The Ecovillage Training Center is a "total immersion school" for sustainability. It is located at The Farm, an

intentional community An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...

ecovillage An ecovillage is a traditional or intentional community with the goal of becoming more socially, culturally, economically, and/or ecologically sustainable. An ecovillage strives to produce the least possible negative impact on the natural envi ...

in Summertown, Tennessee, USA. The curricula of the center are "holistic and comprehensivist" and foster hands-on learning.

Albert Bates Albert Kealiinui Bates (born January 1, 1947) is a member of the intentional community and ecovillage movements. A lawyer, author and teacher, he has been director of the Global Village Institute for Appropriate Technology since 1984 and of th ...

, a long-time resident of The Farm, founded the center in July 1994. The original farmhouse was refurbished and renamed "You're Inn at The Farm," to provide accommodation for participants. There are many

permaculture Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. It includes a set of design principles derived using whole-systems thinking. It applies these principle ...

design and

energy conservation Energy conservation is the effort to reduce wasteful energy consumption by using fewer energy services. This can be done by using energy more effectively (using less energy for continuous service) or changing one's behavior to use less service (f ...

features at the Ecovillage Training Centre that result in a significant reduction in use of resources. These include a 5-Kw solar electric system, water catchment, organic gardens,

greywater Greywater (or grey water, sullage, also spelled gray water in the United States) refers to domestic wastewater generated in households or office buildings from streams without fecal contamination, i.e., all streams except for the wastewater from ...

treatment, ponds,

wetlands A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

, and

natural building A natural building involves a range of building systems and materials that place major emphasis on sustainability. Ways of achieving sustainability through natural building focus on durability and the use of minimally processed, plentiful or renew ...

s. In addition to offering ecovillage apprenticeships, the Training Center's curriculum includes: *Shiitake Mushroom Growing Basics *Solar Installation *Alternative Energy Systems *Bamboo Cultivation and Construction *Ecovillage Design and Permaculture Practicum *Natural Building Basics The Center is affiliated with the

Global Ecovillage Network The Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) is a global association of people and communities (ecovillages) dedicated to living "sustainable plus" lives by restoring the land and adding more to the environment than is taken. Network members share ideas an ...

, Gaia University and local colleges and offers college credit for several of its courses.

External links

A Training Center for Ecovillagers
by Albert Bates. ''Communities Journal of Cooperative Living'' No. 91. Summer 1996.
Solar training in MumbaiAdvanced Solar Training, International Educational Institute a unit of Global Advanced Training and Educational TrustElectric Vehicle Training in India
{{Coord, 35, 28, 56, N, 87, 19, 40, W, type:landmark_region:US-TN, display=title Ecovillages Schools in Tennessee Educational institutions established in 1994 1994 establishments in Tennessee