Thursday, February 09, 2006
Sustainability 2.0: ECO-HOODS
Permaculture Activist Andrew Millison On Creating The Modern "EcoHood"
By Susan DeFreitas
from E/The Environmental Magazine -online
EcoHood, n: permaculture retrofit of a mid- to low-income neighborhood with a high potential for ecological sustainability.
What's wrong with the 1960s vision of moving toward a more sustainable lifestyle by growing your own food and raising kids with a few (or a few hundred) of your closest friends? Only one thing, says Andrew Millison: "The idea that you have to leave society to do it." A Prescott College instructor, landscape contractor, homeowner and self-described permaculture activist, Millison is helping to spearhead a community sustainability initiative in the Lincoln-Dameron Street district of Prescott, AZ (pop. 45,000) that's become increasingly known as "the EcoHood."
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Still, Millison maintains that the advantages of the EcoHood model of community sustainability are far-reaching and fundamental. "By working in a mid- to low-income neighborhood, you make it accessible. By working within the existing human footprint, you preserve wilderness, cut down on fuel consumption, and give yourself access to the waste stream of the city for recycled materials." Additionally, the EcoHood model doesn't require a large initial investment or a shift from mainstream models of family and homeownership. "Really, the concept is about bringing traditionally rural values like self-reliance, respect for the land and community into the city," says Millison.
His advice for others seeking greater sustainability? "We need to take matters into our own hands," says Millison. "It's time to start where we are."
