Chapter 2 :: Evolution of Ecovillages in the Context of the Environmental Movement

     The ecovillage movement began in Sweden in the 1970s, at about the same time the environmental movement was taking root in the United States and Europe. Concern about pollution, nuclear war, and the loss of natural resources were among the reasons residents were interested in living in an ecovillage. While ecovillage projects were first facilitated by changes in government and business, over time they began to influence changes within Swedish businesses and government.

      Initially, the projects were considered radical. But, by the early 1990s, government agencies and large building companies began to incorporate some of the new ideas into their own operations. This change was in keeping with the overall shift in Sweden from thinking of ecological considerations as radical to incorporating environmental standards into national, local, and commercial policy. The ecovillage movements, as we shall see, had a lot to do with this shift.

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