EcoVillage at Ithaca: Pioneering a Sustainable Culture

Read it, then live it. Go visit the fantastic lifestyle. It's changed from its humble beginnings. Plus an amazing city.

Truly inspiring!

Author Liz Walker (a founder and leader of Ithaca) wrote in the Introduction to this 2005 book, "'Ecovillage at Ithaca' tells the human story of EVI. It is not a comprehensive overview... I write from my own lived experience... the book will not show you how to create an ecovillage or intentional community. Nor will it explore our legal, financial, or organizational strategies... Instead I offer you glimpses into our way of life and stories that illuminate our path... I hope this book will inspire you to make changes in your own life, your own neighborhood, and your own circle of friends."She states, "Ithaca is committed to reaching mainstream, middle-class Americans and others who are open to positive change. EVI is a living laboratory that draws from the best alternative practices in land use, organic agriculture, community living, green building, and energy conservation. We integrate proven social and environmental systems to provide a glimpse into one possible positive future for the planet." (Pg. 3)She notes, "At EVI meaningful human contact is the norm and not the exception. I consider myself blessed to live here. I can maintain my privacy when I need to, but also have plenty of opportunity to form and develop connections with my cohousing neighbors. Indeed I think that living in community fills the deep longing for human love and connection that is shared by our whole species." (Pg. 75) Later, she suggests, "It wasn't utopia. But it was a pretty good place to be." (Pg. 102)She summarizes, "Over the years our shared experiences, shared work, and shared leadership have all helped to bring us closer together as a community. Our reconsideration of the whole EcoVillage vision made us feel like an extended family. With each year that passes, the 'village' in EcoVillage becomes stronger." (Pg. 160)She admits, however, that "People here enjoy the strong sense of community, the common meals, and the work teams. And they appreciate having a safe place to raise their children as they also learn to be better stewards of the environment. Challenges do exist, though, regarding the financial costs of living here. And some people expressed frustration with our consensus-based decision-making process." (Pg. 179) She adds, "I wonder if we have created a beautiful haven that will eventually be affordable only to upper-middle-class and wealthy people. It would be deeply ironic for me if that were the case." (Pg. 210)This is a fascinating book, and will be of considerable interest to anyone interested in intentional communities, ecovillages, or environmentalism.

EcoVillage/Ithaca (EVI) has had two "neighborhoods" of 30 families each for a number of years. The third and final neighborhood, consisting of 40 families, has been "under development" for the past 5 years. Last year, when the full complement of 40 was reached, contracts were signed and construction began, with completion expected in 2014.My sister and I, natives of California and graduates of UC Berkeley, have had parallel paths in life based on counter-culture values. Living in Long Island, she has put a lot of energy into social justice issues, while I have been living in Louisiana doing faith-based community development work. Last year, she became one of the 40 families in EVI's third neighborhood.In the spring of 2013, I had the opportunity to spend a month in Ithaca, as my sister participated in community processes at EVI. This included a number of consensus-based decision-making processes related to their neighborhood formation, and a number of formal and informal meetings with other residents, old and new. Liz Walker, the author of this book, was, wherever I encountered her, a steady and stabilizing, but unobtrusive, presence.Intrigued by the quality of both the participants and their goals and processes, I welcomed the opportunity to read Liz's book.. I found that her style and approach were just what I needed, as a newcomer to this type of community life. With grace and sensitivity, she lays out the history and the components of the community structure and process, and gives a clear sense of the quality and pace, the ups and downs, of the human interactions.

This is an excellent first-hand personal account of the forming, and subsequent trials, tribulations and accomplishments of one of the most famous ecovillages in the US. Liz Walker does a good job describing how the ecovillage at Ithaca began as more of a movement than just a simple community. She details some of the initial aspects of getting the community going, and offers up some vignettes on life in the community as it formed and once it was formed and stable.The reason I give this 4 stars instead of 5 is that while it's chocked full of anecdotes, it's short on actual advice for those wishing to form duplicate communities elsewhere. The group at Ithaca had some tremendous advantages early on, (such as being offered free land, and enjoying overwhelming support from the local community). Still, it's a good read for anybody interested in intentional communities or ecovillages.One thing I took to heart from this is that the CSA farmer couple at Ithaca felt like they were getting something of a raw deal, and not enough support from the community. This is a recurring theme in other ICs that have a single person, couple or small group responsible for growing food for the community, with a community that's free to shop elsewhere if they desire. It's a valuable lesson.

I had the privilege of actually staying at this ecovillage and meeting a lot of these people, so I really love this book. It's a great read for anyone interested in sustainability.-Kris Noel Lionhead (Volume 1) The Serenity Compound

This is a very truthful and inspiring story of the development of Ecovillage at Ithaca, with all its successes but also with the challenges and problems faced by the community. If you are thinking about joining or starting your own community I would highly recommend you this book and a visit to the Ecovillage which I did in May 2007. It really helped me to confirm my dream of building an ecovillage myself.

bought this book for a friend for a present. he just sat and read it straight through inone sitting and then lent it to another friend who has interest in sustainable villages. brilliant.