Advance Praise for EcoVillage at Ithaca
The folks at EcoVillage have learned more than a little about
creating an Earth-friendly community. Today, an ever-growing
number of people are coming to the conclusion that our
society is on a collision course with madness; they long for a
way of life less alienating and more natural than the prevailing
direction of our culture, but do not know where to turn.
In EcoVillage at Ithaca, Liz Walker speaks of the struggles
as well as the joys of building such a community. I finished this book
with a greatly renewed sense of hope and trust in humanity’s ability
to live with one another and the Earth.
— John Robbins, author of Diet For A New America
and The Food Revolution
Liz Walker’s EcoVillage at Ithaca is an achingly beautiful
and finely told account of a group of people — part of a larger
movement — living as modern pioneers of a sustainable future.
Walker and her dozens of companions are ordinary people called to
an extraordinary adventure in our hyper-individualistic consumer
culture — to trust one another, to cooperate, to work together,
to make a “career” of living itself. I hope this book inspires
you to be more neighborly at very least and perhaps to join the
growing network of people living lightly and intentionally
so that there might be many tomorrows.
— Vicki Robin, coauthor of Your Money or Your Life,
and cofounder of “Conversation Cafes”
Liz Walker’s EcoVillage at Ithaca is a great contribution to the
sustainability movement. Her personal, engaging account is an
invaluable documenting of the process of creating one of the most
successful alternative communities: EcoVillage at Ithaca. Liz Walker
is honest about the frustrations and conflicts as well as about the

joys of this social experiment. The lessons she has learned, and the
example of sustainable, supportive living, are vital for anyone
contemplating undertaking such a project. Thank you, Liz!
— Starhawk, author of The Spiral Dance, The Fifth Sacred Thing,
Webs of Power, and The Earth Path
I had the good luck to stay at EcoVillage at Ithaca in its
early days, and can still remember the heady sense of optimism,
community, and verve. This fine book captures all that, and will
serve as an invaluable tool for anyone with such subversive
thoughts in the back of their own mind.
— Bill McKibben, author of Wandering Home: A Long Walk
Across America’s Most Hopeful Region, Vermont’s Champlain Valley
and New York’s Adirondacks
Liz Walker’s fascinating and touching story of the Ecovillage
at Ithaca shows how two single mothers without financial means
initiated and led the building of a model for a sustainable society.
In the process, they not only reduced their ecological footprint
by 40 percent , but also created community, trust and love among
the participants. All future ecovillage projects will stand on the
shoulders of their experiences. This is a place into which I
would like to reincarnate as a child in a future lifetime.
Ecovillagers are the true freedom fighters of our generation.
— Hildur Jackson, ecovillage designer, cofounder of Gaia Trust
and the Global ecovillage Network, and author of
Ecovillage Living: Restoring the Earth and her People
This thoughtful, candid look at a successful ecovillage by one
of its cofounders is a must-read for anyone seriously interested in
starting his or her own ecovillage or intentional community.
— Diana Leafe Christian, author of Creating a Life Together:
Practical Tools to Grow Ecovillages and Intentional Communities


NEW SOCIETY PUBLISHERS
Cataloging in Publication Data:
A catalog record for this publication is available from
the National Library of Canada.
Copyright © 2005 by Liz Walker.
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Diane McIntosh. Cover images: Top photograph copyright
Laura Beck; bottom photograph copyright Laura Miller (www.lauramiller.net).
Back cover photo: Laura Beck
Printed in Canada.
First printing April 2005.
Paperback ISBN: 0-86571-524-6
Inquiries regarding requests to reprint all or part of EcoVillage at Ithaca should
be addressed to New Society Publishers at the address below.
To order directly from the publishers, please call toll-free (North America)
1-800-567-6772, or order online at www.newsociety.com
Any other inquiries can be directed by mail to:
New Society Publishers
P.O. Box 189, Gabriola Island, BC V0R 1X0, Canada
1-800-567-6772
New Society Publishers’ mission is to publish books that contribute in funda-
mental ways to building an ecologically sustainable and just society, and to do
so with the least possible impact on the environment, in a manner that models
this vision. We are committed to doing this not just through education, but
through action. We are acting on our commitment to the world’s remaining
ancient forests by phasing out our paper supply from ancient forests worldwide.
This book is one step toward ending global deforestation and climate change.
It is printed on acid-free paper that is 100% old growth forest-free (100% post-

