Ecovillage Ithica is a 175-acre communal living property located on the outskirts of Ithaca, New York. The central New York community of Ithaca is about 220 miles or a 5-hour drive from New York City. It is 3 hours to Buffalo and just an hour from Syracuse.
Ithaca is a beautiful and very livable city that is situated on Cayuga Lake and is also home to Cornell University, one of the Ivy League schools. With a large student population, this town of 30,000 is one of the most liberal thinking in the nation. People are friendly and live quiet lives. Natural beauty dominates the area with lakes, flowing streams, waterfalls, wooded areas and wide-open grassy fields.
Ecovillage Ithica was created on 7 of the total 175 acres. At least 80% of the entire property has been set aside as open space for wildlife, recreation and organic agriculture. The community consists of 3 separate developments. The FROG and SONG neighborhoods are up and running. Still in the planning stages is the newest neighborhood called TREE.
FROG
The “FRoG” (First Residents Group) community, completed in 1997, was the first cohousing project in New York State. The neighborhood sits on about 3 acres with 15 duplexes, a winding pedestrian path, a one-acre pond, fenced community garden and plenty of open space for kids to play.
A Common House serves the residents of the community, providing communal dining opportunities, a children’s playroom, offices, a laundry facility and storage. There is also a complete wood shop, metal shop and a shed for recycling and storing bikes.
Energy efficiency was designed in to the construction of the homes. They feature 6 inches of dense-pack cellulose (recycled newspaper), a double walled construction that allows plumbing and wiring to be run completely within the insulating barrier and triple paned glass that keeps the cold out in winter while, at the same time, capturing the sun’s warming rays. Other energy saving innovations includes shared hot water heating, solar panels, compact fluorescent lighting and insulated interior shades.
SONG
The SONG (SecOnd Neighborhood Group) neighborhood’s 15 duplexes were completed in 2004. Two years later, in 2006, the Common House opened its doors to the neighborhood’s residents. It is located just west of the FROG neighborhood and it too was designed with energy conservation and green building techniques.
Among the energy saving features of these homes are a passive solar design, solar water heaters, insulated panels, insulated windows, a rainwater collection system, composting toilets and the use of salvaged materials in their construction.
The Common House serves the 85 residents that range in age from one to sixty-five. Like FROG’s Common House, the community shares the facility, eating, doing laundry, socializing and conducting business from the small offices.
West Haven Farm is a 10-acre organic farm located on the EcoVillage tract of land. They grow pesticide-free delicious fruits and vegetables all year round that they market directly to consumers through Ithaca’s Farmer’s Market and the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program.
EcoVillage is something of an experiment in inexpensive, sustainable living. The development has attracted the interest of Ithaca College. Students designed the plans for a root cellar that the residents built and are always a great resource for the EcoVillage residents.
People work together for the common good in EcoVillage. It is a very Democratic community as all major projects and policy changes are based on the consensus opinion of the residents. Volunteers from the community offer their skills and services in construction, cooking, Common House and Grounds maintenance and other chores that need to be done or simply enhance the community.
EcoVillage is always evolving. The TREE community will add housing for some additional families. The communities are also considering an education center, using wind power, gray water recycling and a number of other ambitious projects.
EcoVillage Ithica is just one small example of how people working together can accomplish so much, even with limited resources. Perhaps others will notice and develop their own version of EcoVillage.
