EKOKOY
Small Ecoparks in the City
Vision
Spreading sustainable life to large masses: by showing that it is possible with examples, by encouraging it, by showing a road map to those who intend to transform, and by involving them in the transformation.
A place for people to meet, socialize, rest, eat and drink, experience activities and sustainable living solutions.
scalable
It can be scaled according to different site sizes and budgets, from a community garden on a few hundred square meters of land to a small ecopark on a few acres.
Community Garden
Küçük bir alanda gösterebileceğimiz, sunabileceğimiz çok şey var.
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Doğal gıdaya erişmek isteyenler
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Şehir koşturmasından nefes almak isteyenler
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Okullar, gençler
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Belediyeler (siz de yapabilirsiniz, çoklu fayda, sosyal sorumluluk)
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Sürdürülebilir yaşamı öğrenmek isteyenler
Ekokafede doğal, lezzetli ve şifalı gıdalar sunuyoruz.
Ekoparkta iyileştirici çalışmalar:
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Bahçecilik: doğal gıda üretimi, eğitimleri
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Toprağı, doğayı tanıma
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Ruh, beden sağlığı
Canlı, bereketli toprak elden etme, su tutma, temiz enerji, doğal yapılar, geri dönüşüm (kompost), gıda ormanı, balkon bahçeciliği örnekleri sunuyoruz.
Kırsaldaki üreticilerle bağlar kuruyoruz: ekokafeye, manav tezgahına, temiz gıda topluluğuna doğal ürünler ulaştırıyorlar. Belli günlerde ekopark meydanında köy pazarları kuruluyor. Ekoparktaki tezgahımızdan doğal ürünler alabilirsiniz. Temiz gıda ağımıza üye olarak her hafta mutfağınıza mevsimsel, doğal gıdalar temiz edebilirsiniz. Aracı olmadığından doğal ürünlere makul fiyatlarla erişebilirsiniz.
Sizler çayınızı, kahvenizi içerken çocuğunuz aktivite alanında toprağa tohum atıyor, sonraki ziyaretlerinizde tohumdan bitkiye ve meyveye dönüşümü takip ediyor, bahçeciliğe ilk adım atıyor. Hareket ediyor, enerji yakıyor.
Okullara, gençlere erişim: ekoparklarda birlikte bahçecilik çalışmaları yürütüyoruz, gençlerin bilgi ve beceri kazanmaları için eğitim, aktiviteler yapıyoruz.
Kendi yerel, ata tohumlarımızı çoğaltıyoruz, paylaşıyoruz. Tohum bankamızı büyütüyoruz.
Örnek ekopark tasarım modelleri oluşturduk.
Başarılı bir küçük ekoparkta olması gereken bileşenleri en doğru şekilde nasıl bir araya getirebiliriz sorusuna cevap aradık. Tasarım grubumuz farklı iklim ve coğrafyalara göre kişiselleştirilebilecek ama özünde benzer tasarım ve çalışmalar barındıracak örnek ekopark tasarımları yapıyor.
Kendi öz kaynaklarımızla, işletmesini de kendimizin yapacağı ekoparklar yanında; birey ve kurumlar için de ekopark tasarım, uygulama, danışmanlık hizmetleri sunuyoruz. Örneklerin hızla artması için imkanları geniş tutuyoruz.
What's wrong with one hand? Two hands have a voice
Living in an ecovillage as a community, helping each other, sharing... Much more work can be done by distributing tasks; We can achieve more as a community than our individual skills and capabilities.
Our design group is working on an exemplary ecovillage design. As our big project, we are working to find ecovillage land in a short time, then design it and identify our potential neighbors. As this project develops, we will share it with you on this site.
There are many ecovillages around the world. The common component of all of them is 'sustainability', but their lifestyles, world views and operations are quite different from each other. They are organized under the global ecovillage network GEN (Global Ecovillage Network).
It is a nice dream for people with similar worldviews to live together in an ecovillage, but most of the intentions to establish an ecovillage together end in disappointment. The main reason for this is the 'human factor'. A group of people who come together with very good intentions to establish an ecovillage, as the work gets more serious, they have various disagreements and these initiatives can turn into disappointment at the very beginning.
When we look at living and successful ecovillages, we see that the vision, mission, and operations within the ecovillage are well thought out and designed from the very beginning. Issues such as individual/common areas, decision-making method, membership/exit stages, responsibilities, management, etc. should be studied very well from the beginning. All living/non-living components that will form the ecovillage must first be placed on the table like pieces of a puzzle, and then an 'ecovillage design' must be made in which these components work together in the most effective way and benefit each other. (Permaculture design is perfect for this job.)
What kind of benefits can there be from living in an ecovillage rather than living on a site in nature?
Since holistic, sustainable life (permaculture) design is not used in the infrastructure, superstructure design and operation of the site, it is inevitable to experience various problems. Since buildings are not designed with smart, effective, local and natural materials, they are expensive and have high heating/cooling and operating costs. Construction materials, chemical paints, etc. that are harmful to health are frequently used.
Since it is not designed holistically, the first two most critical tasks, water retention and soil revitalization and enrichment, are never considered. Rain and snow falling on the land and roofs are not collected or stored; most often water is purchased from outside, from the network - additional cost. During construction, live and fertile topsoil is not saved, but thrown away. In any case, producing your own natural food and establishing your own gardens is unthinkable. Producing your own clean energy is also not considered. Money is paid for electricity and natural gas purchased from the grid. Additionally, it is necessary to pay additional money for site common area maintenance, security, etc. Some sites have fees worth thousands of liras. In many sites, there is no awareness of neighbourhood, friendship or community.
