Ecovillages in Arizona take sustainability to personal level
by Gabriel Sandler | Cronkite News
Above: Sarah Edalmen said a new series of solar panels will provide reliable power to the various water pumps at Wind Spirit, an ecovillage south of Globe. (Photo and story by Gabriel Sandler/Cronkite News)
The residents of Wind Spirit live on 16 acres surrounded by citrus and olive trees, stony hills and played-out mines. They’ve built their homes from materials ranging from a dirt-straw concrete mix called cob to canvas teepees to buses painted blue, purple and yellow. Outdoor sinks have signs requesting visitors use tree-friendly soap. All the bathrooms have compost toilets.
Wind Spirit, tucked between Winkelman and Superior, just south of Tonto National Forest, is an “ecovillage,” where residents live by a public set of ever-changing guidelines for respecting each other and the land.
