Beneficio
Encyclopedia
Beneficio is a ecovillage
in the Alpujarra
mountains in Spain
. It is within communally-owned land in a river valley. Its aspiration is for an open-minded and ecological lifestyle in balance with nature. Decisions are made on a consensus-basis with no clear organizational structure. Within the community, alcohol consumption is prohibited.
Inhabitants live largely in tipis
, though some more permanent structures have been built, including from straw bale
. Inside Beneficio there are small industries, including bakeries, free range eggs, and cheese making. There are shared facilities including a community tent, shared dinners, composting toilet
, and a sports pitch. Drinking water is provided by a mountain spring, and secondary water is provided by the stream running through the valley.
Ecovillage
Ecovillages are intentional communities with the goal of becoming more socially, economically and ecologically sustainable. Some aim for a population of 50–150 individuals. Larger ecovillages of up to 2,000 individuals exist as networks of smaller subcommunities to create an ecovillage model that...
in the Alpujarra
Alpujarras
thumb|250px|A typical Alpujarran village, [[Busquístar]].La Alpujarra is a landlocked historical region in Southern Spain, which stretches south from the Sierra Nevada mountains near Granada in the autonomous community of Andalusia. The western part of the region lies in the province of Granada...
mountains in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is within communally-owned land in a river valley. Its aspiration is for an open-minded and ecological lifestyle in balance with nature. Decisions are made on a consensus-basis with no clear organizational structure. Within the community, alcohol consumption is prohibited.
Inhabitants live largely in tipis
Tipi
A tipi is a Lakota name for a conical tent traditionally made of animal skins and wooden poles used by the nomadic tribes and sedentary tribal dwellers of the Great Plains...
, though some more permanent structures have been built, including from straw bale
Straw-bale construction
Straw-bale construction is a building method that uses bales of straw as structural elements, building insulation, or both...
. Inside Beneficio there are small industries, including bakeries, free range eggs, and cheese making. There are shared facilities including a community tent, shared dinners, composting toilet
Composting toilet
A composting toilet is a dry toilet that using a predominantly aerobic processing system that treats excreta, typically with no water or small volumes of flush water, via composting or managed aerobic decomposition...
, and a sports pitch. Drinking water is provided by a mountain spring, and secondary water is provided by the stream running through the valley.