consumer recycled), processed chlorine free, and printed with vegetable-based,
low-VOC inks. For further information, or to browse our full list of books and
purchase securely, visit our website at: www.newsociety.com
N
EW SOCIETY PUBLISHERS
www.newsociety.com
To my parents Alan and Margery Walker, for their
love and stellar example of lives lived with integrity;
to my partner Jared Jones, for taking a leap of faith
to join me in this fascinating journey,
and for offering me deep love and support;
and for my sons Jason and Daniel Katz,
who inspire me to work for a better world.

Contents
Acknowledgments xi
Foreword by Duane Elgin xiii
Introduction 1
C
HAPTER
O
NE
: H
OW
I
T
A
LL
S
TARTED

7
The Global Walk 7
The Envisioning Retreat 12
Buying the Land 15
C
HAPTER
T
WO
: P
EOPLE AND THE
L
AND
21
Ithaca 21
The Land Use Planning Process 23
Paying Off the Land 29
C
HAPTER
T
HREE
: W
EST
H
AVEN
F
ARM
39
Jen and John 41
Farming and Finances 42
Working on the Farm 45

CSA Pickup 46
C
HAPTER
F
OUR
: L
IVING IN
C
OMMUNITY
53
The Cohousing Model 55
Growing Pains 56
Famous Fried Tofu 61
… and the Beach Party 65
Invented Celebrations 66
C
HAPTER
F
IVE
: I
T
’
S
N
OT
U
TOPIA
: C
ONFLICT AND
C

OMMUNICATION
77
Communication 77
Conflict 83
C
HAPTER
S
IX
: T
HE
C
YCLE OF
L
IFE
103
Birth and Death at EcoVillage 103
Life Passages 112
Personal Transformations 118
“Deepening Relationships” Groups 121
C
HAPTER
S
EVEN
: T
HE
“E
CO
”
IN
E

CO
V
ILLAGE
125
The Big Picture 125
Green Building 134
FROG and SONG: Choices and Consequences 138
Recycling 141
Influencing Friends and Neighbors 143
C
HAPTER
E
IGHT
: C
REATING THE
“V
ILLAGE
”
IN
E
CO
V
ILLAGE
147
Getting Us Together 149
The “Crux of the Matter” Party 150
Sharing the Load, Sharing the Glory: 152
The Benefits of Shared Leadership
Revisiting the Vision 159
C

HAPTER
N
INE
: L
EARNING AND
T
EACHING
161
Community Education: Learning from the Inside Out 162
Sharing Our Learning 167
Partnership Education: Creating the 179
Basis for Institutional Change
International Ecovillage Education 185
C
HAPTER
T
EN
: S
PREADING THE
W
ORD
189
The People Connection 190
Sister Village 192
The Allure of Village Life 200
Working with the Media 202
C
HAPTER
E
LEVEN

: A
SSESSING THE
P
RESENT
, P
LANNING THE
F
UTURE
207
How Are We Doing? 209
Dream Projects 215
Ecovillages and the World: What We Have to Offer 220
G
LOSSARY OF
A
CRONYMS
221
E
CO
V
ILLAGE AT
I
THACA
T
IMELINE
225
I
NDEX
231
A

BOUT THE
A
UTHOR
237
Acknowledgments
A
lthough I write about the history of EVI from my own experi-
ence, clearly this entire project would not have happened without
the creative and dedicated work of many dozens of people. I want to
thank Joan Bokaer for so clearly articulating the original vision. My
friends and colleagues on the Global Walk proved that you can reach
a vision, one step at a time. The people who loaned money to purchase
the EVI land took a big risk, and I thank them for their courage and,
in some cases, for their extraordinary generosity in forgiving their
loans. The dozens of people who served on the EVI Board over the
years and helped to shape the nonprofit deserve a hearty round of
applause. But most of all I want to thank the 160 people with whom
I share this wonderful community.
I also want to thank my friends and family, who early on read drafts
of the manuscript and offered words of encouragement: Irene Zahava
(who helped me believe in my writing), Krishna Ramanujan (who
offered excellent editing suggestions), and Elan and Rachael Shapiro
(for supporting me throughout the process). Additional thanks go to
Jalaja Bonheim, Tina Nilsen-Hodges, Margery and Alan Walker, Lars
Walker, Rachel Cogbill, and Daniel Katz. Thanks to Phebe Gustafson
for fact-checking, to Betsy Crane for emotional support, and to my
women’s group for their hugs. Thanks to Jim Bosjolie, Laura Beck,
and Laura Miller for capturing the essence of this ecovillage in photos.
Many thanks to New Society Publishers for accepting my unsolicited
manuscript and working with me to create a book. Last, but far from

least, Jared Jones has offered me steady love and encouragement to
carry out my dreams.
xi

