Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Dean, Erin

Keywords

Ecovillages, Quality of Life, Sustainability, Communities

Area of Concentration

Environmental Studies

Abstract

Economic concepts, such as standard of living and the capacity to consume have often been used as a basis for measuring quality of life or human well-being. This thesis examines how standard of living, quality of life, and sustainability intersect through the exploration of "ecovillages." As sustainability-oriented intentional communities, ecovillages attempt to reduce their consumption and cultivate alternative value-systems and lifestyles to enhance their quality of life and ameliorate their ecological footprints. Ethnographic fieldwork was conducted at two ecovillages: InanItah, located on Isla Ometepe, Nicaragua, and Earthaven Ecovillage located in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Through participant-observation and informal interviews, I investigate community dynamics and perceived quality of life among community residents. In both ecovillages, I found that most members perceived the communities' alternative social dynamics to drastically improve their QOL, regardless of their 'lower material standard of living.' Through an enhanced sense of belonging, social cohesions and interactions, not only was ecological sustainability made possible, but residents were able to live in a happy and healthy manner. These findings illustrate the foundational aspect of social well-being for quality of life.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

Download

Share

COinS