An Ecovillage experience

It's a question of values..

Eco Village at Ithaca, NY gives you a good reflection of what values you want to live by...

I was their guest with my fellow friends and we had opportunity to get to know them, their living and their values.

Liz Walker, author of "Choosing a Sustainable Future" and the founder of the Eco Village at Ithaca states that the aim was to establish a "social support system" that is there for you for the rest of your life.. http://www.liz-walker.org

This is an eco-village mirroring a co-housing system where you have standards to live by and which mitigates your environmental impact and creates a collective social being.

They started the initiative in 1991, first by finding and getting the land with loans from people and funds. Half of it was "forgiven"..  First residents moved in 1996. The history and all the steps they have taken are detailed  in their website: http://ecovillageithaca.org/evi/

The address of the Eco village is named after Rachel Carson. (Rachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist and conservationist whose book Silent Spring and other writings are credited with advancing the global environmental movement) They must have wanted to be related to her to highlight their activist character and ecological sensitivity..

Each neighborhood gets to decide on their own set of rules and standards as seen at Frog, Song and Tree neighborhoods. Tree neighborhood was being built when we were there. They shared details with us on the features of the eco-efficiency of "german passive houses"..

2 main aspects of the village are: Village Culture and Consensus decision-making

Village residents have the opportunity to share common dinners several times per week in the two Common Houses, and volunteer about 2-3 hours per week on various work teams to keep things running smoothly: outdoor maintenance, finances, governance, future projects, and more.

As is typical in co-housing, they make community decisions through a consensus process. Liz stated that they have gone through difficult times. The longest consensus reaching issue took 1 year!

An organic agricultural farm and a berry farm in their land feed 250 people at the CSA system.

CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a model of food production, sales, and distribution aimed at both increasing the quality of food and the quality of care given the land, plants, and animals while substantially reducing potential food losses and financial risks for the producers.

CSA customers are supporting farmers and invest in farms and support local economy and are first to get what is produced at the farms, they also sell at the Ithaca Farmers Market open every saturday and sunday..

The berry farm acts as a "You Pick" Farm where you get what you pick at certain dates when berries are ready to be picked..

 

Healthy Food For All!

Food is at the heart of this movement. Everyone gets good food. The approach of "you are what you eat" prevails having ethical connotations which leads us to food justice. Food justice seeks to ensure that the benefits and risks of where, what, and how food is grown, produced, transported, distributed, accessed and eaten are shared fairly.

This eco village is mainly putting emphasis on community living revolving around social support and food. Other eco villages in the world are striving to incorporate these values to rural community and  create a local economy that leverages the rural. 

All attempts should be respected since these people are trying to reach sustainable living systems that become models that inspire others and each carry within itself valuable lessons to be learned from...

The Emerald City: Seattle

I was very impressed with Seattle and its inspiring initiatives on environmental sustainability. I met with leaders and innovators and attended the Go Green Conference on April 24 and walked around the city to internalize the new approaches I've been exposed to.

Here are some practices that I believe are worth sharing..

The "Living Building Challenge" 

This is actually a philosophy, an advocacy platform and a certification program that was established in 2006 by the Living Future Institute and Seattle is a reflection of this movement.
The Living Building Challenge is composed of seven performance areas: Site, Water, Energy, Health, Materials, Equity and Beauty.

www.ilbi.org

http://living-future.org

The Greenest Commercial Building in the World: Bullitt Center qualifies as a "living building", it owes this to its self-sufficient structure and the rigorous standards it meets for energy, water, green materials and for the quality of its indoor environment.

 

to see the features the building has, check: http://bullittcenter.org

The building has recently opened its doors on April 22 with a grand ceremony, the day before I landed to Seattle. You can visit the building by taking an online appointment. There is a long waiting list..

District 2030 Project

This is a building district area in downtown Seattle that is been selected to dramatically decrease its environmental impact. The efforts range from renovating old/existing building and from constructing new energy-efficient buildings.

The project has committed members: building owners, professional and community owners. 3 main focus areas are: energy use, water use and carbon emissions and they have rigorous targets for existing and new buildings in average to gradually reach 50% by 2030.

They reached 120 buildings in 3 years! They are working on expanding the project to other city and maybe to other countries...

for more info: http://www.2030district.org/seattle/

Lowest energy cost in whole US! has a mixture of sources like biogas, wind, geothermal and hydro; hydro being the main source for electricity (%92).  The renewable energy is supplied by The Green up Program run by seattle City Lights... http://www.seattle.gov/light/green/greenpower/greenuppr.asp

All these resonated very well with the city's nickname being "The Emerald City".. it is green, clean and  beautiful!

