1. EcoVillages, Sustainable
Cities & Community-Based
Energy Development
(C-BED)
www.americangreencareers.com
Training the American Workforce for a Green Future

2. What is an Eco-Village?
Definition by Robert Gilman, co-author of Eco-
Villages and Sustainable Communities in 1991
• “Human-Scale
• Full-Featured Settlement
• In which human activities are harmlessly
integrated into the natural world
• In a way that is supportive of healthy human
development, and
• Can be successfully continued into the indefinite
future”
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3. EcoVillage Wikipedia Definition
• Ecovillages are intentional communities
• Goal of social, economical and ecological sustainability
• Some aim for a population of 50-150 individuals
• Shared ecological, social-economic and cultural-spiritual
values
• Alternative to centralized electrical, water, and sewage
systems
• Solution to the breakdown of traditional forms of
community
• Small-scale communities with minimal ecological
impact
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4. Global EcoVillage Network (GEN)
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• Ecotowns, such as Auroville in South India
• Rural ecovillages, such as Gaia Asociación in Argentina and
Huehuecoyotl, in Mexico
• Permaculture sites, including Crystal Waters, Australia and
Barus, Brazil
• Urban rejuvenation projects, such as Los Angeles EcoVillage
and Christiania in Copenhagen
• Educational centers, such as Findhorn Foundation in
Scotland, and the Ecovillage Training Center in Tennessee
• 56+ Michigan communities are listed in GEN list of
Michigan intentional communities
• http://gen.ecovillage.org

5. Ecovillages,
Jonathon Dawson
www.chelseagreen.com
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6. Hutterites (Cultural-Spiritual)
• German Anabaptist sect related to Mennonites &
Amish, migrated to US in 1870 from Russia.
• Sleep separately but work and eat communally, holding
“all things in common,” emulating the early Christian
Church.
• Initial three communities have multiplied to 2,000
“Colonies” throughout the Americas.
• When a Hutterite Colony grows to 150 members, it
splits in two, budding-off a daughter Colony.
• Described in Malcolm Gladwell’s book The Tipping
Point, to illustrate the human mind’s ability to manage
a maximum of 150 personal relationships.
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7. • (Cultural-Spiritual)
• Stephen Gaskin founded “The Farm” in 1970, a famous
hippie intentional community in Summertown, TN.
• Gaskin was a Green Party presidential primary
candidate in 2000.
• At its peak, The Farm reached 1,400 members, but has
settled down to 175 permanent residents.
• The Farm has an Ecovillage Training Center, and hosts
programs on organic gardening, permaculture,
strawbale construction, and sustainable technologies.
• www.thefarmcommunity.com
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8. The Los Angeles Urban Eco-Village
(Social-Economic)
• Los Angeles Eco-Village was founded in 1993
• Intentional Community (LAEV-IC)
• Located in the LA “Koreatown” neighborhood
• Cooperative Resources & Services Project (CRSP)
with its Institute for Urban Ecovillages is
an education, training and resource center
for small urban ecological
cooperative communities
• www.laecovillage.org
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9. Manitou Arbor Ecovillage
(Cultural-Spiritual)
• Kalamazoo group developing a model
sustainable residential community.
• “Desire, through sustainable design
approaches, to form a supportive and diverse
human community that seeks to model a way
of living in greater harmony with each other
and the natural world.”
• www.manitouarbor.org
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10. Worker Cooperatives
• USA 100 M people members of 47,000 Co-ops
• 1 B co-op members in 100 countries
• Cleveland Evergreen Co-ops
• Train & Employ locals as worker/owners
– Ohio Cooperative Solar
– Green City Growers Cooperative
– Evergreen Cooperative Laundry
• www.community-wealth.org
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11. Sustainability, Triple Bottom Line
• Social issues (People)
– Education, crime, equity, community building,
spirituality, environmental justice
• Environmental concerns (Planet)
– Protecting human health, healthy ecosystems,
reducing pollution; providing green spaces
• Economic issues (Profit)
– Good jobs, stable businesses, appropriate
technology, strong economy long term
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12. How Do We Create Sustainable Cities?
