ecovillages
Sustainable living settlements
Ecovillages is the plural of ecovillage, an intentional community designed around environmental sustainability.
Residents typically share resources, grow food collectively, use renewable energy, and minimize waste.
The movement emerged in the 1990s as an alternative to conventional suburban development: They raised their kids in one of Denmark's oldest ecovillages.
Ecovillages range from rural communes to urban co-housing projects.
Sustainable ecosystem design method
- organicFrom living matter
- compostingDecomposing organic matter deliberately
- solarOf the star
- windAir current outdoors
renewable · rainwater · greywater · off-grid · biodiversity · conservation · low-impact · carbon-neutral
Done on purpose
- cohousingIntentional community with shared amenities
- communeShared-living community
- collectiveJointly organized group
- kibbutzIsraeli communal farm
homestead · neighborhood · fellowship · togetherness · shared · cooperation · residents · members
Reprocessing used materials
- gardeningTending plants recreationally
- zero-wasteNo garbage produced
- upcyclingImproving discarded materials' value
- carpoolingShared vehicle commuting
bicycling · strawbale · earthship · yurt · foraging · wildcrafting · barter
permaculture
Sustainable ecosystem design method
- organicFrom living matter
- compostingDecomposing organic matter deliberately
- solarOf the star
wind · renewable · rainwater · greywater · off-grid · biodiversity · conservation · low-impact · carbon-neutral · regenerative
intentional
Done on purpose
- cohousingIntentional community with shared amenities
- communeShared-living community
- collectiveJointly organized group
kibbutz · homestead · neighborhood · fellowship · togetherness · shared · cooperation · residents · members · founders
recycling
Reprocessing used materials
- gardeningTending plants recreationally
- zero-wasteNo garbage produced
- upcyclingImproving discarded materials' value
carpooling · bicycling · strawbale · earthship · yurt · foraging · wildcrafting · barter
- sustainabilityreduce, reuse, recycle, sustainable yield, recycling programs
- Communescommunes, communal living, kibbutz, hippie commune, utopian communities
- planned communitiesplanned towns, subdivision, gated community, new towns, master-planned community
- Utopiansutopians, idealists, visionaries, dreamers, communitarians
- collectivespair, duo, trio, quartet, quintet
- Nonconformistsnonconformist, rebels, rebel, misfits, misfit
ecovillagesfactory towns
Settlements centered on manufacturing
industrial cities · mining towns · sprawling suburbs · coal towns · gated communities
ecovillagessuburbs
Residential areas outside cities
suburban sprawl · bedroom communities · tract housing · exurbs · urban sprawl
ecovillagesurban sprawl
Uncontrolled peripheral development
megacities · concrete jungles · industrial complexes · company towns · boomtowns