Overview:
Initiated in 1991
Location:2.5 miles from downtown Ithaca, NewYork, USA.
Total land: 175 acres.
50 acres land for conservation.
Two food farms producing food for 1500 inhabitants.
60 homes clustered in 10 acre of land.
INTRODUCTION
The ultimate goal of EcoVillage at
Ithaca is nothing less than to redesign the human habitat. We are creating a
model community of some five hundred residents that will exemplify sustainable
systems of living - systems that are not only practical in themselves, but
replicable by others.
The completed project will demonstrate the feasibility of a
design that meets basic human needs such as shelter, food production, energy,
social interaction, work and recreation while preserving natural ecosystems (EcoVillage at Ithaca Mission
Statement 1994).
Demonstrating
Best Practices at EcoVillage Ithaca:
1. Green Building,
Energy Efficiency, and Renewable Energy:
All homes are passive solar, super-insulated, and many have
photovoltaic panels & solar hot water heating.
Newest homes will demonstrate passive Hause standards, which
typically reduce typically reduce energy
use by 90% compared to typical homes. In January, 2012, he first neighborhood
installed a 50 KW ground-mounted photovoltaic system, which will provide 60% of
the electricity for 30 homes.
6. On Site Business:
Almost half (45%) of wage-earning residents work or telecommute
from home offices, or provide services for neighbours, lessening the need for
commuting.
7. Extensive
Composting, Recycling and Re-use :
Residents compost all non-meat kitchen scraps, and have cut
need for garbage services by 75%.2. Densely Cluster
Housing:
EVI is a pedestrian village of two, soon to be three
neighborhoods-100 homes on a footprint of less than 9 acres. More than 90% of
the 175 acre site is set aside for natural areas, farming, and wildlife
habitat.
3. Modelling Low
Resource Use:
In three separate studies (MIT, Cornell, Ithaca College),
EcoVillage residents demonstrate 40% reduction in home energy use, compared to
typical homes in the northeast. More recent studies show 40% reduction in
natural gas, 53% reduction in electricity, and 71% reduction in water use.
4. Strong Social
Ties:
Each of the three EVI neighborhoods are NYS housing
cooperatives, based on “Cohousing”, with shared common facilities, and many
shared social events, including several community meals a week. Residents love
living at EVI.
5. Local Food
Production:
Two resident-owned farms supply organic fruits and vegetables
to 1,500 county residents during the growing season.
8. AFFORDABLE,
ACCESSIBLE :
TREE, the new neighborhood, has plans to build as affordably as
possible, while also planning for aging in place.
9. OPEN
SPACE PRESERVATION :
EVI preserves 90% land for agriculture, natural meadows,
forests and ponds.
10. HANDS
ON EDUCATION :
EVI-CSE works closely with Ithaca College and provides at least
one accredited course per semester on the topic of community sustainability.
The partnership has increasingly spent time in cultivating partnerships with
downtown communities, and provides cultural competency trainings to I.C.
professors and students. EVI-CSE provides tours for about 1,000 visitors a
year, and currently has two robust educational programs – Groundswell Center for Local Food &
Farming, and EPA Climate Showcase Communities.
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