EcoVillage at Ithaca Offers Sustainable Living in a Community Setting

Hidden away in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, <a href="http://ecovillageithaca.org/evi/">EcoVillage at Ithaca</a> offers an alternative model of living. An intentional community and non-profit educational organization, EcoVillage provides the setting for a healthy, socially rich lifestyle focused on minimizing the ecological impact of humans. Envisioned in 1991 and brought to life in 1996, the community has grown and a third village is now in construction to accommodate to a flourishing demand for more sustainable living options.

A small road restricts cars to the outer perimeter of the villages.

Children can play outside with few worries and a Common House offers several communal meals a week and a play area for kids in the colder months.

A one-acre pond provides the perfect place to swim or ice skate and see wild life.

Clustered groups of houses in the SONG village allow for shared heating systems and a series of closely packed duplexes enhance heat maintenance.

Triple-glazed large south-facing windows help trap heat in the winter and a trellis lined with grape vines offers shade during summer months.

While small, averaging 1,228 square feet compared to the US average of 2,230 square feet, the double-storey house design creates a sense of space.

Each villageÕs Common House reduces the need for communal space or guest rooms in individual family homes. Pictured above is the FROG Common House.

Communal meals offered three times a week cost $3 and are attended by about half of the residents.

The villages each occupy about three to five acres.

Several FROG residents recently invested in a community scale solar electric system that is expected to pay off in 11-15 years. 224 trina solar panels were installed that are expected to generate 60,000 kilowatt hours per year, offsetting about 60% of resident energy usage and reducing carbon dioxide by 250 tons.

Residents are engaged in an array of sustainable initiatives and come from as far away as Brazil and England to join the community.

Most people own their houses however some are occasionally for rent.

The Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming offers summer courses open to anyone and regularly hosts tour groups, students and the media.