Written by Krista Kull, edited by Amanda Ames.
One way to do something to reduce our carbon footprint is to try to change the way we live. Every human being has to take responsibility if we want future generations to be able to live on planet Earth.
Twenty years ago a small group of people in Estonia established a tiny eco village to respond to the climate change and do their best to leave a better earth to future generations. They created a spiritual and ecological community and decided to live and act in this eco village, which is called “Lilleoru” (Valley of Flowers in English).
Today there are already 250-300 people living there. Besides the eco living, they also organize open trainings to share their experiences and knowledge with others and learn more.
There are also organic and permaculture herb and vegetable gardens.
Eco village was established in cooperation with hundreds of volunteers and community members from across Europe contributing Lilleoru has evolved into a uniquely vibrant living and learning space. On its 20 hectars are the Flower of Life park, organic gardens, learning and community center and Skyearth eco village, Amrita lake and a pristine forest.
At the heart of Lilleoru’s worldview is openness, self-awareness and knowledge: “change your inner world and the world around you changes”.
They live a simple lifestyle close to nature, growing partly organic food and they also have a herb garden. They practice natural building techniques and permaculture. Their key challenge is how to integrate more ecological technologies in regards to electricity.
Eco villages allow people to experience their personal connection to the living earth. People enjoy daily interaction with the soil, water, wind, plants and animals. They provide for their daily needs – food, clothing, shelter – while respecting the cycles of nature.
Eco movements and living in eco villages give people the possibility to grow food as much as possible within the community bio-region and support organic food production. Preserving clean soil, water and air through proper energy and waste management is one of the main tasks in living like this.
Ten years ago, a group of people in Ireland came together to try to reduce their overall carbon footprint by building an ecological community. They looked at how they could incorporate sustainability into every aspect of their lives how they could build and power their houses, how they could earn their living and how they could travel and grow their food.
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Dear Krista,
Lilleoru looks like a beautiful place! I think it is fascinating that eco villages are something that exist in Estonia. It is nice to think that there are communities that are environmental conscious out there. I have a lot of respect for people who live very green, but it seems like it would be a very difficult lifestyle to maintain or at least for me it would be.
Great post!
Sepeedeh
Krista,
The eco village sounds seems like a wonderful idea and I think it’s great that so many community members came together to contribute to it. It’s nice that they share their experiences and have training sessions because awareness is an important key to making a difference. I’m sure there are many challenges to the lifestyle but it looks like a very pretty and peaceful place to live!
Mei
During my family’s Thanksgiving meal, someone at the table said, “well the winters get colder every year, so I don’t understand how global warming is a real thing.” Evidently, climate change is very confusing. It’s complicated and scientific, and people don’t understand it when it’s being discussed in the news as part of a story on treaties between countries to reduce carbon emissions.
Given your experience, Krista, I think you bring an excellent perspective to the local angle of community environmental stewardship. It sounds like Lilleoru is a beautiful city, thanks in part to local programs that make an impact in the city. I would love it if more people here in the U.S. could take ownership of the nature in their own communities like they have in Lilleoru.