By Sheila McLaughlin
The Cincinnati Enquirer

It isn't the stereotypical commune of the 1960s and '70s. Forget the free love and LSD trips.

Life at the Ecovillage at Ithaca in upstate New York is about sharing lives and building a self-sufficient community that is bent on nurturing the environment and teaching others how they can do it, too.

ECOVILLAGES

Ecovillages around the country The Farm, Summertown, Tenn. Earthhaven, Black Mountain, N.C. Ecovillage at Ithaca, NY Ecovillage of Loudon County, Va. Greenfire, Athens, Ohio Hummingbird Ranch, Boulder, Colo.

For eight years, about 120 adults and at least 50 children have gone about fairly normal lives in clustered homes on 175 acres bordering a nature preserve and overlooking the city, director Liz Walker said.

There's a 1-acre pond, where residents kayak, swim and ice skate, where water is siphoned to fight fires, where ducks and great blue heron congregate.

Most children attend public school, though some are home-schooled or non-schooled, which means their parents believe that the best lessons are learned from everyday life.

Adults work off-site - some ride their bikes so they don't contribute to pollution - or from their homes in professions as organic farmers, software engineers, therapists and educators.

They get together for some meals, celebrations and activities at a common house, much like a clubhouse. The senior citizens watch the children while parents are at work, and everyone looks out for their neighbors.

"It's like an extended family where if your aunt had a sprained ankle, you'd go out and shop for her and cook for her. That's what we do for everybody. There is a strong sense of community," said Walker, who was one of the first to move in with her partner and their two teen-age sons.

What sets Ecovillage apart from the everyday world are the methods undertaken to conserve the environment.

Villagers share heating systems, and keep use down through heavy insulation in their homes and solar energy systems. Some residents use composting toilets. Much of the food comes from a cooperative, and residents buy shares in the onsite organic farm, entitling them to a portion of the harvest.

Much like living in a condominium complex, residents pay fees for the upkeep of exterior buildings, and own the interiors, Walker said.

The Ecovillage at Ithaca has become a "living laboratory," which recently won recognition from the National Science Foundation by way of a three-year grant allowing residents to teach college courses on their way of life.

Walker said she and her neighbors continue to learn from each other. For example, she started cycling to work at Cornell University when she saw a neighbor doing the same every day, even though he had a long hill to climb.

"At the same time, we are educating ourselves," Walker said. "It can be very inspiring."

E-mail smclaughlin@enquirer.com