Life Inside Cloughjordan Ecovillage – Sustainable Community Living

Life Inside Cloughjordan Ecovillage – A Blueprint for Sustainable Community Living

Life Inside Cloughjordan Ecovillage – A Blueprint for Sustainable Community Living is a feature created by Sarah Austin.

Based on an interview with Peadar Kirby, a resident of Cloughjordan Ecovillage and a retired professor who has spent his academic career studying development models and climate policy, the podcast, article and audio clips explore the origins, vision, and everyday life of this pioneering community—and how its lessons can be shared with the world.

“In ecovillages we are learning how to solve conflicts, how to develop a global consciousness, how to create places where children can grow up in safe and healthy environments, how to use renewable, integrated energy systems, how to provide 100% organic food and how to live lives full of love and compassion”.

Jackson and Jackson’s (2015) reflection on the history of GEN, as quoted by Peadar Kirby (1).

Cloughjordan Ecovillage Full Podcast Episode

Introduction to Cloughjordan Ecovillage

As we surpass 1.5 degrees of global warming (2), approach the Sustainable Development Goal 2030 deadline with stagnating or reversing progress (3), and witness countless climate change-related disasters impacting communities and the environment around the world, we are at a critical point in time. A time when we all must consider our role in changing the trajectory of global development, and the lives we wish to live.

There is an urgent need to reduce the ecological and carbon footprints of our communities. Here also lies an opportunity to enhance quality of life, social enterprise, local services, environmental health, and connection with nature.

Around the world, so-called “Ecovillages” are being established, in pursuit of a sustainable way of living. One such example is Cloughjordan Ecovillage in Ireland. This community demonstrates the strength and importance in community engagement for a better future.

“Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine” – It’s in the shelter of others that people survive.

-Irish Proverb

Cloughjordan Ecovillage is a sustainable community located in County Tipperary, in the centre of Ireland. The project, established in 1999, aimed to create a community which could serve as a model of sustainable living to others, from housing to food to culture (5).

An ecovillage is a community that is consciously designed through locally owned, participatory processes with regard for social, cultural, ecological and economic sustainability, to regenerate their social and natural environments (6). Designed by its inhabitants, no two ecovillages are the same.

Awards and Achievements

Thanks to their efforts, Cloughjordan Ecovillage has the lowest ecological footprint of any community recorded in Ireland (2gHa) (5). This is among many achievements and awards bestowed upon the ecovillage, including:

Planted a woodland of 17,000 native trees across one third of their 67-acre site (2011).
Awarded gold medal in the so-called “Green Oscars”, or International Awards for Liveable Communities, as one of the world’s top innovative projects that demonstrate sustainability and environmental awareness, with a positive impact on the community and environment (2013).
Selected as one of the European Union’s MILESECURE-2050 projects, due to its success ‘in terms of social recognition, and excellent results from an energy and environmental point of view’ (2014).
Opening of the Cloughjordan amphitheatre by President Michael D. Higgins, providing a centre for performance and expression (2017).
Nominated finalist in the Transformative Cities Awards Housing category, commended for its integration, commitment to social enterprise, efforts in community-building and conflict resolution, and multi-facet nature from farming to arts (2020) (7).
Hosted the ‘Wider Perspectives Event’ to explore how today’s global issues inform life in and the development of the ecovillage (2024).

Enjoy this tour of Cloughjordan Ecovillage by drone!

Story of the Ecovillage

“Renewable energy heating, energy-efficient homes, biodiversity, local produce, the freedom of children to play, encounter nature, green enterprise centre, solar to wood part community heating, many acres devoted to allotments, farming, thousands of native trees – All of this is an agenda about life and hope and our planet, and The Village stands as an impressive and encouraging testimony to all that can be achieved – and I think what is so important is that this has all been merged and bonded with the existing town.” – Michael D. Higgins – President of Ireland. (9)

The story of Cloughjordan Ecovillage begins back in 1999, when Sustainable Projects Ireland Ltd. was established by a group of sustainable living enthusiasts, with a view to creating a model of sustainable living that could serve as an example for others (5).

The objectives were to minimise pollution of air, water and land, demonstrate a new approach to rural regeneration, facilitate local, sustainable business, and celebrate culture and community (9).

