By Tom Braford
Could developing mastery in measurement open new avenues to freedom, power and making a difference?
As we design, develop and build the Arizmendi Ecovillage, we intend to find out. The first stage will demonstrate that building communities that are net positive in food, power, water, transportation and employment is doable. As Einstein said, ‘If it exists, it is possible.’
How, you might ask, do we propose to do this? We plan to measure everything we can that is relevant. This includes simultaneously comparing what we are creating with both status-quo community design development and construction in our immediate area. and at the same time against our goal of an affordable, subzero carbon footprint and the launch of both a cohesive social community and a generative hub economy in service to life.
We have already calculated that if our estimates for this first community and network are correct, then these total pivot communities would fall within the 75 to 80 range of most effective Drawdown solutions for reversing global warming and would be the fourth most profitable of known solutions.
That, of course, would open up new avenues in freedom, power and making a difference. The key point is that we will not know how much of a difference until our measurements on this first and future phases are complete. So, stay tuned for future reports. In the meantime, look for our Total Pivot poster at the Citizens’ Climate Lobby regional conference on February 22-24 in Ft Smith AR, at events at the Ecovillage after that, and at the Healthy Planet Expo on March 31.
Our 3.5 story, 1200 square foot EcoHogan is part of our initial phase. It is designed to have a tiny house footprint that includes scaled-down versions of all the Ecovillage circular resource use systems. You could live in the EcoHogan within the Ecovillage for half what it would cost you to build it yourself.
We expect that our attention to measures will demonstrate the very real capital savings as well as the social and ecosystem benefits of efficient synergistic community.
Join us on February 16, at 5:00pm, for a discussion of the magic of measures!
Contact: braford@sbcglobal.net
www.ArizmendiEcovillage.com