Earthship BiotectureStudent’s Name
Institution
A settlement in which human activities are incorporated harmlessly into nature is the reference of an eco-village. The eco-village supports human development in a healthy way and continuation into the future are very possible. The shortcomings of individualistic lifestyles have been identified by people who are conscious and care for the environment. Counter activities have been created by such people.
In eco-villages, dependence on external inputs is stopped and natural resources are used to meet immediate needs without putting the future and the coming generations in jeopardy. Engineered structures that require little energy to run processes meet the energy that is produced from natural resources like solar. Solar and wind energy are also stepped up and stored to run more complex activities and counter inconveniences like black out. Recycling of energy and resources make the whole village structure not engrossed in depleting the available few resources, but rather protecting and improving them.
There are permaculture principles that manage the operations and designs of such social creations. Villages that aim at providing employment and other economic activities to residents create centers and facilities in close proximity to reduce transport and emissions of pollutants. Socially, active and visionary participation of residents knits the village into a unit that underpins the investment’s long-term success. Community structures such as amphitheaters are facilities that are used to promote healthy human-environment interaction by creating a link between nature and man. An eco-village consequently enriches non-material values and needs.The villages are quite impressive in their remarkable attempts to integrate modern technology into traditional nature to minimize ecological impacts. Reliance on artificial energy like electricity is crapped out in the villages by creation of low-energy work units and homes. Resilience and ability to weather down the climatic changes that come down from the rest of the world are cultured into the local economy of the eco-village. Energy used in these villages is majorly bio and solar and have minimal carbon emission, a factor that reduces pollution and depletion of the ozone layer. Modern technology like high-speed broadband ensures quick communication and the Green Enterprise Centers keep economy within the villages on the roll. Provision of plant nutrients and other required supplements through treated sewage has improvised farming to avoid use of artificial additives.
An admirable factor in the eco-villages is how wastage of resources is avoided through recycling and reuse of the resources. For instance, the derivatives of treated sewage are used as manure for the plants that provide the food. Toilets are also flashed using treated sewage water minimizing overuse of the naturally collected water.
However, creating a system to rely on itself for production is quite expensive and out of reach for the average man. Installations like the sewage-treatment and water treatment mechanisms are technical and require high-level expertise to install and maintain. Though the villages make future life quite easy and comfortable, they limit the economic freedom of the founders. Inadequate measures to counter natural activities like snowing can them disastrous. In as much as they have been tapped into and can be used as bright alternatives to other circumstances, they can lower the energy production and sustainability of the whole ecosystem. Using snow as an alternative water-source can be quite challenging when melting is not catapulted by energy from the sun. Changing the course of energy tapped from the wind to melting the snow will not meet other energy demands.Off the grid buildings that rely on improved and natural ventilation and cooling systems to reduce energy requirements to fit solar and wind energy is quite an idea. It is easy to adopt such structural designs because apart from reducing the construction costs, they generally make life cheaper by eliminating costs incurred in payment of bills. The natural collection of water also not only ensures safe and clean water, but also keeps bills on the low.
