Sustainability
How A Mystical Novel Spurred the Ecovillage Movement in Russia
Posted on September 15, 2016 byOver the years, many intentional communities have drawn on works of fiction for inspiration. They can serve as cultural touchstones, helping connect the communities in a particular region with a… Read More
This Eco-Community in Peru is Known for Its Cone-Shaped Structures
Posted on September 12, 2016 byJust over an hour north of Lima, Peru, a circle of cone-shaped buildings rises beside a sandy beach. These structures are called “trulys,” and they’re part of a spiritual eco-village… Read More
Activism and Service at Black Bulga Community: Inspiring, Nurturing, Challenging, and Not All Hard Work
Posted on September 11, 2016 byAt Black Bulga, the experience of community provides vital support for members to be effective change agents in the wider world.
A Free Documentary Series Shows You How To Live In A Tiny House Legally
Posted on September 8, 2016 byFor many tiny house enthusiasts, building the house itself isn’t the hard part. There are lots of resources out there for designing and constructing a tiny house, as well as… Read More
“Ecotopia” Art Installation Brings Visions of Permaculture to the London Design Festival
Posted on September 1, 2016 byFrom Sept. 17-25, 2016, the London Design Festival will feature an art installation inspired by Ernest Callenbach’s 1975 book Ecotopia. In the book, a journalist visits a newly-formed country in… Read More
At This Hawaiian Eco-Community, You Can Stay In A Bamboo Hut In A Volcanic Crater
Posted on August 29, 2016 byA few weeks ago – as the prospect of spending another winter here in rainy Portland began to dawn on me – I started looking into some travel opportunities in… Read More
A Planned City In Australia Will Feature Tesla-Powered Homes
Posted on August 25, 2016 by1 Comment
Planned communities have had a long and somewhat mixed history. From the Familistere in Guise, France, designed to house factory workers, to the Disney-fied Main Street of Celebration, Florida, they… Read More
KCET Visits the LA Eco-Village for A Look At Sustainable Urban Living
Posted on August 22, 2016 byWhen you hear about life in Los Angeles, you probably think about traffic, smog, and sprawling suburbs. But LA has a thriving network of intentional communities, many of which exist… Read More
This Alaska Community Took Its Own Approach To Treating Mental Illness
Posted on August 15, 2016 by3 Comments
The philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti once said, “It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” It’s a quote often repeated by alternative healers and… Read More
A New Book Takes A Close Look At Plants and Animals In The Human Habitat
Posted on August 8, 2016 byWhen Nathanael Johnson began taking his two-year-old daughter on nature walks in Berkeley, CA, he realized that he didn’t know the names of half the trees, bugs, and other creatures… Read More
This TED Talk Shows How Ecovillages Can Bring About Global Change
Posted on August 4, 2016 byLast year, Kosha Joubert, President of the Global Ecovillage Network, delivered a powerful talk at TEDxGeneva on the impact of ecovillages around the globe. Joubert lived in South Africa as… Read More
The Community Land Trust That Arose Out of the Civil Rights Movement
Posted on August 1, 2016 bySo many of the community structures that we write about here at FIC – such as community land trusts – have a long, but often overlooked, history. That’s why it’s… Read More
Cloughjordan Ecovillage: Modeling the Transition to a Low-Carbon Society
Posted on August 1, 2016 byIrish ecovillagers achieve the smallest ecological footprints recorded in their country.
How This French Philosopher Inspired An Early Version of Cohousing
Posted on July 23, 2016 by1 Comment
Although not as famous as some of his contemporaries, the French thinker Charles Fourier was one of the early visionaries of the intentional community movement. A utopian socialist, he proposed… Read More
The First YIMBY Conference Says Yes In My Backyard
Posted on July 21, 2016 byMany U.S. cities are in the middle of a housing crisis. Some, like San Francisco, have been struggling with it for years, while others, like Portland and Seattle, hope to… Read More
True Sustainability: Indigenous Pathways
Posted on July 21, 2016 byAt Maitreya Mountain Village, mainstream pragmatism meets radical idealism.
A New Movement Is Rethinking Our Relationship With The Earth
Posted on July 18, 2016 byLast month, I had the chance to visit the Windward Education and Research Center, an intentional community in rural Washington, for an event called the EcoSex Convergence. Over 5 days,… Read More
This 1800s Commune Tried Free Love and Income-Sharing Long Before It Was A Thing
Posted on July 11, 2016 byMany of the intentional communities that we hear about are recent ones: the back-to-the-land communes of the 1970s, the student co-ops and cohousing spaces being formed today. That’s why it’s… Read More
Creating Carbon-Negative Communities: Ecovillages and the UN’s New Sustainable Development Goals
Posted on July 11, 2016 byDiverse ecovillages are modeling how to create more just, equitable, and sustainable human societies.
The Placemaking Movement is Turning Cities into Communities
Posted on July 8, 2016 byOver 15 years ago, a group of natural builders organized the first Village Building Convergence in Portland, OR. It’s partly the reason why the city is now dotted with colorful… Read More
The Bridge to a Greener World
Posted on July 1, 2016 byThis Australian community’s bridge is a lot more than just a bridge.
Power Shift Hosts 4 Regional Events for Young Climate Activists
Posted on June 30, 2016 byThe Energy Action Coalition, the “Hub of the Youth Climate Movement,” has hosted four Power Shift convergences for young climate activists since 2007. This year, the event is expanding into… Read More
NuMundo Hosts Southeast Bioregional Convergence in Asheville, July 9-10
Posted on June 27, 2016 byNuMundo wants to make it easier for travelers to connect with ecovillages and intentional communities around the world. Their site has dozens of listings in the U.S., Europe, South America,… Read More
One of These 7 Finalists Will Be the First “Smart City” in the U.S.
Posted on June 23, 2016 byLast year, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced its “Smart City Challenge,” a contest that will award one mid-sized city with $50 million in funding to improve its transportation networks.… Read More
Want an Ecovillage? Stay Put!
Posted on June 21, 2016 byHow can we care for a place if we’re not there, day after day, year after year, paying attention?
This Biologist Wants To Set Aside Half of The Earth To Protect Biodiversity
Posted on June 13, 2016 byEdward O. Wilson’s new book, Half-Earth, offers a timely proposal for the conservation movement: dedicate half of the planet’s surface to nature, and we’ll be able to hold off the… Read More
Ecovillages Worldwide—Local Solutions for Global Problems
Posted on June 11, 2016 byA wide array of ecovillages throughout the Global North and South address our shared challenges.
Do You Know Your Watershed?
Posted on June 10, 2016 byLast month, I took part in Oregon State University’s online permaculture class, taught by Andrew Millison. While permaculture design certificates can cost upwards of $750, this class was free, open… Read More
The “Moved to Act” Climate Leadership Intensive Comes to Dancing Rabbit
Posted on June 7, 2016 byThis August, the Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage in Rutledge, MO, will host “Moved to Act,” a climate leadership intensive offered by Aaron Murphy and other instructors. The event takes place from… Read More
Overcoming Apartheid—the Global Ecovillage Network
Posted on June 1, 2016 byCommunities worldwide are exploring how to heal our separation from each other and the natural world.
