Co-operation and sustainability are two philosophies which complement each other, allowing decisions to be made by a diverse group with many ideas, while caring for social, economic, and environmental livelihoods. OUR (One United Resource) Ecovillage is a prosperous intentional community in the Cowichan Valley, and an example of the intertwining of these two philosophies with an emphasis on the environmental aspect of sustainability.

The Global Ecovillage Network describes ecovillages as “urban or rural communities of people, who strive to integrate a supportive social environment with a low-impact way of life.” This was exactly the idea that Brandy MacPherson and others had in mind during the 1990s as they began the work of founding the ecovillage. After much musing and conversation at their Victoria co-op house about a small-scale agricultural environmental community, they decided to walk their talk. The inception of OUR Ecovillage occurred in 1999, when they purchased twenty-five acres of land in the Cowichan Valley. The first year was spent learning about the land before altering it. Extensive soil testing was done to find the best places for organic agriculture, as well as species mapping, to find out what kind of wildlife lived where. Wind and sun patterns were monitored, so as to locate and face buildings in the best directions.

Part of being a co-operative project includes taking everyone’s point of view as seriously as the next. Rather than simply escaping into the wilderness and doing their thing without having to deal with regulatory boards and the local community plan, they have chosen to work very closely with the Cowichan Valley Regional District.

In May of 2003 they constructed a “climate change” building, known also as the Healing Sanctuary, as an example of how co-operation and environmental sustainability can work together. In creating the building, a “community visioning” process was held to involve a range of stakeholders. The neighbours were consulted and the municipality was involved at every step of the way. Building materials were even donated by a range of companies.

The Ecovillage gets financial support from many places, but Van City Credit Union is one of their major supporters, with an award of $35,000 going to the climate change building for the solar, bio-diesel, rainwater collection, and radiant heating systems.

One of the most striking aspects of the Cowichan Ecovillage is how much it resembles a traditional farm yet it is a concrete alternative to industrialized farming. They teach permaculture courses, involving and educating the community and interested people in ways to grow food sustainably. Gardening at OUR Ecovillage is taken very seriously, no pesticides are used, and their goal is to be self-sufficient, eating only what they produce on the property. The Ecovillage also consults with the local First Nations groups to discover valuable local information about seasons, flora and fauna.

The decisions made at OUR Ecovillage are made by consensus among the “creation team,” with no one having the rights to veto another person’s opinion. The creation team functions like a board of directors. Along the lines of the co-op model, capital has limited value, with no majority shareholder controlling the process. Currently, the land is under private ownership with the non-profit arm of OUR Community Association taking on the lease for one dollar per year. Lately the creation team has been planning how the new owners group - people moving permanently into the Ecovillage - will manage; they are developing the Finance, Ownership and Governance Options project (FOG).

In the next three-year plan, the focus is going to be on developing housing that is innovative, ecological, and oriented toward low income, seniors and assisted living. Through the FOG project, many different options for how the new housing and whole Ecovillage are going to be managed and owned were presented and considered. Since our society’s legal and financial systems favour individual ownership and use of land, there are major difficulties for an Ecovillage to overcome when deciding on which model to base FOG. They have since decided on the co-operative model, and created OUR Land and Housing Co-operative. It is still under development, but the framework is now being finalized. Members of the co-operative will each have one vote, will elect board members, and will have a say in all important decisions. The new owners group of the Ecovillage will run the community through consensus, maintaining principles of inclusivity and diverse ownership. In describing the ecovillage, the Co-operative Development Initiative notes that it presents an innovative live/work model that does not exist within the current co-operative framework in Canada.

The vision behind OUR Ecovillage is one of living sustainably socially, economically, and environmentally. Utilizing co-operative models of planning and development, and soon a co-operative model of ownership and governance, community and the environment can have a very clear place within the co-operative framework.

(The full text of this article will soon be available on the BCICS website under the Occasional papers series. Also check out OUR Ecovillage’s website: www.ourecovillage.org)

Rob Raynor, Co-operative History Student