Eco Communities

Atelier Non-Electric

Japan

Yasuyuki Fujimura, an engineer and inventor in Japan, was convinced that the increasing domination of electrical technology was accelerating both stress and environmental destruction. In order to counter this problem, he started The Atelier Non-Electric in 2003, with a later branch in South Korea. Fujimura’s philosophy is based on the idea that “it should be possible to live happily and richly while enjoying a moderate level of comfort and convenience without depending on electricity”.

Can Decreix

France

Located outside the town of Cerbère, near the sea on the border between France and Spain, Can Decreix describes itself as “a centre for exploring, experimenting and practicing organic agriculture and agroecology, eco-construction and renewable energy [and] for research and activism around the ideas of degrowth.” It is possible to visit their beautiful sustainably farmed land to discuss, among other things, ways to voluntarily simplify our lives and to question our focus on monetary exchange and profit. Can Decreix also offers full courses on the concept of “degrowth” — in the hopes that participants, having been inspired by Can Decreix’s simplicity and beauty, will bring the idea back to their own communities. To learn more, visit Can Decreix’s website.

Photo by alicebiketour (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

https://candecreix.degrowth.net

Chololo Ecovillage

Tanzania

In 2011, Chololo, a village of 5,500 people in the semi-arid drylands of central Tanzania, created a system for testing best practices for climate adaptation and food security. With guidance from Tanzania’s Institute of Rural Development Planning, farmers organized into groups to pilot more than 20 ecological methods in agriculture, forestry, livestock management, and water conservation, and share successful strategies with other groups. The villagers saw significant improvements in crop yields, nutrition, and food security after just two years, and the program expanded to three more villages in 2015. Read the case study in this report from iPES-Food, and visit the Chololo Ecovillage website to learn more.

Photo by Michael Farrelly

https://chololoecovillage.wordpress.com/

East Bali Poverty Project

Indonesia

In 1998 the Balinese village of Desa Ban – a cluster of remote hamlets on arid, steep land – was home to 15,000 people living in terrible poverty and beset with serious health issues. Over the past twenty years, the East Bali Poverty Project (EBPP) has facilitated a holistic community-led approach to improving lives in the village, centered on vetiver and bamboo as a base for sustainable, diverse agroforestry systems and slope stabilization. Communities built their own rainwater harvesting systems, healthcare facilities, and schools that function as community learning and development centers, featuring organic gardens and vocational training. Their story provides a blueprint for arid, rural communities seeking to revitalize their ecosystems, communities, and local economies.

https://www.eastbalipovertyproject.org/annual-reports/

Institute of Wellbeing

Bangladesh

The Institute of Wellbeing in Dhaka, Bangladesh, promotes the economics of wellbeing by questioning economic myths and encouraging youth activism.

La Casa de les Ningunes (The Nobodies’ House)

Bolivia

La Casa de les Ningunes is an experimental community in the Bolivian capital city of La Paz, 12,000 feet up in the Andes Mountains. They are striving to create a world in which even Les Ningunes — ‘The Nobodies,’ or have-nots — are not marginalized, because relationships in the community are not driven by profit, and basic needs and more can be fulfilled by collective labor and exchange. Read the full story of La Casa de les Ningunes in this Medium article.

https://www.facebook.com/lacasadelosningunos/

Parkdale Peoples’ Economy

Canada

The Parkdale People’s Economy is a network of over 30 community-based organizations and hundreds of community members collaborating to promote decent work, shared wealth, and equitable development in Parkdale, Ontario, Canada.

Pejeng Village

Indonesia

Pejeng Village, which lies in a region of Bali beset by mass tourism and overdevelopment, has dedicated itself to achieving water, food, energy, and economic sovereignty. Leader Cok Agung Pemayun and the Pejeng government are creating a local economy of interdependent organizations that can provide sustainable livelihoods for the village’s 6,000 residents. Their projects so far include a community organic farm to teach best practices to local farmers, a natural textile business, water wheels for hydroelectric power and water supply, a holistic primary school, and a community conservation center managed by the Friends of the National Parks Foundation. This article, in Indonesian, gives further details.

http://pejeng.org/

Puhan Cooperative

China

In 2001, when technical services failed to create a shift toward sustainable farming practices in rural Shanxi, China, former schoolteacher Zheng Bing gathered women together for public dances. Within a few years, more than 1,000 women from 43 villages participated; this social cohesion formed the basis for a group of farming cooperatives with 2,700 families on 2,000 hectares. The group focuses on improving quality of life and ecological consciousness in rural areas, with programs such as sustainable agriculture trainings, bulk purchasing of organic food, and social services for the elderly. Read this interview with Zheng Bing and a case study in this report from iPES-Food to learn more.

Photo by Chlukoe (Wikimedia Commons)

https://global-inst.com/2018/07/05/honest-inquiry-interview-zheng-bing/

Qiandao Ecovillage

China

Qiandao Ecovillage, located in a valley near China’s Qiandao Lake, combines Taoist and Buddhist philosophy with natural farming practices and a zero-waste lifestyle. Founded by a Taiwanese Buddhist monk, the community views farming as a path towards the Tao, the ‘ultimate truth’, and as a practice requiring constant cultivation not just of the soil, but of the self. The village produces its own toothpaste, soap, shampoo, and fertilizer, in addition to growing its own food and getting drinking water from a fresh spring. And they have a lot of leisure time, too, involving singing, dancing, calligraphy, and more. Read more on the Global Ecovillage Network website.

https://ecovillage.org/project/qiandao-eco-village/