The Hub for Sustainability: Portland

I've been having difficulties in starting to write this piece on Portland city of Oregon.. I was exposed to so many instances that surprised me that I've been collecting all by taking notes and pictures. I waited to leave the city to publish this post..

This is a city where people intentionally choose to live in for its sustainability consciousness. I have heard about it before coming here. I understand it so well now; now that I've spent 5 days in the city.
There might not be available jobs for people who decide to move in and make a living here, so people initiate their own businesses for the sake of living here! Traditionally the reverse happens: people migrate to cities to find jobs but in this unique case people deliberately choose to live here at the expense of not finding a job.

It is a city where community engagement and intervention is actually happening. You observe the collective community ownership and preservation at all levels. People of Portland have opposed to cars or buildings to reign over them, I've been told few stories of such cases where the city of Portland favored peoples will.


A "growth boundary" was set for the city that doesnt allow horizontal expansion that would threaten resilience and they are very cautious about this. Vertical growth is favored to horizontal when expansion is necessary.


I was lucky enough to meet remarkable people who have directly contributed to the city's sustainability culture. I met Michael Armstrong from Sustainability Policy City of Portland, Elizabeth Zeller from Intel Foundation, Martin Goebel from Sustainable Northwest, Don Harker from Pacific Northwest College of Art, Paul Ventura from Marylhurst University, Kellee Jackson from Portland State Univesity. 

Check out a glimpse of what I encountered that walked the talk in the frame of sustainable living:

Wind turbines on top of buildings... abundance of Leed certified places

Public transportation widely used

Local food promoted

Composting on progress at many cafes and schools..

A common practice: Reduce-Recycle-Reuse-Refill

  

no plastic bags at all!

Literally didn't see any plastic bags! They have just disappeared from circulation..

Local artists are promoted at art galleries: Peoples Art of Portland

Balcony gardening favored and Candies replaced by Seed Bombs! :)

The only Sustainable Forestry Museum in the world is in Portland! Educative and Amusing place to go. Take aways: Wood is amazing! Forests meet human needs by providing material, income, food, cultural values and has immense environmental benefits and in many ways our fate is linked to the health of forests.. 

Accessible restrooms at each cafe/school/office/etc.. I literally didn't see any place without a disabled restroom facility. Life is accessible in Portland!

Green Bicycle lanes

Sustainability At Work Certification in Portland: http://www.sustainabilityatworkpdx.com

My hotel was one :)

A city of dog lovers too :) They have daycare facilities for dogs!!!

These are basic things we all know and that are kind of prerequisites for a city to qualify sustainable but to see all this happening real time was really impressive!

And they are proud of it! I would be too!!

So who's coming to Portland? :)

How use of technology can change lives

Being exposed to social innovation circles, I've been encountering and getting inspired by projects developed through use of technology. Here are some I met during last week..

Medic Mobile: To Get People into Care and Stay in Care...

Getting People Into Care: Remote Patient Registration and Danger Sign Monitoring

Using their tools, a community health worker in a rural setting can now enroll a pregnant mother or a newborn baby into essential services, continuously monitor and report on their condition, notify clinics of observed danger signs, and receive advice and assistance. This real-time data and feedback draws previously disconnected villages into the system of care.

Helping People Stay in Care: Notifications for Antenatal Care (ANC) and Immunizations
Preliminary data from a Medic Mobile project in India has shown an increase in immunization coverage by more than 20% by sending mothers an SMS notification when their children were due for vaccination.

http://medicmobile.org

Labor Link: Labor Link enables you to connect with the people in your supply chain.
Developed by Good World Solutions, Labor Link is a worker-centric platform that enables direct worker engagement by leveraging the rapid spread of mobile phones in the developing world. The platform has two core components:

Information Push to Workers

Labor Link utilizes short message service (SMS) and interactive voice response (IVR) to deliver relevant/actionable information to base-of-the-pyramid workers. Information varies based on context, but typically includes messages about government services, as well as labor rights, education, training and financial security. Brief messages are “blasted” to workers using SMS. For longer, more in-depth messages, IVR is employed. In each case, workers receive information directly to their mobile phones at no cost.

Information Collection and Visualization for Brands/Clients

Labor Link also uses IVR to collect information from workers. A brand joins the program and introduces Labor Link to their suppliers. Workers receive marketing materials about Labor Link with directions on how to participate. Mobile surveys are then administered to participants about job satisfaction, working and living conditions, compensation and other topics using voice-recordings. All answers are anonymous and saved in a cloud-based database. Data is analyzed and returned to the brand in a customized report.

