PHOTOS: 7 Modern Day Green Communes From Around the World

Whether you call it co-housing, eco-villages, intentional community living or modern day communes, shared living with an eco-focus is experiencing a boom that rivals the 1960s and 1970s. These utopia-inspired dwellings boast organic farms, shared communal spaces, and one even relies on geothermal energy as a main power source.

From Ithaca to Japan and Oregon to Sweden, green utopias are sprouting around the world. Check out our slideshow of seven modern day eco-friendly communes and don't forget to vote on your favorites. As always, we want to hear from you in the comments.

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EcoVillage (Ithaca, New York)

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Ithaca, New York's answer to a modern day commune is EcoVillage, a green utopia that houses 160 residents. Its 60 houses are split into two housing groups, FROG and SONG, and are all low-impact and energy-efficient. The third housing group, TREE, is currently being constructed and will house 30 more homes. EcoVillage has a CSA vegetable farm and a U-Pick berry farm along with a root cellar and community gardens. 80 percent of the commune's 175 acres will remain as green space, 55 acres of which are already under protection through a conservation easement from the Finger Lakes Land Trust. Residents volunteer 2 to 3 hours a week by building furniture, farming or assisting with other necessary maintenance. Future endeavors for EcoVillage include creating organic orchards, greywater recycling, and biodiesel and vegetable oil fuel production.

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Ithaca, New York's answer to a modern day commune is EcoVillage, a green utopia that houses 160 residents. Its 60 houses are split into two housing groups, FROG and SONG, and are all low-impact and energy-efficient. The third housing group, TREE, is currently being constructed and will house 30 more homes. EcoVillage has a CSA vegetable farm and a U-Pick berry farm along with a root cellar and community gardens. 80 percent of the commune's 175 acres will remain as green space, 55 acres of which are already under protection through a conservation easement from the Finger Lakes Land Trust. Residents volunteer 2 to 3 hours a week by building furniture, farming or assisting with other necessary maintenance. Future endeavors for EcoVillage include creating organic orchards, greywater recycling, and biodiesel and vegetable oil fuel production.

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Comments

[akasha2458]

02:48 PM on 08/24/2010

THanks for the pick me up. I needed something positive.

[Ali Rockwood]

12:40 AM on 08/24/2010

i was about to book a week at that oregon place but no booze allowed is... deal breaker. rules like that are a little controlling for my taste in vacay. unless it's some boot camp cleanse plus sensory deprivation type thing... and then, uh, yeah, i'm not gonna vacay like that either.

[KarlaElisa]

01:10 PM on 08/24/2010

wow....i was looking at breitenbush myself and didn't catch that prohibition thing...thanks for the mention. maybe i'll just start my own commune in salem....

[Ali Rockwood]

02:53 PM on 08/24/2010

it was under 'what not to bring.'

karlaelisa, if i can bring liquor to your commune, i will surely toast a visit! ;) there are natural hot springs near bridgeport, ca, a little northeast of yosemite, near mono lake. there are cabins that you can rent there and go to the hot springs that are all over the place for free- no need to visit judgmental hippies in the forest to get relaxed au naturale. i also like a nice visit to calistoga frm time to time, it's chock full of fine napa and sonoma valley wines!

[m1jones]

01:29 AM on 08/23/2010

I think a lot of these places look very interesting and would like to know more about them. In particular the hot springs look very inviting, and the Swedish commune is lovely - you can't see the buildings for the trees. I hope to visit someday.

[m1jones]

01:27 AM on 08/23/2010

Uh, is that straw bales, not straw veils?

[leslie ghirla]

12:24 AM on 08/23/2010

I live at Ananda Village! Yes we grow our food (CSA) over 900 fruit bearing trees. We also support other local farmers too. A goat dairy. 230 in residence. A terrific school- pre-school thru College. The kids rated in the top 3 percentile in the country. All kinds of businesses and some folks work in the surrounding community. 800 acres in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. We've been around since 1968. Visit our site anandavillage.org. The best part is we have a guru! Paramhansa Yogananda not for everyone but perfect for me.

[research]

08:42 PM on 08/22/2010

Breitenbush Hot Springs is WONDERFUL! been there many times, just fantastic!

[Try the truth]

03:15 PM on 08/22/2010

I find it interesting that those bashing this lifestyle are also the very same right wingers who promote personal responsibility on the political pages! Here are people being not only responsible, but good care takers of the earth, and they STILL have an issue! Shameful!

[jscam87]

06:28 PM on 08/22/2010

I find it interesting that you would have "Truth" as part of your moniker and yet blindly associate and bash the "Right" with an opinion that doesn't line up with yours.
Shameful!

[Try the truth]

07:54 PM on 08/22/2010

When I recognize the names, yes it's interesting that they have nerve to bash this! How did I bash the right, I made an observation! Must have hit too close to home for you, skippy!

[Chris3131]

03:05 PM on 08/23/2010

What "right-wingers" bashed this lifestyle? Don't confuse things from your own imagination with reality.

[feliznavidad]

06:50 PM on 08/24/2010

Read "Lostpat" post. She is maintaining that these people contribute nothing to society! Evidently, the only way frightwingers think one contributes to society is by consuming and leaving a big carbon footprint -- so the big daddy corporations will continue to love you!

[LostPat]

12:38 PM on 08/22/2010

When these people find the cure to cancer please inform me. Until then let's please leave individuals who do not contribute to society out of the news.

