Throughout history, humankind has lived in common houses, used communal tools and shared land for hunting, gathering, and recreating. Only recently have humans determined it necessary for individual families to have their own homes, tools and land acting as a barrier between them and “others,” often with a fence for emphasis. This practice of individuality inherently limits the community relationship, or the partnership between neighbors for common benefit, as exhibited by “ecovillages” around the world including Solheimar in Iceland. The term “ecovillage,” in the most basic sense, refers to a community that intentionally lives with as little impact on the natural world as possible. One of the ways to do this is by sharing. We do not often ask ourselves why every house on the block needs a lawn mower and a weed wacker, or why everyone needs a fancy espresso machine and an oven. When this question is asked, however, another question about trust and responsibility arises: If everyone, say five families, on the block has access to the same lawn mower, and the same oven, who is responsible for when these items need repairing? How will they all determine who should clean them and when? These questions can actually act as a segway to bring people together in a way that is exceptionally human. As expressed in Ecovillages: Lessons for Sustainable Community by Karen T. Litfin, neighborhoods or ecovillages that share assets tend to be home to happier individuals who have to spend less on appliances and tools, and are then able to downsize their own homes, minimizing their need for storage space, or cleaning out surplus supplies that they no longer have a need for due to the availability of communal supplies. The community that forms when certain assets are shared amongst all benefits humans on an emotional, economical, and physical level.
Hannah Figgins
Litfin, Karen T. “Around the World in Fourteen Ecovillages.” Ecovillages: Lessons for Sustainable Community. Cambridge: Polity, 2014. 16-18. Print.