Foreword
ECOVILLAGES:
SEEDS OF SUSTAINABLE SOCIETIES
by Duane Elgin
T
he human family has entered a pivotal time in history when we
are challenged to make not superficial changes, but a deep trans-
formation in our manner of everyday living. The great wisdom of
developing more sustainable patterns and ways of living was power-
fully declared in 1992 when over 1,600 of the world’s senior
scientists, including a majority of the living Nobel laureates in the
sciences, signed an unprecedented “Warning to Humanity.” In this
historic statement, they declared that “human beings and the natural
world are on a collision course . . . that may so alter the living world
that it will be unable to sustain life in the manner that we know.”
They concluded that “A great change in our stewardship of the earth
and the life on it is required, if vast human misery is to be avoided
and our global home on this planet is not to be irretrievably muti-
lated.” Roughly a decade later came a related warning from 100
Nobel Prize winners who said that “the most profound danger to
world peace in the coming years will stem not from the irrational acts
of states or individuals but from the legitimate demands of the
world’s dispossessed.”
As these two warnings by the world’s senior scientists indicate,
powerful trends are now converging into a whole-systems crisis, creating
xiii

the likelihood of a planetary-scale evolutionary crash within this
generation. These “adversity trends” include growing disruption of
the global climate, an enormous increase in human populations living
in gigantic cities without access to sufficient land and water needed to
grow their own food, the depletion of vital resources such as fresh
water and cheap oil, the massive and rapid extinction of animal and
plant species around the world, growing disparities between the rich
and the poor, and the spread of weapons of mass destruction. The
potential for “vast human misery” and conflict seems very great.
Another path is possible. Rather than pull apart in destructive conflict,
the human community could choose to pull together in cooperation
and work collaboratively to create a sustainable future. I am heartened
by research that indicates public attitudes and behaviors seem to be
shifting in favor of more sustainable ways of living.
A “World Values Survey” was conducted at the turn of the 21
st
century, which represented a majority of the world’s population and
covered the full range of economic and political variation. Strikingly,
this survey revealed that, over the several decades prior to the turn of
the century, a major shift in values has been occurring in a cluster of a
dozen or so nations, including the United States, Canada, Northern
Europe, Japan, and Australia. In these societies, the emphasis is shift-
ing from economic achievement to post-materialist values that
emphasize self-expression, subjective well-being, and quality of life.
These emerging values are important in supporting a shift beyond a
narrowly focused materialism to a broadly oriented concern for more
sustainable and satisfying ways of living.
A similar shift in values can be seen in other surveys focused on the
United States. They show that several generations have tasted the
fruits of an affluent society and have discovered that, for many, money

does not buy happiness; instead, it is producing a society of emptiness
and alienation. Not surprisingly, millions of people are trusting their
experience, pulling back from the rat race of consumer society, and
moving toward a way of life that is richer with family, community,
creative work in the world, and a soulful connection with all of life.
Overall, in the United States and a dozen or so other “post-modern”
nations, a trend toward simpler, more sustainable ways of living has
evolved from a fringe movement in the 1960s to a respected part of
mainstream cultures in the early 2000s. These surveys show there
xiv ECOVILLAGE AT ITHACA
exists a distinct subpopulation — that I would conservatively estimate
at 10 percent of the US adult population, or 20 million people — that
is pioneering a way of life that is outwardly more sustainable and
inwardly more soulful and satisfying.
Although millions of people are seeking to move toward new ways
of living, they face an enormous challenge — our current patterns and
scales of living do not suit their emerging needs. The scale of the
household is often too small and that of the city too large to realize
many of the opportunities for sustainable living. However, at the scale
of an ecovillage, the strength of one person or family meets the
strength of others and, working together, can create something that
was not possible before. To illustrate from my own life, for a year now,
my partner Coleen and I have lived in a cohousing community (often
viewed as a stepping stone to an ecovillage) of roughly 70 people, and
we have seen how easily and quickly activities can be organized. From
organizing fundraisers (such as a brunch for tsunami disaster relief), to
arranging classes (such as yoga and Cajun dancing), planting the
community landscape and garden, and creating community celebrations
and events, we have participated in several dozen gatherings that have
emerged with ease from the combined strengths and diverse talents of

