Ecovillage Training Center
Encyclopedia
The Ecovillage Training Center is a "total immersion school" for sustainability. It is located at The Farm
, an intentional community
/ecovillage
in Summertown, Tennessee, USA. The curricula of the center are "holistic and comprehensivist" and foster hands-on learning.
Albert Bates
, a long-time resident of The Farm, founded the center in July 1994. The original farmhouse was refurbished and renamed "You're Inn at The Farm," to provide accommodation for participants. There are many permaculture
design and energy conservation
features at the Ecovillage Training Centre that result in a significant reduction in use of resources. These include a 5-Kw solar
electric system, water catchment, organic gardens, greywater
treatment, ponds, wetlands, and natural building
s.
In addition to offering ecovillage apprenticeships, the Training Center's curriculum includes:
The Center is affiliated with the Global Ecovillage Network
, Gaia University and local colleges and offers college credit for several of its courses.
The Farm (Tennessee)
The Farm is an intentional community in Lewis County, Tennessee, near the town of Summertown, Tennessee, based on principles of nonviolence and respect for the Earth. It was founded in 1971 by Stephen Gaskin and 320 San Francisco hippies; The Farm is well known amongst hippies and other members of...
, an intentional community
Intentional community
An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
/ecovillage
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 Summertown, Tennessee, USA. The curricula of the center are "holistic and comprehensivist" and foster hands-on learning.
Albert Bates
Albert Bates
Albert Bates is an influential figure in the intentional community and ecovillage movements. A lawyer, author and teacher, he has been director of the Institute for Appropriate Technology since 1984 and of the Ecovillage Training Center at The Farm in Summertown, Tennessee since 1994.Bates has...
, a long-time resident of The Farm, founded the center in July 1994. The original farmhouse was refurbished and renamed "You're Inn at The Farm," to provide accommodation for participants. There are many permaculture
Permaculture
Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that is modeled on the relationships found in nature. It is based on the ecology of how things interrelate rather than on the strictly biological concerns that form the foundation of modern agriculture...
design and energy conservation
Energy conservation
Energy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...
features at the Ecovillage Training Centre that result in a significant reduction in use of resources. These include a 5-Kw solar
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
electric system, water catchment, organic gardens, greywater
Greywater
Greywater is wastewater generated from domestic activities such as laundry, dishwashing, and bathing, which can be recycled on-site for uses such as landscape irrigation and constructed wetlands...
treatment, ponds, wetlands, and natural building
Natural building
A natural building involves a range of building systems and materials that place major emphasis on sustainability. Ways of achieving sustainability through natural building focus on durability and the use of minimally processed, plentiful or renewable resources, as well as those that, while...
s.
In addition to offering ecovillage apprenticeships, the Training Center's curriculum includes:
- Shiitake Mushroom Growing Basics
- Solar Installation
- Alternative Energy Systems
- Bamboo Cultivation and Construction
- Ecovillage Design and Permaculture Practicum
- Natural Building Basics
The Center is affiliated with the Global Ecovillage Network
Global Ecovillage Network
The Global Ecovillage Network is a global association of people and communities dedicated to living "sustainable plus" lives by restoring the land and adding more to the environment than is taken...
, Gaia University and local colleges and offers college credit for several of its courses.
External links
- A Training Center for Ecovillagers by Albert Bates. Communities Journal of Cooperative Living No. 91. Summer 1996.
- ETC Courses