Putting Numbers to the EcoVillage Lifestyle

The motivation to lighten our environmental footprint is central for many of us drawn to the ecovillage lifestyle. But, how much impact can a lifestyle choice like this really have? Professor Jesse Sherry at Eckerd College set about gathering the numbers to answer this question.

He gathered data on energy use, consumption, and waste disposal from three U.S. ecovillages, including the EcoVillage at Ithaca, and compared results for the ecovillage residents to the average U.S. resident. The findings from his initial 2018 study indicated that ecovillage residents have a 47% to 80% lower impact across all impact categories when compared to the average U.S. resident. Categories measured in the study included variables such as carbon emissions (63% to 71% reduction) and ecotoxicity (75% to 80% reduction).

As part of follow-up research being conducted this year, Professor Sherry has collected data from a second round of surveys at the EcoVillage at Ithaca. As he works to analyze the results, we wanted to share some of the initial findings that we found interesting!