05 August 2009

The Alchemical Nursery was envisioned and birthed upon the concept of the ecovillage, the creation of an ecovillage within Syracuse and an online network spanning the globe, formed of a community that strives to integrate a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life.  What does such a mission look like in practice?   Read on for thoughts on Alchemical's current mission, and examples of other urban ecovillages . . .

The Alchemical Nursery was envisioned and birthed upon the concept of the ecovillage, the creation of a village within Syracuse and an online network spanning the globe, formed of a community that strives to integrate a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life.  What does such a mission look like in practice?   Read on for thoughts and examples of other urban ecovillages . . .

Creating an ecovillage in an urban mosaic is not an easy task, nor one to be taken lightly within the political, social, economic, and ecological environments that already exist.  Although not losing site of this mission, It is easy to recognize that such a mission is a long term project that will grow and blossom out of the seeds that sprout it and the trellises that support it.  Alchemical's current projects focus on creating the major supporting systems of everyday life that any ecovillage needs for success.  These systems should be plainly present and in balanced proportions, such as residences, food production, manufacturing, recreation, social life, and commerce (The Eco-Village Challenge, Gilman, 1991). For the benefit of all in a shared understanding of what it means to talk about an ecovillage framework or concept, a selection of commonly used and functioning definitions have been included at the end of this article.  

Alchemical's current project's focus can somewhat be simplified into the following four topics, while recognizing that many more pathways to supporting an ecovillage are possible and necessary and awaiting the help and initiative of everyone who would like to participate:

PERMACULTURE - Providing educational opportunities and hands-on experiences to an approach to designing human settlements and perennial agricultural systems that mimic the relationships found in natural ecologies.

APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY / NATURAL BUILDING– An alternative to mainstream, high cost, expert oriented green practices; appropriate technology typically requires fewer resources, is easier to maintain, has a lower overall cost and less of an impact on the environment compared to industrialized practices.

SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP and CO-WORKING – Funding (with assistance from The Gifford Foundation) and managing the “Alchemical Spaces” Co-Working Office for Social Entrepreneurship at the Gear Factory warehouse. 

FISCAL SPONSORSHIP – Empowering other individuals and groups to contribute to the greater good of the community (planting more seeds and building more trellises) through fiscal sponsorship including “Syracuse Grows” city-wide community gardening network and “Syracuse First” city-wide local business network based on BALLE principles. 

So how are urban ecovillages being developed in other cities?  Take a look at the following resources for an idea, and for a shared vision which Alchemical is striving to facilitate here in Syracuse.

ECOHOOD - The Ecohood in Prescott Arizona Grassroots Model

The Ecohood's self-organizing process is very similar to what was initially envisioned for Syracuse by the Alchemical Nursery.  It is a process that has taken place to some degree within the Westcott neighborhood with a sampling of ecologically minded cooperative and collective houses for instance.  It is also a process that is being encouraged by the Near WestSide Initiative (NWSI) in their efforts to create a revitalized neighborhood with the help of an infusion of the Arts.  Alchemical envisions the added infusion of ecological living and added tenants of ecovillage life within the NWSI project area.

LA ECOVILLAGE - The Venerable Los Angeles Ecovillage Organizationally Developed Model

The venerable Los Angeles Ecovillage is often recognized as the first urban ecovillage of its kind, having started in 1993.  The LA Ecovillage began its development in a multi-ethnic working class neighborhood, likely similar in many ways to the Near WestSide of Syracuse.  After the Civil Unrest of April, 1992, The Cooperative Resources and Service Project (CRSP), an organization located in Los Angeles dedicated to providing resources to small ecological and cooperative communities, decided to put its resources to work in its own problematical neighborhood in a way that could benefit the city at large and started the Los Angeles Eco-Village demonstration project.

THE CLEVELAND ECOVILLAGE - A Municipally Directed Initiative Ecovillage Model

Cleveland Ecovillage takes the tack of redeveloping a whole neighborhood based on extensive studies, planning and neighborhood support..  This is being done as such through the involvement and participation of the City of Cleveland and the regional transit authority, as well as the Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization and EcoCity Cleveland.

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*Some definitions of "ecovillage" to enhance understanding of Alchemical's mission:

 

A. Robert Gilman's 1991 definition of an ecovillage that has become a standard:
    * human-scaled
    * 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.
    * have multiple centres of initiative.

B. Ecovillages are urban or rural communities of people who strive to integrate a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life. To achieve this, they integrate various aspects of ecological design, permaculture, ecological building, green production, alternative energy, community building practices, and much more.  Ecovillages are living models of sustainability. They represent an effective, accessible way to combat the degradation of our social, ecological, and spiritual environments.  - Global Ecolovillage Network

C. Jonathan Dawson’s Five Principles of Ecovillages:
   1. Ecovillages are private citizens’ initiatives. They’re grassroots.
   2. Ecovillagers value community living.
   3. They are not overly dependent on government, corporate, or other centralized sources for water, food, shelter, power, and other basic necessities.
   4. Ecovillagers have a strong sense of shared values, often characterized in spiritual terms.
   5. They often serve as research and demonstration sites. Many offer educational experiences for others.
                    —Paraphrased from "Ecovillages: New Frontiers for Sustainability"

D.  Also see "What is an ecovillage?" by Hildur Jackson & "The Ecovillage Movement" by Ross Jackson .

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