If you’ve always wanted to lead a more sustainable life and you’ve been dreaming of living in an eco-village, then you might be wondering if doing so would really make a difference in not only your life but the world.
Sustainable communities directly provide a wealth of benefits to their residents while contributing to global change. In this article, you’ll find out how beneficial these communities are and how easy it is to start your own!
How Does Eco-Living Work?
Eco-living works however you want it to, so long as it creates the least amount of harm to the planet and its inhabitants.
A great thing about eco-villages is that they’re all different. A sustainable-living community is essentially a group of people with the same believes, values, and way of doing things.
While these villages all follow practices that they know are environmentally friendly, they each do what they’re able to, what they’re comfortable with, and what they believe is best.
Some eco-living practices you’ll typically partake in within these communities are:
- Self-sufficient gardening
- Recycling
- Carpooling
- The use of renewable energy sources
- Community-based decision-making processes
You’ll find that many of the environmentally-friendly things you’re already doing at home will simply be amplified when you’re living in an eco-village.
Adapting to this way of life isn’t without challenges but is highly possible.
Because eco-living aims to hand over a healthy planet to future generations, the residents in these villages aim to protect the environment in every move they make.
Wondering exactly what it is like to live in an eco-village? Read more in our Eco-Living Explained article
The Benefits of Living in an Eco-Village
The primary advantage of eco-friendly communities is the environmental protection it promotes. As the number of people who live sustainably grows, a decrease in greenhouse emissions is seen, and little by little, our planet is healed.
Here are some personal advantages of being part of an eco-village:
Self-sufficiency: When times get tough, and general supermarkets inflate their prices, or worse – run out of food, you’ll appreciate being part of a community that provides for themselves. Besides producing food, most eco-villages also generate their own power, and those who don’t yet, work towards doing so.
Health: Living a green life improves your overall health. Most eco-villages live on a diet of fruits, vegetables, and organic eggs, milk, and meat. When you’re part of an eco-community, you’ll consume foods with the nutrients you need to stay healthy, and expected lifestyle diseases won’t be as common anymore.
Self-awareness: As an eco-villager, you’ll become more self-aware, and if you have children, you’ll raise them to be self-aware too. Living in an eco-village can help you connect with your inner-self, and when you do, you’ll change your external environment until it aligns with your internal standards. Embracing a green lifestyle is essential for the preservation of Earth, and when you’re more self-aware, you’ll find new ways to do this.
Equality: Self-sustaining communities are big on living in harmony. One way they do this is to create equality amongst residents. When you move to one of the many eco-friendly communities worldwide, you can expect to be treated the same as its founders. No one is above the rest, and everyone is valued equally.
Knowledge: You’ll face many challenges when living in a self-sufficient village. Luckily, these road bumps will benefit you. Because these communities do things themselves, you may have to learn a few new skill sets and gain knowledge in areas you’ve never encountered before. Even when you’re already living an eco-friendly life, you’ll have to learn how to live in an eco-village.
How to Start a Self-Sustaining Community
If you’re finding it hard to fit into an existing eco-village, they’re too far from where you’d like to be, or you just want to add another eco-friendly village to the list, then you’ll be happy to know that it doesn’t take much to start one.
Read through the guide below to see which route will fit your vision!
Find a Small Town and Inspire Its Residents
Small towns usually appreciate new residents and ideas. Finding a small town, moving to it, and inspiring residents to be more eco-conscious is one of the fastest ways to create an intentional living community.
Once you’ve established yourself as a trustworthy resident, you can start creating projects and inspire others to help you build a better future.
While you may never have all the community members on your side, you can gain a lot of support when putting in the effort and showing people the actual benefits of a sustainable living community.
You can start by growing an organic garden and teaching others how to do so too, or create a community garden. Once people begin to produce food, they typically understand that they’re capable of doing much more than they thought. From here, it’ll be easier to introduce recycling projects, work with municipalities, and raise funds for what the eco-village needs.
Buy Open Land and Start from Scratch
If you have a big piece of land or plan to buy one, you can start by finding like-minded people willing to take the risk and build a village with you. You can even start on your own.
Once you’ve established most of what you need to be self-sufficient, you can launch projects, use social media to inspire others, and encourage eco-enthusiasts to move to your village and help you expand it.
To Conclude
Eco-communities help to protect our planet for future generations. If you can’t find one, consider creating one.
Small everyday changes can make a big difference in the long run. Even when you can’t move to an eco-village or start one, you can make changes in your life and inspire others to do the same.
Soon, you’ll be surrounded by like-minded people who understand the benefits of eco-living and see how living in an eco-village can help expedite Earth’s restoration.
