Findhorn Ecovillage
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Findhorn Ecovillage is an experimental architectural community project based at The Park, in
Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 1975 ...
, Scotland, near the village of
Findhorn Findhorn ( gd, Inbhir Èir or ''Inbhir Èireann'') is a village in Moray, Scotland. It is located on the eastern shore of Findhorn Bay and immediately south of the Moray Firth. Findhorn is 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Kinloss, and about 5 ...
.Local relations between the
Findhorn Foundation The Findhorn Foundation is a Scottish charitable trust registered in 1972, formed by the spiritual community at the Findhorn Ecovillage, one of the largest intentional communities in Britain.''The Dictionary of Alternatives: Utopianism and Org ...
and the village of
Findhorn Findhorn ( gd, Inbhir Èir or ''Inbhir Èireann'') is a village in Moray, Scotland. It is located on the eastern shore of Findhorn Bay and immediately south of the Moray Firth. Findhorn is 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Kinloss, and about 5 ...
have occasionally foundered over inconsiderate use of the word 'Findhorn' to mean either the former or the Ecovillage. See for example Walker (1994), Talk:Findhorn Foundation and also
Findhorn (disambiguation) Findhorn may refer to: * Toponyms re northern Scotland: ** Findhorn, village ** Findhorn Bay ** River Findhorn * Institutions connected with the village ** Findhorn Foundation, an intentional community ** Findhorn Press, a publisher founded by th ...
.
The project's main aim is to demonstrate a
sustainable development Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...
in environmental, social, and economic terms. Work began in the early 1980s under the auspices of the
Findhorn Foundation The Findhorn Foundation is a Scottish charitable trust registered in 1972, formed by the spiritual community at the Findhorn Ecovillage, one of the largest intentional communities in Britain.''The Dictionary of Alternatives: Utopianism and Org ...
but now includes a wide diversity of organisations and activities.Lovie, R. et al. (2005) ''Moray Sustainability Handbook.'' Keith. REAP. Numerous different ecological techniques are in use, and the project has won a variety of awards, including the
UN-Habitat The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is the United Nations programme for human settlements and sustainable urban development. It was established in 1977 as an outcome of the first United Nations Conference on Human Settlem ...
Best Practice Designation in 1998.Burns, B. et al. (2006) ''CIFAL Findhorn''. Findhorn Foundation. An independent studyTinsley, S. and George, H. (2006) ''Ecological Footprint of the Findhorn Foundation and Community.'' Moray. Sustainable Development Research Centre, UHI Millennium Institute. concludes that the residents have the lowest
ecological footprint The ecological footprint is a method promoted by the Global Footprint Network to measure human demand on natural capital, i.e. the quantity of nature it takes to support people or an economy. It tracks this demand through an ecological accounti ...
of any community measured so far in the industrialised world and is also half of the UK average. Although the project has attracted some controversy, the growing profile of
environmental issues Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...
such as
climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
has led to a degree of mainstream acceptance of its ecological ethos. Stern, Sir Nicholas. (2006) ''The Economics of Climate Change''. London. HM Treasury. ''
An Inconvenient Truth ''An Inconvenient Truth'' is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate people about global warming. The film features a slide show that, by Gore's own e ...
'' (2006) Directed by Davis Guggenheim and starring
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...
. Paramount Classics.
Cavendish, C. (31 October 2006) ''The only debate left on carbon emissions is political.'' London. The Times newspaper.