After careful consideration and years of planning, in 2005, the group purchased the 67-acre site on the edge of the small town of Cloughjordan, chosen for its potential for sustainable development and integration with the existing community. With the completion of infrastructure works, and the commencement of the house-building phase, the first residents of Cloughjordan Ecovillage moved in in 2009 (5).

Since then, the Ecovillage has received a host of awards, and has become a hub for sustainability education, hosting informative and inspirational workshops and tours. The Ecovillage is now home to over 130 people (10). Every Ecovillage member has a shared responsibility for their village, meaning development of the Ecovillage is done in a collaborative and inclusive manner.

Features of the Ecovillage

There are three key features that define the Cloughjordan project as an Ecovillage: ecological building standards, carbon-neutral district heating system, and community-based food system (1).

1. Ecological Building Standards

There are now over 50 low-energy homes and work units in the Cloughjordan Ecovillage, with 133 plots allocated for housing. The homes are arranged in neighbourhoods within the Ecovillage, each with its own community garden or green space, and each home has a private garden (11).

The Ecovillage’s Ecological Charter contains a set of standards and principles to which buildings must adhere, including total heat input, insulation specifications, ventilation, and maximising natural light and heat (1).

All Ecovillage residents become members of Sustainable Projects Ireland Ltd. and sign the Ecological Charter to ensure buildings meet agreed environmental standards (11). Members have committed to a total energy usage of 84kWh/m2/year, which ensures building energy requirements are 30% below those permitted by the 2006 Building Regulations (12). Some houses have gone off-grid, producing their own solar energy using photovoltaic panels (11).

Careful consideration has gone into choosing the materials used in constructing the Ecovillage houses. Most of the houses are constructed of low energy wooden frames, and one even features recycled newspaper as insulation (13).

2. District Heating System

The District Heating System supplies all homes with heating and hot water, via two 500-kilowatt wood-chip boilers and 500m2 of solar thermal panels for back-up (1). Homeowners pay a monthly share for access to the district heating system (11).

Compared to the equivalent conventional housing development in Ireland, the Ecovillage’s district heating system is estimated to have saved 113.5 tonnes of carbon emissions annually (1).

3. Community-based Food System

The Cloughjordan Community Farm operates a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. According to the European CSA Research Group, “CSA is a direct partnership between a group of consumers and producer(s) whereby the risks, responsibilities and rewards of farming activities are shared through long-term agreements. Generally operating on a small and local scale, CSA aims at providing quality food produced in an agroecological way.” (16).

The Cloughjordan Community Farm is membership-based, and its more than 100 members receive deliveries of fresh, seasonal produce twice per week (7).

The Ecovillage features 50 acres of land for allotments, farming and woodland (14). Cloughjordan Community Farm is 10 acres in size, and produces 85 varieties of fruit, vegetables, herbs and salads (1). These supply the farm members, the Middle Country Café cooperative, and visiting groups.

The farm features an orchard of over 70 varieties of native Irish apples (13). These can be seen on the Ecovillage Apple Walk! Each year, locals celebrate the harvest at the annual Apple Festival, or ‘Féile na nÚll’. The day is filled with activities centred around apples, including the Apple Bake Contest, apple pressing from apples collected by the attendees, and garden tours (17). Other activities include sustainability talks, cooking demonstrations and dance performances.

You can take a look at some photos from Féile na nÚll 2024 on Facebook here.

The farm is developed following permaculture techniques, to produce an edible and productive landscape, that gives back to both people and the planet, and helps create a closer connection between people and the earth (10).

Permaculture is a practice of growing food which uses techniques informed by natural systems and cycles and aims to create stable, productive systems, integrating the land with its inhabitants and minimising environmental impact (19).

Cloughjordan Community Farm employs techniques including crop rotation, applying green manure, physical labour, and saving seeds (10). The farm also features a dedicated compost area, composting toilet, and compost- heated shower, and is committed to seed-saving, with approximately 60% of crops grown from their own seeds (1). This helps contribute to the food security of the Ecovillage, and a level of self-sufficiency.

The farm is tended to by two employed farmers and volunteers. However, the farm also features personal allotments, allowing interested residents to tend to their own crops (13).

