North Star Ecovillage Training Center

Ecovillages are urban or rural communities of people, who strive to integrate a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life. To achieve this, they integrate various aspects of ecological design, permaculture, ecological building, green production, alternative energy, community building practices, and much more.

The concept of an ecovillage is catching fire as the population undergoes a shift in consciousness away from excessive materialism and perhaps in response to the percieved threat of various forms of collapse which could threaten the continuity of lifestyle we depend upon.

The discussion in this group is centered around the feasibility of funding an effort that would result in some form of the Ecovillage Training Center concept which is creating showcase examples of sustainable and community based lifestyle.

Fairbanks already has some experience in this regard, with the rugged folks who live on the edge of wilderness.

The goal would be to provide education in best practices for sustainable living, including building techniques and technology, arctic permaculture, barter economies and the like.

What should such an entity look like?  How could it be created and incubated until it was self-sustaining?