Examples of cutting edge Eco-Communities

Hello All,

I was wondering if anyone could post some examples of successful progressive Eco-communities that integrate alternative energy and organic/permaculture farming. My goal is to build or live in a tropical sustainable Eco-community and I would like to begin taking notes and doing extensive research on all necessary components of the matter. Thanks in advance for the help.

start here: http://gen.ecovillage.org/

I recommend the book "Creating a Life Together" by Diana Leafe Christian.  It's about how some communities succeed and some fail, and why. 

Creating Cohousing:  Building Sustainable Communities by Katie McCamant and Charles Durrett.
The third edition has a range of projects that are explained in depth.

Spread the word.
Build it up.

I would suggest the www.ic.org  directory with lots of emails, inquiries.  There's also excellent trailers/coverage on youtube of several eco-villages.  After my contacts with Diana Christian and Chuck D, time in co-housing developments, time in european eco-villages... i think the europeans are WAY WAY ahead in the space of renewable energy, intelligent design/planning and biodynamic farming/garden... and their banks are a bit more enlightened too. 

The upcoming movie 'A new we'  should be a real eye-opener on what's possible.

I recently visited an intentional community in north-east Missouri that did not use electricity nor petroleum.  I feel they are cutting edge.  One of the founders made a good point in that eco-villages using solar and wind energy aren't cutting edge anymore, at least not to him (nor me, now that I see his point).  That isn't new.  It's old news.

If you hope to find or start an eco-village in the tropics and bring in solar, wind, water systems, I am sure it is possible.  Good luck in your journey!

kazron wrote:
I recently visited an intentional community in north-east Missouri that did not use electricity nor petroleum.  I feel they are cutting edge.  One of the founders made a good point in that eco-villages using solar and wind energy aren't cutting edge anymore, at least not to him (nor me, now that I see his point).  That isn't new.  It's old news.

If you hope to find or start an eco-village in the tropics and bring in solar, wind, water systems, I am sure it is possible.  Good luck in your journey!

Was that Dancing Rabbit by any chance?  Solar and wind are so yesterday. We need to catch up and borrow the technology from Europe on biomass gasification (without emissions) and small-scale geothermal.

winsol3 wrote:
Was that Dancing Rabbit by any chance?  Solar and wind are so yesterday. We need to catch up and borrow the technology from Europe on biomass gasification (without emissions) and small-scale geothermal.

winsol3, it was a 4 year old community named, The Possibility Alliance.

another book recommandation: jan martin bang - Ecovillages: A Practical Guide to Sustainable Communities

H Ludi Tyler wrote:
I recommend the book "Creating a Life Together" by Diana Leafe Christian.  It's about how some communities succeed and some fail, and why. 

People often want to develop communities based around ecological technologies, which is great.  However, the MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT is the HUMAN ELEMENT.  If we do not design our communities around people then nothing happens.  THAT is cutting edge!  After all, its not the technologies that make communities succeed or fail, but the people and how/if they work together.

I recommend studying with Robyn Francis at Djanbung Gardens in Australia for the community component, then skip over the hill to PRI to check out their alternative energy systems.

Loren Luyendyk wrote:
However, the MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENT is the HUMAN ELEMENT.  If we do not design our communities around people then nothing happens.  THAT is cutting edge!  After all, its not the technologies that make communities succeed or fail, but the people and how/if they work together.

Hear Hear!