Exploring eco-construction for local sustainability: An eco-village case study in China

Abstract

Eco-construction refers to the application of ecological principles to the development of human ecosystems in order to achieve sustainability. It consists of three components: ecological engineering, ecological institutional reestablishment and ecological cultural remolding. Since 1980, a vigorous campaign for demonstrating eco-construction has appeared in China and many ecopolis, eco-counties, eco-villages as well as eco-families have sprung up all over the country. Among such examples is a demonstrative project 'The Construction of Grand Shandu Eco-Village System (GSES)' in Jiande city of Zhejiang Province, which was launched in 1988. The construction of GSES includes the following crucial actions: (1) implementing ecological engineering in environmental protection and the comprehensive utilization of local resources; (2) planning and designing village development ecologically; (3) establishing social institutions to manage man-environment relations; (4) remaking local culture in its dimensions of behavior, i.e. psychology, intelligence and consciousness. The practice of GSES presents a successful case study for achieving village-level sustainability in China.