Life in properly designed ecovillages will be much healthier, higher quality and more enjoyable. Living costs will also be much lower. In fact, instead of paying dues, you can even earn a small additional income every month. Those living in the ecovillage can also earn a living by taking part in the activities within the ecovillage. When viewed this way, an alternative, sustainable lifestyle can emerge.
An overview of the ecovillage structure, components and functioning:
Individuals, Community, Management
In the ecovillage, the awareness of being a community is prominent, but individuals also have rights and priorities. In some ecovillages, almost everything is common and decisions are made by consensus with the participation of everyone. In some, very little is common and the management style and rules of common things are decided. The more common areas and topics there are, the more reasons there may be for arguments and problems to arise. It is beneficial for the management and operation of the ecovillage to be thought and designed professionally. For example, individuals may have shelters and gardens on their own property; The obligations regarding these places are included in the ecovillage main contract. The management and operation of other places may also belong to professional management and operation within the limits specified in the contract.
There may be people who have a house and a garden in the ecovillage and want to live here permanently or part-time, but who also want to avoid being involved in the other operations of the ecovillage as much as possible.
There may be those who want to live in the ecovillage, take part in ecovillage management, and work in various ecovillage jobs. It is beneficial to make the design as flexible as possible and with as many options as possible.
Individual Shelters
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What will the ecovillage residents' own living spaces be like? Just as there are living spaces shared by everyone - communal life; Families/individuals may also have their own living spaces. In the Ekoköy main contract, the property rights of the buildings, the maximum areas and volumes that will be allowed for construction, building materials, building types, etc. are specified; Members comply with these.
It may be necessary to build buildings from local and natural materials, to choose certain building types and designs (passive solar, green roof, well-insulated - energy-saving, producing its own clean energy from sun/wind/soil, recycling waste...).
Common Use Buildings
The functions, dimensions, designs, usage rules and conditions, and operating principles of common kitchens, offices, dining halls, cellars, warehouses, workshops, vehicle parking areas, children's playrooms/areas, etc. are determined. The distribution of the costs arising from the operation of these areas to the members is included in the contract.
Apart from common areas and structures, there may also be areas and structures belonging to eco-campus management/operation: cafeterias, guesthouses, training rooms, production facilities, etc. The conditions for campus residents to benefit from these facilities are also specified in the contract.
Individual/Common Gardens, Fields, Forests...
Will there be gardens belonging to individuals? If so, how much space is enough? Will there be common gardens? How will it be maintained and operated? If it generates income, how will it be shared? If each family will have their own house, they may also want to have their own garden around this house. However, issues such as the maintenance of these gardens and the types of plants that can be planted can be limited in the contract - there are also benefits: I do not want my neighbor to use toxic chemical pesticides or plant GMO seeds in his garden; It infects me too. Even the maintenance of a garden of a few hundred square meters or 1 acre requires a lot of labor, and if not taken care of, it can spoil the common appearance and have harmful effects on other gardens. Sanctions may be imposed on those who do not undertake the maintenance of their own gardens, or the management may undertake garden maintenance for a fee.
There may also be gardens, fields and forests belonging to the ecovillage management. Access and use methods of other ecovillage residents are also included in the contract. The management maintains and operates these areas and generates income. A portion of this income can be allocated to operating and maintenance costs of common areas.
Surplus, Obtaining Abundance and Getting by
If designed successfully, every eco-settlement should be able to create excess and abundance after a while. Excess product, excess experience/knowledge, growing human networks/friendships... It is necessary to make ends meet and sustain life with these excesses.
One of the main differences of an ecovillage from a housing estate is that it is designed for the people living there to earn a living and earn an income. Diversifying income sources would be the right approach. Possible sources of income:
Products from the fields: vegetables, fruits, nuts, herbs, mushrooms that the locality allows you to grow...
Animal products: eggs, meat, milk, manure...
Medicinal plants, natural cleaning/care products, natural plant medicines/nutrients...
Value-added products: products whose value can be increased by processing: cheddar cheese from milk, sauce from tomatoes and hot peppers...
To be able to reflect the value of your natural products and how useful/healthy they are by effectively promoting your natural production - to ensure that they find their value.
Additional income from clean energy excess production: Install the solar PV system larger than your needs, sell the excess electricity, and generate income.
Trainings: You can transfer the knowledge and experience gained through 'sustainable life trainings' and earn income.
Activities: You can earn income by organizing festivals, bazaars, village markets, camps and workshops.
Eco tourism: You can create an environment and infrastructure for those who want to relax and spend quiet time in nature. Guest houses, recreation areas, travel trails made of natural structures...
Searching for larger and more comprehensive production together with other manufacturers in the vicinity...
Maybe a retirement home for the elderly in a quiet corner of the campus - why not? Old people can find plenty to keep them busy in such a compound – working iron shines. They can spend their last time calmly, peacefully and pleasantly.
Design, consultancy, implementation services: These are the professional services you can offer to those who want to establish similar eco-campuses.
When designing the ecovillage, local resources and possibilities indicate what types of income sources are possible. The ecovillage business also makes the necessary investment and prepares the infrastructure; It also includes the professional human resources needed in this project - those people can also be offered an alternative life and livelihood opportunity.
A sustainable lifestyle can be created through such activities and can be a good, effective example for dissemination throughout society; Hopes for transformation may increase.
If you would like to take part in the Ecovillage project, have a land suggestion or something you would like to share on this subject, you can contact us: