The world is crying out for solutions to the serious problems facing our future. Each day potentially irreversible damage is being done to the biosphere including the degradation of the integrity of the atmosphere, massive losses of habitat, species loss, loss of genetic information and soil erosion. Global warming is now indisputable fact to a growing body of scientists and researchers. At the heart of the cause of these trends is the continued burning of fossil fuels. We must turn to a clean energy economy soon before our window of opportunity closes. United Nations scientists say we have no more than 30 years to turn it around. We owe it to ourselves and our children and all of life to meet this sustainability challenge.
Yet despite these trends, research and development of solar and other renewable technologies receives little support in light of the challenge we face and relative to other non-renewable technologies. The Ecovillage Research, Development and Demonstration program seeks to address this situation by engaging Researchers, Research Centers, Universities, Colleges, and Funding Sources in a collaborative effort in coordination with the Ecovillage Movement to research, develop and demonstrate sustainable technologies and practices. Through the Living Routes Ecovillage Education Consortium, we are linking ecovillages all over the globe with Universities to develop and demonstrate real solutions to the sustainability challenge while providing premier educational opportunities in sustainability education..
The Ecovillage Research, Development and Demonstration Program will:
1) Link Research Centers Ecovillages, and Universities in a cooperative research and development effort in specific sustainable technologies and permaculture practices;
2) Identify, and assist in the development of, technologies and practices that are enabling technologies in addressing the sustainability challenge;
3) Assist Ecovillages with Research, Development and Demonstration of sustainability infrastructure, methods and tools;
4) Provide Living Routes' Students with a prime arena for experiential education while also providing sustainability educational opportunities for the general public through the establishment of demonstration sites for appropriate technology and permaculture research.
