Sustainable Inspiration: Findhorn Eco-Village After Fifty Years
Posted 20/11/2012
Findhorn Wind Farm
© Copyright Jean Aldridge and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
Findhorn Ecovillage recently celebrated its 50th birthday and as one of the most successful eco influenced ventures of it’s kind we take a look at how it started and how they have made themselves sustainable.
The Findhorn community began in 1962 by Eileen Caddy, Peter Caddy and their friend Dorothy Maclean, who had recently lost their employment at a nearby hotel. The three adults and the three young Caddy children moved into a caravan in Findhorn seaside town. With little money to feed themselves, Eileen worked on cultivating the difficult sandy and dry land around the caravan which she did successfully, growing huge plants, herbs and 40 pound cabbages which caused horticulturalists to visit Findhorn. Others started to join the Caddy’s and Dorothy, living in caravans and purpose built cedar wood bungalows which still stand today.
In 1972 the Community registered itself as a charity ‘the Findhorn Foundation’ and between the 70’s and 80’s grew to 300 members. At the end of the 80’s due to the increased membership the Findhorn Ecovillage project commenced. The Ecovillage is defined as being ‘sustainable, ecological, economical, cultural and spiritual.’
The Ecovillage now has four wind turbines that provide more energy than Findhorn can use, ecological wastewater treatment plant, comprehensive recycling scheme and a 250Kw biomass boiler and numerous solar water heating systems as well as the 61 eco-buildings. This has all contributed to Findhorn having an ecological footprint which is half that of the national average and in 2006 Findhorn was found to have the lowest ecological footprint of the industrialised world.
The Ecovillage homes are all built from environmentally sound and energy efficient natural and non-toxic materials. All the buildings contain the technology you would expect in a modern sustainable home such as efficient insulation, triple glazed windows, low flushing toilets, rainwater collection and recycling, locally grown and harvested timber from managed forests. There are also shared facilities such as kitchens and laundry rooms to avoid unnecessary duplication.
As well as the eco friendly homes and renewable energy generation, Findhorn also runs a community supported agriculture scheme that uses organic and biodynamic farming methods covering 25 acres and supplying much of the communities seasonal vegetable requirements. Organic dairy, eggs and meat are supplied by the nearby farm, hugely reducing food miles.
We at Ecoislands congratulate Findhorn on making it to fifty successful years and take inspiration from their efforts at combining renewable energy with food growing, eco-homes and community.