[Heather Hahn]

02:45 PM on 08/22/2010

You've missed the point entirely. The individuals and families living in these communities contribute to society *in a positive way* but not being a BURDEN on society or adding to the excess consumption, waste and environmental harm the rest of us participate in. Self-sufficient and in many cases, a great model for small business economics, these communities should be acknowledged for offering a different way of living and coexisting without judgment. Is judgment of others YOUR contribution to society?

[socalcde]

02:47 PM on 08/22/2010

They don't contribute to society? What a strange viewpoint.

[Jacqueline R]

12:26 PM on 08/22/2010

Dancing Rabbit in Rutledge, Missouri. "The water supply comes from rainwater." How do you get ALL of your needed water supply for fifty people from just rainwater? Do they ration bathing, clothes washing, dishes, cleaning, drinking, etc.? It must rain an awfull lot in Rutledge, Missouri in order to collect that much water or some of the people must smell pretty rank.

I strongly believe that one can be environmentally sound or at least neutralize their negative impact with some simple things such as renewable energy, biodiesel, collecting rainwater (which allows me to water a few potted plants because I live in the desert), etc. without the the extreme measures that some of these groups promote.

[iisguy]

12:32 PM on 08/22/2010

It's not so extreme. Extreme is building nuclear power plants.

[mikefina]

01:20 PM on 08/22/2010

Why do YOU live in the desert if you can't meet your own water needs? Why IMPORT water?

[Jacqueline R]

05:33 PM on 08/22/2010

I live right next to a river and use well water which is fueled by the snow melt from the mountains I live next to. Is that considered "importing"? Just because there is not a lot of rain does not mean that there is no water around just not much rain water.

[ringmaster]

11:25 AM on 08/22/2010

Don't forget The Farm.
http://www.thefarm.org/

[valeskas]

10:55 AM on 08/22/2010

I wish, I could afford a green home.

[mikefina]

01:20 PM on 08/22/2010

Sod home.

Move.

[m1jones]

01:34 AM on 08/23/2010

Actually, you've got it backwards. You, and none of us, can afford not to have a green home. Just do it. Start one step at a time. You'll find you have more money and are happier because you won't be spending so much of your time driving around and shopping at malls. Oh, and get a bicycle so you don't have to go to the gym. That's green, too.

[lylo]

10:55 AM on 08/22/2010

For everyone on this thread thinking community life is so wonderful, I would like to remind you exactly what it means. Imagine the worst roommate you've ever had; now imagine that there are twenty of them (and probably a few worse), and you have to split the money that you earn with them.
If you've got the stomach for that, then great. All the stuff about sustainable living is good and all, but most people forget the community aspect. It's not easy, and it's not fun. You are interacting with people, not some awesome new brand, but the usual kind. Most are greedy, some don't bathe enough, pretty much all of them are self righteous, and there is still crime.
It's not all bad, but it's not sunshine and rainbows either. Frankly, having done both, I much prefer struggling in vanilla society.

[Shuang Xiu]

12:35 PM on 08/22/2010

The old joke is that people are the best things about intentional communities and people are the worst thing about intentional communities. People can change - certainly they can learn to change their behavior. In the intentional community in which I live we say "Fun is the goal, and love is the way." Its been working for us since 1968!

[m1jones]

01:41 AM on 08/23/2010

These photos show individual single family homes. What are you talking about? They are essentially suburban single family houses, clustered together, sharing farmland and some amenities. The only difference is that people have to share some tasks together. But this happens anyhow. I currently live on a spectacularly scenic street, one lane wide, with relatively upscale homes, a nearby natural preserve and wetlands, and all united along the steep slope of a large hill. We are linked by a road which only has one lane in many places. All of us have to cooperate to keep the road clear and pull aside in turnouts when we meet a car coming the other way. Neighbors keep the road clear of leaves and eliminate flammable landscaping to reduce fire danger. It's the best kind of cooperative living - on your own plot of ground. There are so many new models for congregate housing, all greatly facilitated by Craig's List. I don't think the choice is between plain vanilla and the worst roommate you've ever had. Good communes require good planning so individuals can chose to be more active or less, without upsetting the apple cart.

[goodyc2c]

10:38 AM on 08/22/2010

We get Twin Oaks tempeh and tofu all the time, good stuff. The tempeh strips are delicious on a TLT at a local coffee shop that and the tempeh Ruben are amazing.

[Brian Adler]

08:47 PM on 08/22/2010

I made that Tempeh when I lived there (for 14 months)!

[cloudmaker]

09:53 AM on 08/22/2010

Modern-day unless you can only commune there during the day and have to leave.

[Cannonball Taffy O Jones]

06:45 AM on 08/22/2010

One of the wonders of modern capitalism is its infinite capacity for inventing new ways of satisfying human desires.

In these new communes we have the solution to the problem faced by those who want to live in a small community of like-minded individuals, who wish do live a more sustainable life and who desire access to all the benefits of a developed capitalist society while at the same time pretending that they are somehow rejecting and living beyond it.

Isn’t capitalism wonderful?

[Kiz boy]

09:43 AM on 08/22/2010

I don't expect to be seeing you there then?

[lylo]

10:47 AM on 08/22/2010

Oh, and don't forget that "like minded" is usually translated to "like believing" when it comes to taxes, and a lot of these places don't pay because of that!
Thank goodness for tax exemption for religious institutions!