History

The October 1982 Conference ‘Building a Planetary Village’Scott, M. (2005) ''A Living Record of the Findhorn Community''. Findhorn Foundation. hosted by the
Findhorn Foundation The Findhorn Foundation is a Scottish charitable trust registered in 1972, formed by the spiritual community at the Findhorn Ecovillage, one of the largest intentional communities in Britain.''The Dictionary of Alternatives: Utopianism and Org ...
marked the beginning of serious attempts by the
intentional community An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...
, which had existed at
Findhorn Findhorn ( gd, Inbhir Èir or ''Inbhir Èireann'') is a village in Moray, Scotland. It is located on the eastern shore of Findhorn Bay and immediately south of the Moray Firth. Findhorn is 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Kinloss, and about 5 ...
since 1962Riddell, C. (1990) ''The Findhorn Community: Creating a Human Identity for the 21st Century''. Findhorn Press. to demonstrate a human settlement that could be considered
sustainable Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...
in environmental, social, and economic terms.McLaughlin, C. and Davidson, G. (1986) ''Builders of the Dawn: Community Lifestyles in a Changing World.'' Sirius. The term '
ecovillage An ecovillage is a traditional or intentional community with the goal of becoming more socially, culturally, economically, and/or ecologically sustainable. An ecovillage strives to produce the least possible negative impact on the natural envi ...
' later came to be used to describe such experiments and in 1995 the first international conference of ecovillages, ''Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities for the 21st Century'', was held in Findhorn.Dawson, J. (2006) ''Ecovillages: New Frontiers for Sustainability''. Totnes. Green Books. According to this source 400 people attended the conference and a further 300 were turned away. At first almost all of the activities this involved, such as eco-house construction, a 75 kW
Vestas Vestas Wind Systems A/S is a Danish manufacturer, seller, installer, and servicer of wind turbines that was founded in 1945. The company operates manufacturing plants in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan, India, Italy, Romania, the Uni ...
wind turbine A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. ...
and an ecological waste water treatment system, were undertaken by the Findhorn Foundation itself, or its trading company New Findhorn Directions Ltd.Walker, Alex (Ed). (1994). ''The Kingdom Within: A Guide to the Spiritual Work of the Findhorn Community''. Findhorn Press. However, from 1990 onwards a growing number of independent charities, businesses, small sister communities, independent practitioners and community bodies have grown up and significantly extended the size and diversity of ecological projects, EcoVillage Findhorn
Metcalf, B. (2004) ''The Findhorn Book of Community Living''. Findhorn Press.Pewters, V. and Stengel, M. (eds. (2005) ''Eurotopia: Directory of Intentional Communities and Ecovillages in Europe''. Bandua. Okodorf Sieben Linden. some of which are listed below. As of 2005 the Ecovillage has around 450 members centred around The Park (the main campus on the southern edge of Findhorn), but also based at numerous locations in the nearby town of
Forres Forres (; gd, Farrais) is a town and former royal burgh in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately northeast of Inverness and west of Elgin. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions. There ...
and elsewhere in
Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 1975 ...
. The project supports approximately 300 jobs in the Findhorn/Forres area and provides a total aggregate economic impact in excess of £5 million per annum in the
Highlands Highland is a broad term for areas of higher elevation, such as a mountain range or mountainous plateau. Highland, Highlands, or The Highlands, may also refer to: Places Albania * Dukagjin Highlands Armenia * Armenian Highlands Australia *Sou ...
of Scotland as a whole.Burns, B. Westbrook, S. et al. (2003) ''Findhorn Foundation Impact Assessment''.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE; gd, Iomairt na Gàidhealtachd 's nan Eilean) is the development agency for the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. is an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government. Its role is to "hel ...
, Moray.
On 12 April 2021 a major fire destroyed the eco-village's community centre and main sanctuary;
Police Scotland Police Scotland ( gd, Poileas Alba), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist service ...
arrested a 49-year-old man. On 6 July 2021 Joseph Clark, the community centre manager, admitted setting the fire after being made redundant.


Eco-projects

Ecovillage An ecovillage is a traditional or intentional community with the goal of becoming more socially, culturally, economically, and/or ecologically sustainable. An ecovillage strives to produce the least possible negative impact on the natural envi ...
s usually rely on a wide variety of approaches to minimise their ecological footprint. Some of the most important used at Findhorn are listed here although it is important to bear in mind that in any given situation the single largest factor is likely to be the attitudes of the residents rather than the technologies themselves. The national scale is far better researched than the micro scale, and at this level it is easy to observe that countries with similar levels of wealth may have quite different footprints.


