Visit to the Eco Village

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February 27th, 2010 by Stuart Leave a reply »

Courtesy Jim Linwood

Today I took a short visit to the Brentford Eco Village.

I just wanted to see what it was all about. I was curious how they did things, how they cope. The experience was enlightening.

We were welcomed immediately and given a tour of the village by someone I can only describe as a kindred spirit. She was kind without question and showed us around, even inside her personal home, a very comfortable and homely abode built using recycled materials and furnished with wood burner, bed, and carpet.

All the “houses” were built by “twisting” wood, in a similar way to building a native American Tee Pee. This gave them structure which was then covered in tarpaulin. Most had wood burners with clay funnelled chimneys, and one even had a window.

There was a compost toilet and a foot pump shower. In the kitchen they had a donated hot plate to cook on and in the living area there were donated sofas and an ironing board for a coffee table. Their main source of food is collected from supermarket skips every evening.

I don’t like the idea of having to go through supermarket skips for food, not because I’m a snob and wouldn’t eat it, but for two other reasons. The first is just plain disgust that this kind of thing happens, this blatant waste that is a drain on the economy and therefore contributes to our consumerist slavery, it is also an environmental issue due to the waste from the packaging, production and distribution. Most importantly, it undermines the whole premise of money and highlights exactly what is wrong with the corrupt and obsolete monetary system.

The second is the reason I’ve spoken about before, that the method relies on the capitalist system to exist and therefore supports it.

I’m sure the Eco-villagers are more than aware of this though, their reasons for doing it are both to reduce this disgusting waste and also keep them going while they work on increasing their own self sufficiency.

When we arrived there was a guy giving a talk about permaculture. The ideas he was putting forward looked to make them even more self reliant and even provide heating for their water.

The purpose of the village is to gain independence from the pointless cycle of consumerism, the freedom to enjoy the real beauty of life: spending time with friends, appreciating nature, living in simple peace. It is extremely commendable and there is much of their way of life that I envy.

Of course, there is the flip side, and the grass is not always greener.

If their life was perfect, everyone would be doing it. The problem is, they have to take cold showers in the windy British rain. There is no electricity. I forgot to ask why there were no drugs *including alcohol* in the village.

Many people would see their lack of television as a downgrade, I see it as a massive benefit, of course. But I am a big fan of music. And the internet. I love the benefits of being connected to my friends around the world and all the other value the internet brings to my life. I also like a drink from time to time, but I’d take that or leave it.

But if I’m honest, there is nothing else I couldn’t live without. The life of those in the eco village is missing just a small amount of electricity and a net connection (for me).

Here’s the crux: Technology is making this achievable.

Both advancing technology and how we use it are revealing solutions to the problem of living without reliance on the corrupt system that currently controls us and takes away our humanity.

The internet allows information and ideas to be spread and also connects us to like minded friends and therefore improves our lives. So I think it is an essential “luxury” for any self sustained community.

Wireless broadband is a tiny expense for a group of 30 or so people who could share the connection/computer time. They could make the money for this by working an hour a month or by selling some of their produce, or generated electricity. This would be their only reliance on the system. It’s likely that some movement will remove this reliance at some point in the future.

THIS BLOG is a growing resource of self sufficiency solutions from home made wind turbines to geothermal ideas to low cost prefab buildings. These resources will see a big growth over the coming month. I want it to be possible for anyone to begin a self sustained lifestyle free of the burdens of consumerism society, where they can take advantage of technology and ingenuity to enjoy life without sacrifice.

Self sufficiency is fast becoming available for EVERYONE, and many of the luxuries you feel you will be leaving behind will still be available, thanks to advancing technology and the spread of helpful ideas. Those luxuries that aren’t available are quite likely unnecessary. Learn to live more simply and you might find it’s not as horrible as you thought.

This self sufficiency has profound implications. It will free you from the monotony of the slave-for-wage system, the waste and stupidity of consumer society, the aggression and competitiveness it perpetuates.

What value could you bring to your life, to the world, with this kind of freedom?