the community.
A new architecture of life is needed: one that integrates the physi-
cal as well as the social and cultural/spiritual dimensions of our lives.
Taking a lesson from humanity’s past, it is important to look at the in-
between scale of living — that of a small village of a few hundred
people. Great opportunity exists for organizing into clusters of small
ecovillages that are nested within a larger urban area.
Looking more broadly at this inspiring vision of a sustainable
future, I can imagine that a family will live in an “eco-home” that is
nested within an “eco-village,” that, in turn, is nested within an “eco-
city,” and so on up the scale to the bioregion, nation, and world. Each
ecovillage of several hundred persons would have a distinct character,
architecture, and local economy. Most would likely contain a childcare
facility and play area; a common house for meetings, celebrations and
regular meals together; an organic community garden; a recycling and
composting area; some revered open space; and a crafts and shop area.
As well, each could offer a variety of types of work to the local economy
— such as the arts, health care, child care, a non-profit learning center
Foreword xv
for gardening, green building, conflict resolution, and other skills —
that provide fulfilling employment for many. These micro-communities
or modern villages could have the culture and cohesiveness of a small
town and the sophistication of a big city, as virtually everyone will be
immersed within a world that is rich with communications. Ecovillages
create the possibility for doing meaningful work, raising healthy children,
celebrating life in community with others, and living in a way that seeks
to honor the Earth and future generations.
Ecovillages represent a healthy response to economic globalization
as they create a strong, decentralized foundation for society and a way
of living that has the potential for being sustainable for everyone on

the planet. Because they typically range in size from roughly one
hundred to several hundred people, they approximate the scale of a
more traditional tribe. Consequently, ecovillages are compatible with
both the village-based cultures of indigenous societies and post-modern
cultures.
With a social and physical architecture sensitive to the psychology
of modern tribes, a flowering of diverse communities could replace the
alienation of today’s massive cities. Ecovillages provide the practical
scale and foundation for a sustainable future. I believe they will become
important islands of community, security, learning, and innovation in a
world of sweeping change. These smaller-scale — human-scale — living
and working environments will foster diverse experiments in commu-
nity and cooperative living. Sustainability will be achieved through
different designs that are uniquely adapted to the culture, economy,
interests and environment of each locale.
In a shift similar to that which nature makes — for example, in the
jump from simple atoms to complex molecules, or from complex mole-
cules to living cells — humanity is being challenged to make a jump to
a new level of organization: social, ecological, economic and cultural/
spiritual. We have never before consciously confronted the combined
opportunity and necessity of such an enterprise before.
Despite the importance of ecovillages to a sustainable future, and
despite a reservoir of interest numbering in the millions of persons,
there are only a relative handful of ecovillages in the United States.
One of the largest and most well-known ecovillages in the United States
is in upstate New York. EcoVillage at Ithaca or EVI was co-founded by
Liz Walker in 1991. Liz has lived within, and been the director of, EVI
xvi ECOVILLAGE AT ITHACA
since its inception and has worked on all aspects of the community’s
development. It is understandable that there is great media interest in