Both components provide stakeholders with a true value proposition. For workers, they enjoy increased access to relevant information they can use to challenge the status quo and upgrade their working conditions. They also are provided a channel through which they can share thoughts and opinions to distant buyers. Brands benefit from improved oversight and a means to both identify success stories and action areas within their supply-chain.

http://mylaborlink.org

Watsi: Fundamental treatments for people around the world...

All over the world people are dying of treatable illnesses because they can’t afford basic medical care. Watsi connects you with patients in serious need of low-cost medical care and enables you to fund high-impact treatments. 3 major activities are involved:

1. Connect

Browse profiles in Watsi.org and connect with a person you would support

2. Fund Treatment

Dobate as little as 5 Dollars to fund a life-changing medical treatment for the patient of your choice

3. Get an Update

Receive an update about the outcome of the treatment you funded

https://watsi.org

social innovation in the air..

I was a judge at the global finals of the Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC) http://gsvc.org
that happened in Berkeley, Haas School of Business.

We had to select 3 out 8 preselected social ventures that were narrowed down from 648 projects from 40 countries!!! Wow what an amazing number! People from everywhere around the world young people are striving to make a change in their locals..

Congratulations to the winners! and to all others who have the urge and the guts to initiate their social businesses..

Pulp Works - USA

Carbon Roots International - Haiti
Faso Soap - Burkina Faso

Meeting Philippe Cousteau!

I met Philippe Cousteau: A young, passionate and inspirational environmental activist and an inspiring serial social entrepreneur...

Grandson of Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Philippe is continuing the work of his grandfather and father through EarthEcho International (www.earthecho.org), the non-profit organization he founded with his sister and mother. His goal is to engage and empower people to take action for a brighter future. 

Philippe is also a special correspondent for CNN International where he hosts documentaries and reports on environmental and humanitarian stories including an exploration of the extreme science of climate change deep in the frozen arctic.

Get ready to buy some of these shares! 

Philippe recently announced a partnership with AdvisorShares Investments to launch the Global Echo Exchange Traded Fund on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: GIVE) as well as the formation of Global Echo Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) of which he serves as co-founder and chairman.  The Global Echo Foundation will provide resources to solve many of the challenges facing the world community from social issues impacting women and children to environmental conservation, as well as supporting social entrepreneurship. The fund will allocate capital to equity and debt securities of publically traded companies who have a proactive and meaningful sustainability mandate, as well as securities that may technologically, socially and environmentally impact the earth positively, with a focus on themes such as water, clean energy, innovation and other sustainable themes as defined by the portfolio managers.

http://advisorshares.com/fund/give

Cooking for Good..

Volunteering at DC Central Kitchen..
I was at one of the volunteer shifts of DC Central Kitchen today. It was a 3 hour shift and we prepared lunch food for schools. I was at the "vegetable slicing" team. It was an exceptional feeling being with these great people. And you can not really grasp what's being done looking from the outside. I met a writer who was coming there regularly to volunteer.. You need to register before or you might not be able to volunteer. Everything is very systematic and well-designed. Around a 100 people working together in the kitchen, full time employees and volunteers in harmony and for the same cause.
check it out here: http://www.dccentralkitchen.org/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-meal/

They Use Food as a Tool to Strengthen Communities

Through job training, meal distribution, and local farm partnerships, they're building long-term solutions to the interconnected problems of poverty, hunger, and homelessness.

Meeting with Mike Curtin

Mike joins DC Central Kitchen in 2004.

Drawing on his experiences as an entrepreneur in the restaurant business, Mike has spent significant time expanding the Kitchen’s revenue generating social enterprise initiatives.  Under his leadership, DC Central Kitchen’s Fresh Start Catering has expanded from traditional catering opportunities to include contracts to provide locally-sourced, scratched-cooked meals to schools in DC. 

In order to secure sustainable, healthy food for the Kitchen, Mike has developed strategic partnerships to purchase unclassified produce from local farms. This initiative has saved money and employed more graduates of the Kitchen’s Culinary Job Training Program. 

Beautiful cherry blossoms!

Cherry Blossoms Festival in DC

Did you know that the National Cherry Blossom Festival is a spring celebration in Washington D.C., commemorating the March 27, 1912, gift of 3000 Japanese cherry trees from the Mayor of Tokyo to the city of Washington? The mayor donated the trees to enhance the growing friendship between the United States and Japan.

First Friday in Philly..

Loved the First Friday concept in Philly!

First Friday is a free, monthly art event in Philadelphia's Old City neighborhood.

Art galeries, vintage shops, musicians playing at each corner.. Very lively and joyful activity..

"We the People"

A museum for the constitution of America! in Philadelphia..

very nationalistic indeed!!

We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

In Signers’ Hall, where life-size bronze figures of the Constitution’s signers and dissenters are displayed, visitors can choose to sign or dissent.