• Local Food/reduce “Field to Fork” distance
• Renewable energy sources
• Counter "heat island effect“/Green roofs
• Zero-emission transport/Improved public transport and an
increase in pedestrianization
• Zero-energy building
• Sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS)/Water
conservation
• Energy conservation systems/devices
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13. National Sustainable Cities
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• New York
– www.cunysustainablecities.org
• Pittsburgh Sustainability Office
– www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us/mayor/html/sustainability.html
• San Francisco
– www.sustainable-city.org
• Seattle
– www.seattle.gov/environment

14. Michigan Sustainable Cities
• Ann Arbor Energy Office
– www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/systems_
planning/energy/Pages/AboutTheEnergyOffice.aspx
– UM, http://css.snre.umich.edu/
• Grand Rapids Office of Energy and Sustainability
– www.grand-rapids.mi.us/index.pl?page_id=10522
• Detroit/ SE MI Regional Energy Office
– www.michigansuburbsalliance.org/regional_cooperation/energy_office/
• Flint Energy Council
– www.cityofflint.com/mayor/MayorStaff.html
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15. Community-Based Energy Development (C-BED)
• Minnesota has legislation promoting C-BED
• “C-BED is an organization of farmers and
landowners, mainstreet businesses and bankers,
wind developers and component fabricators,
educators, RE advocates, and other members of
local communities, www.c-bed.org
• Optimize local economic development
• GAO study found that local ownership of wind
systems generates an average of 2.3 times more
jobs and 3.1 times more local dollar impact
compared to "out of area" interests”
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16. Energy Self-Reliant States
• A new study by the National Renewable Energy
Laboratory (NREL) reinforces the findings of a
2009 report by the Institute for Local Self-
Reliance (ILSR)
• ILSR report, Energy Self-Reliant States
• All 50 states could generate at least 25 percent of
their electricity needs from in-state renewable
energy while 31 could generate over 100
percent.
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17. Other States C-BED Activities
• Minnesota has robust legislation, with over 600 MW
of wind power from C-BED tariffs
• Nebraska also has a C-BED law.
• Oregon Public Utility Commission is looking at
expanding distributed power generation
• Illinois has a C-BED Wind Loan Fund
• Iowa introduced C-BED legislation
• Massachusetts Community Wind Collaborative
• Washington introduced legislation; cooperative wind
energy producer model
• Wisconsin Department of Commerce C-BED program
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18. Mission Statement
Community Wind
“Windustry® promotes progressive renewable energy
solutions and empowers communities to develop and
own wind energy as an environmentally sustainable
asset. Through member supported outreach, education
and advocacy we work to remove the barriers to broad
community ownership of wind energy.”
Windustry is a Minnesota nonprofit.
www.windustry.org
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19. Public Policy Tools that Support C-BED
• NPV (Net Present Value) and Front-Loading
• Advanced Renewable Tariffs/Feed-In Tariff;
Ontario
• Tax Incentives
• Net Metering Laws
• Grants
• Renewable Portfolio Standards
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20. Crossing The Energy Divide, Robert Ayres
"The Girders of the Energy-Transition Bridge:
1. Recycling Waste-Energy Streams
2. Utilizing Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
3. Increasing Energy Efficiency (EE) in
Industrial Processes and Buildings
4. Increasing EE in Consumer End Uses
5. Kick-starting the Micropower or “Rooftop”
Revolution
6. Substituting Energy Services for Products
7. Redesigning Buildings and Cities for Climate
Change
8. Reforming Fresh Water Management Strategies"
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21. Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)
• Municipal Energy Financing
• Berkeley, California, put into place the pilot
program.