Within the Ecovillage there are also the RED Gardens – Research, Education and Demonstration – where experiments are conducted throughout the year to test various growing methods (11). Each garden measures 100m2, designed to provide an average family with most of the vegetables they eat for most of the year (20). RED Garden manager Bruce Darrell shares his findings on the dedicated YouTube Channel (21).

Life in the Ecovillage

Reviving a community

The town of Cloughjordan was witnessing a steady decline of the population, a fall of 13% between 1991 and 2002 (12), with many of its younger residents leaving for employment opportunities (11). This had a knock-on impact on the age demographic of the area and on the local school and businesses.

The arrival of the Ecovillage residents helped to increase trade in the local businesses (11). Built just off the main street, the Ecovillage was not isolated, facilitating integration with the rest of the Cloughjordan community (13). This was a key objective of the project and proved valuable in reviving the existing village.

Integration with the existing community has also been important in giving the Ecovillage residents access to existing services, such as public transport, retail and education, as well as cultural facilities such as sports, arts and heritage groups (12).

Community Involvement

Priorities laid beyond solely conserving the environment, but also in facilitating a strong sense of community through shared responsibility and cultural activities, while living in harmony with nature (10). This is facilitated by all residents becoming members of Sustainable Projects Ireland Ltd. and signing the Ecovillage’s Ecological Charter (11).

Each adult resident of the Ecovillage pledges 100 hours of volunteer work per year, from maintaining farmland, to organising members’ meetings, to leading educational tours (13).

Every week, Ecovillage residents come together in the WeCreate centre for soup made from the community farm produce, bread from Riot Rye Bakehouse and homemade cakes, creating a wonderful sense of a cohesive community (11).

Ecovillage Governance

For governance and decision-making, Cloughjordan Ecovillage implements the “Viable Systems Model”, developed by Stafford Beers, based on the self-organising nature of ecosystems (1). This allows for a flatter decision-making structure and a bottom-up approach.

Social Enterprise

The Ecovillage project has facilitated the establishment of a number of businesses in Cloughjordan, including a book shop, eco-hostel, bakery, and education, internet and eco-architecture services (12). Furthermore, the Enterprise Centre and ‘FabLab’ (Fabrication Laboratory) provide a space to support the development of green business ideas and education (12).

The Ecovillage Learning Alliance is a network of local learning providers consisting of enterprises, members and residents (22). Its aim is to develop Cloughjordan as a learning campus and strengthen local enterprises to create an economically sustainable community. Some members of the Learning Alliance include:

Cloughjordan Community Farm
Cultivate – Research NGO specialising in community resilience and ecological living
Django’s eco-hostel
Gaia Ecotecture – Ecological architects
Sheelagh na Gig – Bookstore, coffee, gifts and wholefoods
Riot Rye Bakehouse and Bakery School

The Riot Rye Bakehouse and Bakery School, winner of gold, silver and bronze medals in the Blas na hÉireann National Irish Food Awards, operates a community-supported business model in the Ecovillage (13). Community members have committed to purchasing fresh bread from the bakery three times per week, supporting small, local business and livelihoods.

Transport

The main train station is within walking distance of the Ecovillage, facilitating sustainable transport to Dublin. Furthermore, residents can access a car-sharing service on a pay-as-you-drive basis, to facilitate journeys that would be tricky by public or active transport (12).

Living in Harmony with Nature

Cloughjordan Ecovillage has the lowest ecological footprint of any community recorded in Ireland. At just 2 global hectares, it is less than half that of a typical Irish settlement (5).

Global hectares (gHa) is the unit of measurement of Ecological Footprint and Biocapacity, allowing us to compare the biological productivity of a given area and human demand on biological productivity (23). This is thanks to the nature-considerate farming methods used, the biodiversity garden, and the wood pellet-fuelled district heating system.

To promote local biodiversity, the Ecovillage features a biodiversity trail, which surrounds the entire village. It is used for education, food for nature and residents, to create wildlife corridors and other habitats, and for residents to connect with nature (10).

