as an alternative to the modern, urban life and they are not crazy hippies or wannabe cult leaders. Professionals from ALL walks of life, ethnicity and social standing are joining or starting 'Eco Villages' all around the world. In the case of Pura Tierra in Costa Rica, groups of people with mixed but essential skills are being hand selected to start a new community. Think of it as a lifestyle job offer!
What are 'Eco Villages'?
According to the Global Ecovillage Network , an 'Eco Village' is an urban or rural community of people who strive to integrate a supportive, social environment with a low-impact way of life. 'Eco Villages' are living models of sustainability that represent an effective, accessible way to combat the degradation of our social, ecological and spiritual environments. 'Eco Villages' are a way of living where people feel supported by those around them while they exist in harmony with the Earth and integrated with green sustainable living, alternative ways of producing energy and a child-centered atmosphere.
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