• Twenty states now allow cities and counties to
finance energy efficiency retrofits and on-site
renewable energy generation
• Local community issues bonds to raise capital
• Repay the loan with a property tax assessment
• Michigan House just passed a PACE bill
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22. Michigan Wind C-BED
• “In terms of wind (all utility scale) the following efforts
would be examples:
Joint City of South Haven & Albermarle Project
Lenawee County, Great Lakes Wind, LLC
Gratiot County, Beebe Wind, LLC
Village of Millington
• Getting C-Bed projects going in Michigan has been a
slow process for several reasons (not favorable state
policies, capital constraints, marginal wind, economies
of scale, etc.) ” Steve Harsh, PhD; Prof. MSU
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23. Tuscola Co., MI Community Wind
• 100-megawatt project, comprising about 65 large
wind turbines.
• 15,000 acres of land in Tuscola and Bay counties
• Three farmers founded the coalition, the final
group was 70 farmers.
• “First collective bargaining agreement
for wind energy development east of
the Mississippi ever attempted,” said
John Kreucher, attorney on the deal.
• 18 developers saw term sheet, eight
interested, two considered for vote.
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24. 3 Men Build Largest Solar Array In MI
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• Sam & Connor Field and Richard Schmitt
• Kalamazoo Solar, in Charleston Township
• 150 kW solar energy farm on 1.5 acres
• Built 126 racks, and mounted 756 solar panels
• Connected to Consumers’ grid in February 2010, 12-year
contract
• Seven hours of power daily, 800 -1,000 kilowatt hours, powers
20-25 local homes
• October 2008 Michigan law mandates 10 % of all energy
production by companies like DTE and Consumers Energy
from renewable sources
• Annual property tax assessment $27,000, more than the value
of the electricity, they are seeking a tax abatement

25. Michigan C-BED Activities
• Flint's "Swedish Biogas" plant
– www.swedishbiogas.eu/1/1.0.1.0/31/2/?item=art
_art-s1/18&group=art_art_grp-s1/1
• Wyandotte Municipal Utility (Melanie McCoy)
• www.wyan.org/electric.htm
• Northport Energy Action Task Force
– http://northportenergyactiontaskforce.blogspot.c
om/2009/03/home-energy-audit.html
• East Jordan
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26. Model Rural EcoVillage
• Organic Gardening / Farming
• Premium Organic Meats, Processing & Products/Cow, Goat
Dairy Products
• Value-added Food Processing Plant/Distribution Co-op
• EcoVillage and Cooperative Development
• Wind “Farm”/Solar Power Plant
• Premium Organic Seed and Plant Nursery
• 4-Season Greenhouses
• Permaculture/Forestry
• Bio-Char Production
• Biofuels Production
• Group Home/ Foster Care Homes
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27. Model Urban EcoVillage
• Green Institute Training & Certification
• Credit Union/Local Currency/ www.mitimebanks.org
• Community Business /Microenterprises /Cooperatives
• Green Housing Co-ops/Apartment Complexes
• Solar PV Power Plant Development Co-op
• Energy Efficient Building Retrofit Co-op
• Biodiesel Processing & Distribution
• Geothermal Heat Pump/District Heating
• 4-Season Greenhouses/Urban Agriculture
• Restaurants/Food Co-ops/Grocery Stores
• Health & Healing /Group Homes/Childcare
• Waste Management /Recycling
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28. How can you get involved in
Michigan EcoVillages?
• Join our Michigan EcoVillage Group
– kkaufman@americangreencareers.com
• Join Fellowship for Intentional Community
– www.communities.ic.org
• Start an Intentional Community
– The Cohousing Handbook, Chris Scotthanson
• Start a Cooperative
– National Cooperative Business Assoc. www.ncba.coop
– Mid America Cooperative Council, www.macc.coop
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29. For further information:
Karl Kaufman
Michigan EcoVillage Group
Sustainable Flint
American Green Institute, Nonprofit
American Green Careers
kkaufman@americangreencareers.com
810-241-5240
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Training the American Workforce for a Green Future