Los Angeles Eco-Village

WHY AN ECOVILLAGE IN LOS ANGELES?

As Los Angeles continues to expand to accommodate ever larger and more diverse populations, how can we achieve a decent standard of living without sacrificing a better quality of life? What will be the response of political and grass roots leadership as it begins to deeply understand the relationships among environmental, social and economic degradation? How will communities of need respond as their funding gaps grow ever larger? And as more people in less developed areas worldwide aspire to Los Angeles lifestyles, what responsibility will our city take to model living patterns in balance with the planet's life support systems? The L.A. Eco-Village seeks to address these complex issues by demonstrating a different way of being in our city.

THE L.A. ECO-VILLAGE PURPOSE AND CONTEXT

We are a neighborhood in the built-out Wilshire Center/Koreatown area working toward becoming a demonstration of healthy urban community. Our whole-systems approach to community development tries to integrate the social, economic and physical aspects of neighborhood life to be sustainable over the long term. Eco-villagers intend to achieve and demonstrate high-fulfillment, low-impact living patterns, to reduce the burden of government, and to increase neighborhood self-reliance in a variety of areas such as livelihood, food production, energy and water use, affordable housing, transit, recreation, waste reduction and education. We also plan to convert the housing in the neighborhood from rental to permanently affordable cooperative ownership.

Our two block multi-ethnic working class neighborhood is home to about 500 persons. Located three miles west of downtown L.A., the area is close to public transit, the Metro Redline, schools, churches, stores, commercial services and light industry. A rich neighborhood history and architecturally significant buildings provide a sense of place to build on.

A SAMPLING OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS

When we started the processes of creating an ecovillage in January 1993, very few residents knew each other, most were fearful of their neighbors, and there were no neighborhood activities. A sampling of our accomplishments includes:

We purchased the 40 unit apartment building in our neighborhood in 1996 and the adjacent 8 unit apartment building in 1999 with loan monies raised through our ecological revolving loan fund (ELF).
An environmental educational program was created for the K-2 children at White House Place Primary Center in Eco-Village. This program is not currently functional (2004).
Nearly a dozen small gardens and more than 100 fruit trees have been planted in the two block neighborhood.
Approximately 100 cubic yards of green wastes have been composted in the neighborhood.
Twenty tons of red clay brick from the 1994 earthquake were diverted from the landfill for Eco-Village beautification projects.
Weekly community potluck brunches or dinners continue to build a sense of community among neighbors.
Tours are conducted throughout the year to acquaint the general public with the processes of creating sustainable community.
A consensus oriented intentional community of 40 persons has been developed.
The Bike Kitchen has been established as a center for advancing the best of bicycle culture in Los Angeles. See <www.bicyclekitchen.com>.
2004 sees the launching of the Institute for Urban Ecovillages, a training center that plans to stimulate and provide resources to many ecovillages in the L.A. area.
35 of the 40 units in our large building have been rehabilitated and approximately a dozen persons trained in basic rehab skills.
The landscape around our buildings has been transformed into a soil regenerating food producing soul healing environment.

ABOUT WHOLE-SYSTEMS PROCESSES

An ecovillage is like an ecosystem: there are always lots of activities and opportunities occurring. Residents and friends seek to establish good relationships with one another with a high level of trust. We try to figure out how the problems in our neighborhood are related to the problems in our bioregion and our political jurisdiction. We are especially interested in how these problems relate to our ability to have healthy air, water and soil, human health, a decent standard of living, a high quality of life, non-polluting livelihood, and a strong sense of community. Through working together with our own skills and resources we begin to create changes in our neighborhood at the pace that we can incorporate them into our lives physically, socially and economically.

We seek to create a healthy balance between planning and experimentation, considering the economic, social and physical outcomes of each activity. Neighbors and friends explore a broad range of issues, systems and processes for Eco-Village application. These topics range from consensus decision making and conflict resolution to legal structures, site plans and historical research to sculptured water reclamation forms, retrofitting of old buildings for sustainability, new zoning designations and more.

The processes are open and participatory and happen in many ways, including informal dinner gatherings, meetings, work parties, sidewalk encounters, workshops, conferences, forums, special events and electronic communications. People get involved with the Eco-Village processes by working with existing project groups. New project areas are invited, and there is much opportunity for collaboration, consensus planning and leadership development.

ABOUT ECOVILLAGES

An ecovillage is a human scale neighborhood where people know their neighbors and care about them. People can live close to where they work and play and have access to other essential services without use of automobiles. Together, neighbors try to minimize waste and pollution of all kinds. Residents and friends work together to create a healthy community socially, physically and economically.

Urban ecovillages work with surrounding neighborhoods and the city at large to bring a whole systems perspective to urban planning and community development activities. The L.A. Eco-Village Demonstration is part of an international network of sustainable neighborhood groups which seek to model healthier ways of living based on environmental sustainability and social and economic justice.

A WORD ABOUT CRSP

The L.A. Eco-Village Demonstration is sponsored by CRSP (Cooperative Resources and Services Project). Located in the Bimini and White House Place neighborhood since 1980, CRSP provides a variety of resources on small cooperative ecological communities both locally and nationally. After the Civil Unrest of April, 1992, CRSP decided to put its resources to work in its own problematical neighborhood in a way that could benefit the city at large.

For additional information on CRSP or the L.A. Eco-Village, call or email:
CRSP
117 Bimini Place #221
L.A., CA 90004
213/738-1254
Fax: 213/386-8873
e-mail: crsp@igc.org

HOW TO GET INVOLVED

Come on a tour (see Upcoming Events or call for tour schedule). Join our volunteer list. Join CRSP. Come to workshops or special events. Get involved with a regular project group. Move into the neighborhood. Make a loan to our Ecological Revolving Loan Fund. Become a tutor or mentor to neighborhood adults or children. Do a research project.

A FEW ORGANIZATIONS WHICH CRSP HAS WORKED WITH

Ecovillage Network of the Americas, Global Ecovillage Network, Eco-Home Network, Fellowship for Intentional Community, Institute of Cultural Affairs, Lincoln Place Tenants Association, New Civilization, Permaculture Institute of Southern California, Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing, TreePeople, The Cohousing Network, Ecology Center of Southern California, Sun Utility, Global Village Institute, Context Institute, Bresee Foundation, L.A. Conservancy

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