Ecovillages

Ecovillages Our Way

 

The design philosophy of our ecovillages is as follows:

 

Integrating technology with the built and natural environments to provide a habitation solution that is simultaneously sustainable, modern, long-lasting, and conducive to health, happiness and spiritual development.

 

Ecovillages Everywhere

The problem with the "traditional" approach to ecovillages is that the obstacles are too large for most people.  If you asked around, chances are a lot of people would think that living in an ecovillage is a nice idea.  But is there one in the area they want to live?  Probably not.  Could they put one together?  Who has the time?  Secondly, who has the cash?  Thirdly - how?

What AscensionTek will do is make ecovillages into a consumer product; to remove all those obstacles that prevent Mr. Average Home Buyer from reaping the benefits of living in an ecovillage.

It's like this - we need to be living sustainably, in a way that is harmonious with planet Earth, if indeed we intend to keep living here at all.  Until Mars is terraformed we need this planet, so we'd better look after it.  Also, we need to start living "with each other" again.  When we know how to live in a community, with good, friendly relationships with our neighbours, that pattern will reflect outwards into the world.  "Ecovillages Everywhere" means "World Peace".

When someone looks for a home, at the moment they can only choose from a range of houses, each of which is located on its own separate block of land.  In the future, the choice might be which ecovillage to live in.  In the interim, what we propose to do is offer products that compete with the norm, so the choice will look something like this:

Option A.  Do I buy an ordinary project house built with cheap, non-recyclable materials on a small block of land in a suburban development, where I will probably rarely interact with my neighbours, and where I will pay a premium rate for my electricity, water and imported fruit and veg...

Option B.  Or do I spend a little extra for a sustainable house in an ecovillage, where:

  • my electricity won't cost anything
  • my water won't cost anything
  • my fruit and veg will be fresh (albeit seasonal)
  • I will know my neighbours and be involved in decisions about the community
  • my kids will be safe and have plenty of space to play
  • I will own my own house as well as a share in a large parcel of land
  • my wife and I will have instant friends
  • I will have access to community facilities like a workshop, office, gym and games room
  • I will be contributing to the health of my planet - and myself

Option C.  Or (if there's no ecovillages in my area) do I compromise, and buy a solid, built-to-last steel-frame home for my own block of land, with built-in technology such as:

  • water-recycling and solar hot water equipment
  • solar panels and maybe even a wind turbine
  • energy-efficient appliances
  • a permaculture or native plant garden
  • wireless internet and networking all through the house

At present, option B doesn't exist.  But soon - it will!  Option C exists for the home buyer motivated enough to create it for himself - but it is not a well-known option, and there are few (if any) providers of a complete, turn-key solution for a sustainable smart house.

The first step for the company will be providing option B, creating and managing ecovillage projects.  Once our own building company, Green Steel Homes, is started, we will also be able to provide option C.

As developers of ecovillages we expect to make good profits, because the value of ecovillage land rises faster than the average because of their uniqueness, marketability, high land component, and many other benefits.  We will promote our successes to other developers, so that hopefully ecovillage developments will become the rule rather than the exception.  In this way, we begin to create "Ecovillages Everywhere", an important step towards a happy, healthy Earth.

 

Our Service

Whereas a traditional ecovillage group would source their own land and construct their own buildings, we will do all of that for our future residents.  In this way, our ecovillage projects will be managed more like a traditional housing development.

Once we have an established interest group for an ecovillage, and we believe that it will make good business sense to build an ecovillage in a certain area, we will find a suitable block of land and take care of all the development applications and most of the design.  Residents can design the site layout online, and can also design their homes online, or with the help of our architect.  Community buildings are designed in consultation with the residents, and are constructed along with other shared infrastructure such as the site electricity, water and information systems.

Residents (especially early residents) will have the enjoyment of participating in a design project that will benefit them, without requiring detailed knowledge of real estate, property development, construction, permaculture, financing, etc.  We will provide that knowledge for them.  All they will have to do is participate in design of the community, select their house location, and design their house (something which is made very easy and cheap by using a modular system).

 


 

For more about our ecovillages, proceed to: Ecovillage Design
For more about our building and development process, go here: Green Steel Homes.