the Ithaca ecovillage because, in it, we can see the seeds of our own
future. As a pioneering experiment in sustainable living in the US,
EcoVillage at Ithaca will surely be recognized as a catalyst, spurring
innovation throughout the country.
What is the lived-experience of transforming these seed potentials
into a practical reality that can be seen and touched, with real people
co-creating community, resolving conflicts, building consensus, cele-
brating together, constructing a distinctive physical architecture,
stewarding the land to walk upon, and eating food from the commu-
nity garden? Liz Walker answers this and other questions by taking us
inside the personal journey of creating, and living within, the Ithaca
ecovillage. The journey she describes feels both ancient and familiar
as well as modern and exciting. I believe this is a journey to which we
are all being called.
Duane Elgin is the author of books including Promise Ahead and
Voluntary Simplicity. His website is: <www.awakeningearth.org>.
Foreword xvii
Bill Webber
EcoVillage at Ithaca Envisioning Plan, updated 2004.
Introduction
Ecovillages are communities of people who strive to lead a
sustainable lifestyle in harmony with each other, other
living beings, and the Earth. Their purpose is to combine a
supportive social-cultural environment with a low-impact
lifestyle. As a new social structure, the ecovillage goes beyond
today’s dichotomy of urban versus rural settlements: it
represents a widely applicable model for the planning and
reorganization of human settlements in the 21
st
Century.

— Ecovillage Living: Restoring the Earth and
Her People, Hildur Jackson and Karen Svensson, eds.
A
s a young boy my son Daniel loved to explore the outdoors. He
sat for hours by streams, catching and releasing tadpoles and
crayfish, oblivious to the cold water. He climbed gnarly apple trees
and harvested the sour, scaly-skinned fruit with delight. When we
took a walk together, his eye caught the darting grace of electric blue
dragonflies or the green-stalked delicacy of a praying mantis without
fail. His older brother called him “Nature Boy,” with a smirk, but I
thought it was a wonderful nickname, connoting the connection
Daniel felt with the land and the beauty of its creatures.
One day Daniel returned home from school looking completely
dejected. Traces of tears smudged his round cheeks. When I gave him a
hug and asked what was wrong, he told me that they had just studied
an ecology unit in his third grade classroom. He had been devastated
to find out that species were dying out at a rate faster than at any point
in the last 65 million years.
“Liz,” he sobbed, “I wish humans would just die off and let the
rest of the world survive.” This was a huge and terrifying thought for
1
anyone, let alone an eight-year-old, to entertain. Although it shocked
me that my son could wish for the demise of the human race, I could
see his point.
At the beginning of the 21
st
century, we face a world that is falling
apart at the seams. All major life support systems are in decline: the
atmosphere, oceans and rivers, forests, and even the soil are showing
signs of massive stress. Species are vanishing at a rate a thousand times

faster than natural extinction rates. Worldwide one in eight plant species
is endangered, and worse, one in four mammals is threatened. Global
warming is finally being hailed as scientific fact, and its disastrous
consequences are just beginning to be felt as glaciers melt and whole
islands disappear under the ocean.
We face similar breakdowns on a social level: Our world is drenched
in the blood of seemingly endless warfare. The centralization of wealth
in the hands of a few perpetuates miserable living conditions for much of
the world’s population. And even as we are increasingly tied together
(coal-fired plants in the Midwest create acid rain that kills off trees in
the Adirondacks; pollution from US cars contributes to global warming
that creates deserts in Africa), we seem to be further apart in under-
standing other cultures.
Although it is easy to despair, there is also cause for hope. I believe
that we are in the midst of a remarkable global transformation. Increasingly
people see that the old ways are no longer working. They see that it
simply no longer makes sense to operate as isolated nation-states where
“might equals right.” It no longer makes sense to poison the plane-
tary nest that is our home. It no longer makes sense to create laws that
benefit multinational corporations while ignoring the needs of local
people. If we want to survive as a species, we simply cannot continue
on our current path of materialism, environmental destruction, and
alienation from the life force in ourselves and in nature.
Now in the 21
st
century, we are rediscovering what indigenous people
have always known: We are all interconnected; each action affects the
whole. We need to shift to a paradigm that embodies the core values
of love and respect for all beings, the fostering of cooperation, and the
restoration of healthy ecosystems. We need to foster a sense of vibrant

