(Copyright - Robert Gilman, editor of In Context magazine) Minor editing by PH - 31 March, 2008

     The Bio-System Challenge: To fulfill the ideal that the activities of the eco-village will be harmlessly integrated into the natural world requires that the eco-village find ecologically friendly ways to:
      1. preserve natural habitats on the village land
      2. produce food, wood, and other bio-resources on site
      3. process the organic waste produced on site
      4. render harmless any initially toxic waste from the village
      5. recycle all solid waste from the village
      6. avoid adverse environmental impacts off-site from the production and  delivery of any products brought in from off-site
      7. avoid adverse environmental impacts off-site from the use and disposal of any products

The Built-Environment Challenge:

   A. To fulfill the ideal that the activities of the eco-village will be harmlessly integrated into the    natural world also requires that the Ecovillage:
      1. build with ecologically friendly materials
      2. use renewable energy sources
      3. handle solid, liquid, and gaseous wasted from buildings in an ecologically friendly manner
      4. have a minimal need for motorized transport
      5. build in ways that have a minimal impact on the land and the local ecology

  B. To fulfill the ideal that the Ecovillage supports healthy human development requires that the buildings in the community:
      1. have a good balance of public space and private space
      2. encourage community interaction
      3. support a full diversity of activities

The Economic System Challenge:
   A. To fulfill the ideal that the Ecovillage will be full featured requires that there be
significant economic activity in the Ecovillage.

  B. To fulfill the ideal of fairness and non-exploitation requires that the economic activities of the members of an eco-village not depend on the exploitation of other people and places, nor on the exploitation of the future by the present. Therefore, some of the likely questions that face an eco-village are:
      1. What are sustainable economic activities, both for the people and for the ecology?
      2. What parts of the community should be held in common and which should be
private?
      3. What should the method of land ownership be?
      4. How can we be simultaneously economically and ecologically efficient, so as to reduce both expenses and environmental impact?
      5. What are the most appropriate forms of business organization for eco-village associated businesses?
      6. Are there useful alternatives and /or supplements to the money economy for facilitating economic exchange within and between eco-villages?

The Governance Challenge:  Questions an eco-village will face with regard to its governance:
      1. How will decisions be made, and which methods will be used for what types of decisions?
      2. How will conflicts be resolved?
      3. How will decisions by the community be enforced?
      4. What will be the roles for, and expectations of, leadership?
      5. How will the eco-village relate to the government(s) in the surrounding community?

The Glue Challenge: Questions about what holds it all together?
      1. What is the appropriate interplay of unity and diversity?
      2. What common values, behaviors, or practices will be expected in the community?
      3. What, if anything, is the community's shared vision?
      4. How shall the community discover, develop, and evolve that vision?
      5. How will the community relate to others outside the community?

The Whole System Challenge:
All of the challenge areas above require change in a major paradigm. Building a successful eco-village requires a balance of activities among three major phases:
      1. Research and Design
      2. Creation and implementation
      3. On-going Operation & Maintenance