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Sustainable Development: Ecovillage and Local Agenda 21
Rolf Brinkmann, Fulbrighter at Colorado University, Denver, 1975, and now an architect and urban planner, started an ecovillage/cohousing project in 1994 in Osnabrueck, Germany. A qualified concept including aspects like low energy consumption, ecological waste water treatment, no cars on the premises and a common house was developed by a group of about 25 participants. It was foreseen to implement the plans on an affordable 5 acre lot being part of an old military installation and earmarked by the city for the purpose in question. Unfortunately the project finally failed, mainly because of the difficult and negative group dynamic process. However, for a couple of years the ecovillage to be was "talk of the town" in the city of 160 000 inhabitants and also the media spread intensively the message concerning all the relevant ecological and social issues. One impact of this is most probably a more environmentally friendly consciousness of many citizens.
What is left of the project is a nationwide active non-profit association called ecovillage e.V., also publishing articles about relevant issues in a magazine named Wohnung+Gesundheit, appearing also in Switzerland and Austria. The organisation is member of the Global Ecovillage Network and active in this context including participating in respectiv gatherings and so on.
Middle of the nineties of the last century Rolf Brinkmann got to know the technique of straw bale construction during a hands-on workshop in Holland. This kind of building system was developed in the USA and is most ecological because the natural material provides for a very good thermal insulation, which saves energy. Apart from this, housebuilding this way is affordable and with supervision and some support by tradesmen can be done by untrained people. By means of writing articles on the topic in newspapers an magazines as well as giving workshops himself and building small respective structures also at the Expo 2000 in Hanover, he spread the message about this ecological low cost system and can be considered the pioneer in Germany. Since Rolf Brinkmann was known in the meantime as somebody who realized that sustainable behaviour patterns are urgently needed for humankind in order to survive, the City of Osnabrueck appointed him in 1995 as a member of the founding group for the process of a Local Agenda 21. The concept for this undertaking includes ecology, economy, social aspects and third world and was developed in 1992 in Rio by 180 contries. Soon after the start-up in his city, Rolf was voted for as speaker of the Working group on ecological city planning, of which he is still in charge.
Against sometimes tough resistance of conservative politicians quite some relevant points were reached, including a pedestrian crossing over an innercity street with heavy traffic as well as the onset to carry out a development study for this central area. Furthermore a general plan on bicycling was adopted and more respective pathes are already installed. A hearing was performed on giving-up a small unecological airport within the boundaries of the city, which is also hampering meaningful development. However, also in this case one of the main goals, being to spread the message of the need for more sustainability is most probably being reached and hopefully will change behaviour patterns of as many people as possible including the commercial, political and administrative bodies of the city.
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