ecovillage
myvalleysun.com
October 17, 2013
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An eco-village in the Monashee is attracting urban professionals who are seeking the solitude of rural BC.
Surprisingly, we are ready for them.
An MVS Feature Report
By Don Elzer
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For some residents in the Monashee
the establishment of an ecovillage
may have been simply an idea linked
to a sort of ecotopia. But today, it’s an idea
that has emerged in real form and its one
that may change the cultural dynamic
between people and the way our landscape
incorporates people and stewardship.
In 2009, Dr. Gwyllyn Goddard a family practitioner from Chilliwack purchased about 30 acres on Mabel Lake Road just north of the Albers Road junction, a move that represented the beginning of a vision to create an ecovillage that contains co-housing elements and an agriculture effort.
“The property presented itself, the price was right, and when I saw it, I knew that this was the place,” said Goddard .
After two years of initial planning and performing site cleanups on the property Goddard has now commissioned a Feasibility Study which will examine the carrying capacity of the land and address the due diligence required and meeting all regulations included community feedback and environmental issues.
“This process we’re going through right now also examines what sort of community the members themselves want to create”, he says.
Presently there are nearly 30 members or supporters interested in participating in the proposed community called the Okanagan Ecovillage, and they come from all walks of life with many of them being professionals in fields of medicine, community planning, technology, construction and agriculture. The community is attracting members from many different areas including the Lower Mainland and Calgary.
Goddard emphasizes that the community isn’t religious and that it’s simply gathering like-minded people who have an interest in sustainability which is what drives the global ecovillage movement.
In 1991, author Robert Gilman set out a definition of an ecovillage that has become a standard. Gilman defined an ecovillage as a: "human-scale full-featured settlement in which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world in a way that is supportive of healthy human development, and can be successfully continued into the indefinite future."
In recent years, Gilman has stated that he would also add the criterion that an ecovillage must have multiple centres of initiative.
This means that an ecovillage is very much an intentional community which is planned but where planning goes far beyond what we would consider to be the norm. Energy, food and wellness are considered part of the community planning apparatus, not just the architecture and infrastructure. Ecovillages and Cohousing seem to have emerged as coexisting terms. Goddard describes this cohousing development as a clean, modern, intentional community.
“It’s like a strata complex, where we wish to build timeless, resilient, beautiful homes in a well-planned village setting that utilizes the organic farmland for our health & food security, that utilizes forms of modern renewable energy and waste treatment technology for our energy security, self-sufficiency & comfort, and that utilizes other forms of technology to pool resources and eliminate waste, enhance leisure-time, ensure adequate private and public spaces, and establish a very high standard of living beyond what any single individual or family in the community could hope to achieve on their own.”
”Also, we don't want to develop a community that only rich people can afford to live in. Although the members must be financially independent to participate initially: we want the richness of the community to be derived from the diversity of the individuals in the project as we work towards the common Vision. Thus, we will have individually owned homes as well as some homes for rent,” he said.
Goddard anticipates that the community might have between 10 and 20 dwellings depending on the feasibility results.
The Okanagan Ecovillage articulates a vision for the community as one of shared dreams.
Dreams of a life without alienation. Where we live close to our relatives but not in their laps. Where the daily drudgery of traffic is replaced with a jaunty walk to work along a promenade where the only wheels are those of bicycles, buggies and prams. We dream of living in a village where we know everyone. Where artists colour our streets and children are safe to play. We have dreams of beautiful, timeless, resilient buildings of timber and stone in a harmonious village design. We dream of organic, local food security where our waste water is used to fertilize the village gardens, where our geodesic greenhouse contains a veritable food forest, and where we harvest solar heat and electricity to run our homes, spa, and machines.
Dreams of playing music together in the outdoor amphitheatre and laughing and socializing in the Common House dance hall. We dream of a community that values athletics and physical activities in the fresh outdoors, wine-tasting events and superb dinner parties, a town workshop and brewery, a medical clinic where the physician works alongside holistic practitioners, and a beautiful spa with wet and dry saunas, a swimming pool, a hot tub, a therapeutic cold plunge and a gym fully equip for young and old. Dreams of Zen spaces for yoga, meditation and retreat. Dreams of artist studios for music recording, painting, pottery, and sculpture. Dreams of living close to the land and close to each other.
How to use architecture to encourage inclusion, safety, beauty, diversity; to discourage alienation, corporate governance, and discourage traffic and the influence of television?
Simple, design the streets for people, not cars. Wall the village in so cars can’t enter. Build an open plaza which belongs to everyone, not just caffeine and alcohol pushers. A plaza where children can play, teens can hang and artists can work, un-accosted.
Village buggies are available to cart large items. An underground or covered car park under or adjacent to the community buildings to rest our vehicles.