Ecological building codes

The site has a comprehensive building code that all new buildings are required to meet. It goes far beyond current UK building standards and includes features such as very efficient insulation (typically using products made from recycled paper), non-toxic organic paints, wood preservatives and boarding manufactured without the use of toxic glues or resins, and roofing with natural clay tiles.Talbott, John. (1993) ''Simply Build Green''. Findhorn Foundation. There are a wide variety of other options used including low-energy light bulbs, 'breathing wall' construction allowing a controlled exchange of air & water vapour, conservation features, and locally sourced materials. Shared facilities such as laundry, kitchens, lounges etc. are encouraged, thus avoiding unnecessary duplication.Talbott, J., and others (2001) ''The Essential Guide''. Findhorn. Titleholders' Association. Most new buildings incorporate design features that invite passive solar radiation to reduce building heating needs, such as south-facing windows, conservatories and minimal wall openings on north walls. Sustainably harvested wood provides space heating for many homes both old and new, and an Ecovillage company supplies solar panels for domestic hot water heating to residential and commercial customers. The
Highlands and Islands Community Energy Company Community Energy Scotland is an independent Scottish charity established in 2008 that provides advice and financial support for renewable energy projects developed by community groups in Scotland.HICEC. (2006) ''Highlands and Islands Community E ...
awarded a grant in the mid-2000s for the installation of ground source heating for the proposed new Moray Arts Centre based at Findhorn. HICEC ''Community Energy News''
: October 2006.
''Simply Build Green'' — Talbott (1993) — is based on research undertaken at Findhorn Ecovillage.


Living Machine

In 1995
Jonathon Porritt Sir Jonathon Espie Porritt, 2nd Baronet, CBE (born 6 July 1950) is a British environmentalist and writer. He is known for his advocacy of the Green Party of England and Wales. Porritt frequently contributes to magazines, newspapers and books ...
opened Europe's first
Living Machine Living Machine is a form of ecological sewage treatment. Similar to Solar Aquatics Systems, the latest generation of the technology is based on fixed-film ecology. The Living Machine system was commercialized and is marketed by Living Machine Sy ...
(also known as Eco-Restorers in The UK) at The Park campus. This is an ecologically engineered waste water treatment system which is designed to treat sewage from a population of up to 350 people and in common with a number of other such systems LTL UK
.
also provides a research and educational facility to promote the technology. It was constructed with assistance from the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
. The invention of Canadian scientist John Todd, they use tanks containing diverse communities of bacteria, algae, micro-organisms, numerous species of plants and trees, snails, fish and other living creatures to treat the water. At the end of the series of tanks, the resulting water is pure enough to be returned to the local water table. Plans to use the water for irrigation have been considered but not implemented to date.West, Sarah. (2002) ''Proposal for Reuse of Sewage Effluent from the Findhorn Living Machine''. Sydney Water.


Organic food production

One of the most significant factors in the Ecovillage's low eco-footprint (see below) is its attitude to food production and consumption. Various smallholdings associated with the Ecovillage contribute to a
community supported agriculture Community-supported agriculture (CSA model) or cropsharing is a system that connects producers and consumers within the food system closer by allowing the consumer to subscribe to the harvest of a certain farm or group of farms. It is an alterna ...
or 'box' scheme which provides
organic produce Organic food, ecological food or biological food are food and drinks produced by methods complying with the standards of organic farming. Standards vary worldwide, but organic farming features practices that cycle resources, promote ecological ...
for the local area, some of it grown using
permaculture Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. It includes a set of design principles derived using whole-systems thinking. It applies these principle ...
techniques. This horticulture '"provides more than 70% of the community's fresh food requirements" Findhorn food
EarthShare
and Phoenix Community Stores, based at the Park, is one of the largest retailers of organic produce in northern Scotland. Phœnix
Community Stores.