connection to the natural world, our spirits, and each other.
Some days I have great faith that we will make it. Other days I feel
the way my son did and wonder if humans have a right to be on the
2 ECOVILLAGE AT ITHACA
planet we have so despoiled. But perhaps like Daniel, who is now
immersed in Environmental Studies, our only choice is to be proactive
and become solution seekers.
If we are to recreate a “culture of belonging,” then we need to see
working examples of it in action. Fortunately there is a rapidly grow-
ing, multifaceted movement focused on environmental and social
sustainability. Some forward-thinking corporations are adopting the
“triple bottom line,” trying to balance the resources of the three “Ps”
— People, Planet, and Profit. Some cities (such as Curritiba, Brazil and
Portland, US) have adopted creative planning measures that create
more livable downtown areas by concentrating development, preserv-
ing green space, and enhancing public transportation. Some innovative
educators are developing school and college curricula that emphasize
sustainability. And the United Nations has declared 2005–2014 to be
the “Decade of Sustainability Education.”
At the grassroots level, thousands of people in ecovillages and other
types of communities around the world are striving to resurrect the best
practices of traditional village life and combine them with modern
lifestyles in practical ways that work. They are consciously beginning
to embody the new paradigm — not as remote, abstract utopias but
as living, breathing examples of reverence for life, all life. EcoVillage
at Ithaca (EVI) is helping to forge this movement. Along with other
ecovillages, and thousands of other cooperative projects focused on
creating a life-enhancing culture, we could be called new pioneers —
green pioneers in planetary responsibility.
As one of the largest and best-known ecovillages in the US,

EcoVillage at Ithaca is committed to reaching mainstream, middle-
class Americans and others who are open to positive change. EVI is a
living laboratory that draws from the best alternative practices in land
use, organic agriculture, community living, green building, and energy
conservation. We integrate proven social and environmental systems to
provide a glimpse into one possible positive future for the planet. And
we are not just talking about it! We are immersed up to our elbows in
learning and teaching about the multiple aspects of sustainable living.
People are paying attention and using our example to create their own
sustainable communities.
EcoVillage at Ithaca is recognized internationally. In 1998 EVI was
one of ten finalists for the World Habitat Awards, and we have received
Introduction 3
delegations of visitors from China, Japan, Europe, Australia, and Canada.
We have been featured on national television programs and in popular
magazines in the US, Spain, and Japan and included in numerous
books about sustainable communities. People are clearly eager to hear
our message.
So what is it like to create a safe place for people to share their
vulnerability and their joy? How do people transform over time? What
does a community-build project look like? How do people deal with
conflicts? What does it mean to connect with the land you live on?
These are the questions we began with, and their answering continues
to unfold in a beautiful and complex process.
When I moved across the country to help found EcoVillage at
Ithaca, I thought the environmental aspects of the project were key:
Sure, we would create a strong sense of community, but one could do
that anywhere. A dozen years later, I find the cultural shift we create
is more far-reaching than the details of which solar panels to choose or
what organic farming techniques are the most up to date. A friend

recently summed it up. “You’re creating a culture of sustainability
through the love you offer each other. There’s nothing like it around.”
In our best, most shining moments of community, I’m inclined to
agree. The deep sense of caring, trust, and support that we often (but
not always) share helps us grow into fully functioning human beings
— for me, the essence of social sustainability. Those same qualities help
us grow into better stewards and healers of the Earth. As we farm,
parent, work, build, or educate, our efforts model important aspects
of environmental sustainability. It is this profound integration of social
cooperation and ecological practices, mixed with a healthy dose of
wisdom, practicality, and deep caring that fosters a sustainable culture.
EcoVillage at Ithaca tells the human story behind EVI. It is not a
comprehensive overview. It would take many books to describe our
history, our individual stories, and our collective experiences from the
last 13 years. I write from my own lived experience, and in some cases
I use pseudonyms to protect the privacy of community members who
share their vulnerable moments on these pages. The book will not show
you how to create an ecovillage or intentional community. Nor will it
explore our legal, financial, or organizational strategies. Other books
can do that (for example, see Diana Leafe Christian’s excellent book
Creating a Life Together [New Society, 2003]). Instead I offer you
4 ECOVILLAGE AT ITHACA
glimpses into our way of life and stories that illuminate our path —
from the original vision that set us upon this road to the joys and
struggles of living in community. And I invite you to hear about the
ecological features of the project and our participatory education and
outreach programs.
I believe that there is a lot in our particular experience that illus-
trates the human journey of living on the planet at this point in history.
As we struggle through resolving conflicts or celebrate life passages,

we are learning lessons that are universal. You don’t have to live in an
ecovillage to create a strong sense of community or practice sustain-
ability. You can begin anytime, anywhere. I hope this book will inspire
you to make changes in your own life, your own neighborhood, and
your own circle of friends — changes that celebrate life and point the
way to a positive, sustainable future.
Introduction 5