We dream of using science and technology to solve social problems like scarcity and needless debt. Where paper currency loses importance in an environment abundant in resources, food and other products allowing us to incorporate principles of a resource-based economy with each other and with other communities outside our village such as sister Cohousing Communities in British Columbia and beyond. Food is grown by villagers, local businesses keep the wealth in the village, circulated locally, as does one the most underutilized assets of our generation – telecommuting.
Goddard emphasizes that the community would be very much part of the larger community and he himself would move his family medical practice here once the village was in place.
“I discovered more about Lumby and the area after I bought the land, and it was exciting to discover that it was an area known for its artists and self-reliance”.
When asked about the hurdles that the community might anticipate, Goddard expected that concerns about the creek riparian area and the neighbors reaction to more housing would be a concerns that he would expect.
“Currently we have Tom Miner addressing the riparian area, and for us, protecting the salmon is a top priority”.
Trying to create a community as a collaborative effort from the start has certain challenges and according to Goddard that’s to be expected, which is why he’s invited world-renowned co-housing expert Charles Durrett to perform a workshop on the subject in February.
“No one knows for certain what this Ecovillage initiative will yield in terms of end-product but minimizing the fear of the unknown starts with getting involved and acquiring knowledge. In February there is an opportunity for each of us to learn about, design and build our ideal home environment while incorporating intimate dreams and preferences for space, privacy, horticulture, lifestyle, architecture, health and community. This type of opportunity does not come along very often. In other words, all of us have some worries and obstacles, but the probability of this ecovillage being customized to reflect who we are and what we value, increases greatly the more we engage in the process... especially at the beginning”.
Goddard is encouraged that ecovillages are outlined in the new Official Community Plan for Area’s D and E.
“It is reassuring to be connected to a place where the inhabitants are progressive and sensible about issues such as land use, ecology, community and the economy. Providing we manage to create a solid, professional and thorough Ecovillage plan with community input, I can foresee rezoning efforts going smoothly. Furthermore, I am very excited about integrating into the local area and using modern technology in combination with time-tested social, building and permaculture techniques to enhance our lives as well as the lives of those in the greater community” said Goddard.
Returning to Basics
Ecovillage & Cohousing
FEATURE INDEX
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out going to the mountains is going home; that wilderness is a necessity...”
― John Muir
Sidebar:
The Okanagan
Eco-Village
Community Vision
1.Continuity: We agree to honour the Vision on which the Okanagan Ecovillage Community is founded.
2.Decision-Making: We utilize consensus-based decision-making.
3.The Value of Community: We acknowledge that an essential first step of ensuring individual survival and health is belonging to a supportive community for which we share Values;
4.Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution: We agree to always respect the Values of the Community as a guideline for personal conflict resolution and group problem solving.
5. Interpersonal Ethics: We agree to a code of Interpersonal Ethics whereby we:
- Put commitment before our ego,
- Keep our word,
- Respect confidentiality,
- Be humble,
- Be an example to children,
- Respect personal diversity,
- Communicate with openness and honesty,
- Share skills and knowledge,
- Respect the environment and the earth,
- Utilize science and technology with care and accountability,
- Personify the integrity and Values of the community when interacting with those outside the community,
- Defend humanity, and
- Engage in only honourable battles;
6. Secularism: We are a secular organization composed of members who are respectful of diversity, individual spiritual beliefs and ethnic customs so long as they do not infringe of the privacy and space of others in the community;
7. Privacy: We acknowledge the absolute necessity for respectful conduct, privacy, personal space, personal expression, personal opinion and personal freedom;
8. Leisure: We value leisure and place emphasis on a good quality of life, healthy lifestyles, wellness, working less, playing more, working smarter not harder, applying technology to enhance living, sharing resources with mutual consent and having time for priorities such as family, hobbies, arts, music, creativity, education, athletics, science, social causes and self-discovery.
9. Science and Technology: We are committed to incorporating current science and technology whenever possible to solve social problems (such as harvesting energy, growing our own food, and eliminating scarcity) in a way that permits our community members to adapt and live in harmony with each other, technology and nature;
10. Decreasing Dependence on Money: We are committed to minimizing our dependence on fiat currency utilizing resource-based economy principles with the goal of becoming independent from fiat currency;
11. High Standard of Living: By sharing and allocating community resources, we endeavour to experience a very high standard of living not possible for most families and individuals struggling on their own;
12. Food Security: We respect the importance of food security, seed-saving, food storage and production and consumption of local, organic food whenever possible;
13. Emergency Preparedness and Physical Security: In addition to food security, we strive to strategically secure the grounds of our community in a way that would be defensible during times of great social unrest, economic collapse or upheaval;
14. Giving Back: We will support, include, and enhance the local economy, customs, and surrounding society;
15. Be an Example: We openly invite others to utilize our experience and replicate our methods to develop other intentional communities with an emphasis on a high standard of living sustainability, security, ecology and health.
Returning to Basics
Ecovillage & Cohousing
FEATURE INDEX