Wind park

Another reason for the low ecological impact of the settlement is the presence of four Vestas wind turbines which can generate up to 750 kW. These make the Park settlement net exporters of electricity produced from
renewable A renewable resource, also known as a flow resource, is a natural resource which will replenish to replace the portion depleted by usage and consumption, either through natural reproduction or other recurring processes in a finite amount of ti ...
resources. The first V17 generator was installed in 1989 and three additional V29s were installed in March 2006. The original site was a
caravan park Caravan or caravans may refer to: Transport and travel *Caravan (travellers), a group of travellers journeying together **Caravanserai, a place where a caravan could stop *Camel train, a convoy using camels as pack animals *Convoy, a group of veh ...
and as a result the Ecovillage has its own private electricity grid. Most of the generation is used on-site with any surplus exported to the National Grid.


Eko currency

In 2002, a
local currency In economics, a local currency is a currency that can be spent in a particular geographical locality at participating organisations. A regional currency is a form of local currency encompassing a larger geographical area, while a community curren ...
for the village, called the Eko, started operation. Launched by Ekopia, the community’s
development trust Development trusts are organisations operating in the United Kingdom that are: *community based, owned and led *engaged in the economic, environmental and social regeneration of a defined area or community *independent but seek to work in partners ...
, it is accepted by almost all Ecovillage organizations. The Hygeia Foundation supported the launch. There are roughly £20,000 of notes in circulation and issuing them has enabled Ekopia to make low interest loans and donations to support various initiatives including an ecological guest facility, the wind park (above) and the local Youth Project. The current issue, launched in November 2017, is at par with sterling i.e. 1 Eko = £1, and notes are in one, five, ten and twenty denominations.Ekopia Resource Exchange


Ecological Footprint Study

In October 2006 preliminary results of the
ecological footprint The ecological footprint is a method promoted by the Global Footprint Network to measure human demand on natural capital, i.e. the quantity of nature it takes to support people or an economy. It tracks this demand through an ecological accounti ...
study for the Findhorn Ecovillage undertaken by The Sustainable Development Research Centre of the
UHI Millennium Institute The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) is an integrated, tertiary institution encompassing both further and higher education. It is composed of 12 colleges and research institutions spread around the Highlands and Islands, Moray and Pe ...
in collaboration with the
Stockholm Environment Institute The Stockholm Environment Institute, or SEI, is a non-profit, independent research and policy institute specialising in sustainable development and environmental issues, with seven affiliate offices around the world. SEI works on climate change ...
confirmed that ecovillages can tread significantly more lightly on the Earth than more conventional communities. The study found that residents of The Park and the nearby campus of
Cluny Hill Cluny Hill is a hill on the East side of Forres, Scotland. At the top of Cluny Hill is Nelson's Tower, built in 1806 to commemorate Admiral Lord Nelson and his victory at Trafalgar. The Tower is open to the public. Writing in 1807 the antiquar ...
College have, on average, a footprint of 2.71 hectares per capita, a little over half the UK national average of 5.4 hectares. (By comparison the comparable figure for the United States is 9.5gha, whilst
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
is rated at the average 'global earthshare' of 1.9gha).Chambers, N. et al. (2004) ''Scotland's Footprint''. Best Foot Forward. Of particular significance are the results relating to food, 'home and energy' use, and 'consumables and personal possessions' which have 35%, 27% and 44% of the national average respectively. Findhorn residents have an eco-footprint some 13% lower than those at the London eco-housing development,
BedZED Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) is an environmentally friendly housing development in Hackbridge, London, England. It is in the London Borough of Sutton, north-east of the town of Sutton itself. Designed to create zero carbon ...
.


