Our Ancestors Did It the Right Way
Once
upon a time, humans were living in harmony with the flora and fauna on Earth.
Whether in Africa, Asia, America, Alaska or Oceania, every civilization knew how to extract resources
without destroying
the Earth. They knew the secrets of nature, the importance of ecosystems and
they knew how to live in harmony with other species; they respected the Earth. However,
the more we developed the more destructive we become and that is how we got to where
we are today. With time, societies began to step on each other and
we lost the focus and the control of the situation. Now we are trying to
reverse the damage we have done and go back to the point where we were less
destructive, less aggressive and less overriding.
We have become aware of the damage we are causing on
Earth and we want to stop it but it is not every society, community or country that
wants to join this cause. Fortunately, this movement is becoming more popular, even
though not as fast as some eco-friends might hope.
Ecovillages:
The Future as a Reflection of the Past
Ecovillage in Cloughjordan, Ireland
In order to move from place to place in those ecovillages,
people make use of ecomobility such as green cars and bicycles, or
they simply walk. In ecovillages, they are not dependent on centralized
sources of food, water, electricity, shelter etc. as they provide these themselves
by means of their alternative systems. Electricity can be produced through wind
generators, solar panels, water mills etc.
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| Ecoroofs |
Ecovillages use alternatives ways of building and
different construction materials such as straw and mud. By means of green roofs, heat loss and energy consumption can
be reduced as shown by a study by Brad Bass of the University of Toronto in
2005. Furthermore, they have a cooling effect and if many buildings in the same
urban area have green roofs, the city’s average temperatures can even be
reduced in the summer. Green roofs also filter pollutants and CO² out of the
air and the rainwater and even function as sound insulators.
The Ecovillage
Sieben Linden
We can find intentionally created ecovillages in
countries such as Sweden, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Belarus, Poland, Finland and Germany. One of the nice examples is the ecovillage Sieben Linden in Germany, where economics,
urban and rural culture, work,
ecology and leisure time coexist in harmony. There are five different
neighborhoods in the ecovillage Sieben Linden where currently, 87 adults and 37
children reside. Their mutual goals are the continuous questioning of their consumption
habits and the prevention of the exploitation of humans, animals and
the earth through a lifestyle that bonds life quality and
sustainability.
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| House made out of clay and wood in Sieben Linden |
The neighborhood „Club 99“ is aiming at reducing its ecological footprint to a
minimum in order to establish a higher life quality. They support and implement
concepts such as vegan raw food nutrition, a conscious community life
and the minimal use of electricity, packaging and goods. Most of
the residential houses in Sieben Linden are straw bale houses. This reflects
the construction philosophy of the village. Instead of industrial construction
materials, the residents prefer renewable construction materials such as straw
bales, wood from their forests and clay.
Sieben Linden has its own water supply and water disposal system (fountains, a
plant-based purification system, and compost toilets) and heat is generated
through wood and solar energy. By means of the four independent photovoltaic systems,
65% of the electricity requirements are covered annually. Another photovoltaic system
is in the planning stages. Sieben Linden has its own business
operations such as a horticultural farm, a fruit-tree nursery, a
carpenter workshop and people are starting to make their living as architects,
artists, consultants and body therapists, amongst others.
The village is
certainly one of the good examples of the developing eco-villages around the
world. Ecovillages are a great step towards minimizing our carbon
footprint while promoting health, well-being and comfort.The
philosophy has to be disseminated and implemented on a large scale so that we
can eventually see
the growth of ecotowns, ecocities, ecocountries and finally ecoEarth.
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