Awards, UN connections and critiques

* In September 1995 The Findhorn Ecological Village Project was awarded the 'We the Peoples 50 Communities' award given by the Friends of the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
as part of the 50th Anniversary of the UN Celebrations. * In October 1998 the Ecovillage Project, together with other 100 leadership Initiatives "which are inspiring innovative action on Earth", received Best Practice Designation from the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements — UNCHS (Habitat) and Dubai Municipality. * In September 2000 the conservation charity Trees for Life received the Millennium Marque Award in recognition of its work in helping to restore the Caledonian Forest in
Glen Affric Glen Affric ( gd, Gleann Afraig) is a glen south-west of the village of Cannich in the Highland region of Scotland, some west of Loch Ness. The River Affric runs along its length, passing through Loch Affric and Loch Beinn a' Mheadhoin. A mi ...
.Trees for Life
* The following year the
United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...
noted that "most of the problems identified by
Agenda 21 Agenda 21 is a non-binding action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development. It is a product of the Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. It is an action age ...
have their roots at the local level, therefore UNEP appreciates your significant contribution at the local level to models for holistic and sustainable living in harmony with the environment." Various critiques exist in print, although these tend to concentrate on the eclectic spirituality of the
Findhorn Foundation The Findhorn Foundation is a Scottish charitable trust registered in 1972, formed by the spiritual community at the Findhorn Ecovillage, one of the largest intentional communities in Britain.''The Dictionary of Alternatives: Utopianism and Org ...
rather than the environmental aspects of the Ecovillage. There is a statement of core values for the Ecovillage and its associated community called ‘Common Ground’ Common Ground
, the core values of the New Findhorn Association.
but other than affirming a commitment to "active spiritual practice" (which is diversely understood and interpreted) it concentrates largely on preferred interpersonal behaviours rather than prescribing a spiritual philosophy. Objections were raised by a local pressure group against the expansion of the wind park.''Action group maps out last chance to halt wind farms''. (27.5.2003) Elgin. The Northern Scot newspaper.


See also

*
Sustainable development in Scotland Sustainable development in Scotland has a number of distinct strands. The idea of sustainable development was used by the Brundtland Commission which defined it as Economic development, development that "meets the needs of the present without c ...
*
Renewable energy in Scotland The production of renewable energy in Scotland is a topic that came to the fore in technical, economic, and political terms during the opening years of the 21st century. The natural resource base for renewable energy is high by European, and ...
*
Centre for Alternative Technology The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) ( cy, Canolfan y Dechnoleg Amgen) is an eco-centre in Powys, mid-Wales, dedicated to demonstrating and teaching sustainable development. CAT, despite its name, no longer concentrates its efforts exclu ...
* ''
Diggers and Dreamers ''Diggers and Dreamers: The Guide to Communal Living'' is a primary resource for information, issues, and ideas about intentional communities in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – from urban co-ops to cohousing groups to rural comm ...
''


Footnotes


References

* Chambers, N. et al. (2004) ''Scotland’s Footprint''. Best Foot Forward. * Dawson, J. (2006) ''Ecovillages: New Frontiers for Sustainability''. Totnes. Green Books. * Findhorn Community. Thompson, William Irwin (Forward). (1968) ''The Findhorn Garden: Pioneering a New Vision of * Man and Nature in Cooperation''. Harper & Row Publishers. * Gilman, Robert and Diane (1991) ''Ecovillages and Sustainable Communities''. Denmark. Gaia Trust. * Jackson, H. and Svensson, K. (2002) ''Ecovillage Living: Restoring the Earth and Her People''. Green Books. * Metcalf, Bill. (1996) ''Shared Visions, Shared Lives: Communal Living Around the Globe''. Findhorn Press. * Talbott, John. (1993) Simply Build Green. Findhorn Foundation. * Tinsley, S. and George, H. (2006) ''Ecological Footprint of the Findhorn Foundation and Community.'' Forres. Sustainable Development Research Centre. UHI Millennium Institute. * Wackernagel, M. and W. Rees. 1996. ''Our Ecological Footprint: Reducing Human Impact on the Earth''. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers. * Walker, Alex (Ed). (1994) ''The Kingdom Within: A Guide to the Spiritual Work of the Findhorn Community''. Findhorn Press.


External links


Findhorn Ecovillage Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ecovillage, Findhorn Findhorn community Ecovillages Low-energy building in the United Kingdom Local currencies Villages in Moray Sustainability in Scotland Wind farms in Scotland Housing in Scotland 1982 establishments in Scotland Populated places established in 1982 Sustainable buildings in the United Kingdom