Cultural Activities

The WeCreate enterprise centre is used as a co-working space, community food hub, as well as a town hall and events centre (13; 11). The Ecovillage also features the Cloughjordan Community Amphitheatre, a 1916 Rising Centenary project and remembering Thomas MacDonagh, poet, playwright, co-leader of the 1916 rising, and Cloughjordan native (10). The venue celebrates local creativity, regularly hosting concerts, plays and even a pop-up Gaeltacht (11). The structure was built using the collected subsoil from building the Ecovillage’s houses (10). There is also an amenity field, which hosts the local scouts, football team, and other community events (11).

Cloughjordan Ecovillage as a Model of Sustainable Living

“To serve as an education, enterprise and research service resource for all” – Mission Statement of Cloughjordan Ecovillage residents.

The Ecovillage has been an excellent demonstration of sustainable housing and communities in urban and rural areas (12). They receive thousands of visitors every year to learn about sustainable living and how the practices in the Ecovillage can be applied to villages, communities, schools and businesses everywhere (24).

Education and Research

Cloughjordan Ecovillage aims to act as a hub for education (24). They welcome schools, third level students, businesses, community groups, and individuals interested in learning about sustainable living and working practices. Education is delivered through the Ecovillage Learning Alliance, a network of local learning providers and enterprises (22).

The Cloughjordan Ecovillage project has contributed to much research into sustainable living, some of which can be found on their Research Publications page (25). The Village Education, Research and Training (VERT) group offers advice and support to researchers interested in documenting the development of the Ecovillage and lessons learned in sustainable community living (26).

Challenges

“Harsh lessons have been learned and this is certainly no utopia. But locals are adamant that they are the pioneers of a low-carbon economy and that the world can learn from their example.” (28).

The development of the Ecovillage has not been without its challenges. Most notably, perhaps, the economic crash of 2008, in which half of deposits on housing sites were lost and all staff of Sustainable Project Ireland Ltd. had to be let go (28). The sale of sites and existing building plans were halted (1). Despite this, the remaining members persevered, and the Ecovillage has come on leaps and bounds.

The responsibility that comes with life in the Ecovillage can be demanding, with members being financially connected, contributing 100 hours of volunteer work per year, and attending members meetings (28; 1). It takes commitment to ensure community members are sufficiently engaged in monthly meetings and maintenance of the Ecovillage. Moreover, the ‘consensus form’ of decision-making, though it includes members in decisions, is more complex than typical top-down decision-making structures (1).

The financial accessibility of the Ecovillage has been questioned. Considering the price of building sites, architect’s plans and bespoke eco-friendly builds, it is quite costly to relocate to the Ecovillage (11). This may especially discourage young people from joining the community, which is itself starting to age since the beginning of the project in 1999 (28). The demographics of the Ecovillage are described by one resident as “older, middle class people” (13). The Cloughjordan Co-Housing cooperative is planning the development of low-cost low-energy homes with shared services, to try to manage this issue (1). Others choose to live in the town and access the Ecovillage resources from there (11).

Although there are building sites available in the Ecovillage, housing construction has been paused in the Ecovillage due to constraints on the local wastewater facilities (15). Investigations have been done into possible onsite wastewater treatments, such as reed bed filtration systems, urine collection and humanure composting (11), however the proposed solution at present is to upgrade the capacity of the Cloughjordan town’s wastewater treatment system (15). Until such upgrades are made, there remains an embargo on planning permission in Cloughjordan town and Ecovillage.

Demonstrating Sustainable Community Living

Much can be learned about sustainable living from Cloughjordan Ecovillage, from reducing one’s ecological footprint, to spending more time in nature, and being more engaged with one’s community. The Ecovillage has demonstrated successes across the three pillars of sustainability – Environment, Society and Economy – including environmental conservation, reduced carbon emissions, community engagement, enhanced quality of life, education, rural regeneration, and thriving social enterprise.

Cloughjordan Ecovillage offers excellent insights into low-carbon development and lifestyles. Their houses have been built with the key aim of minimising energy consumption and some even going so far as to using upcycled materials. The district heating system operates on renewable, low carbon materials, and some members have taken it a step further by installing their own solar panels. Cloughjordan Community Farm provides an excellent example of how a community can produce much of its own food and reduce related carbon emissions in doing so, by reducing food miles and working the land in a way that protects and enhances carbon stores such as soil.

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Promoting local biodiversity is something that must be improved in all communities around the world. Cloughjordan Ecovillage has demonstrated how the conservation and enhancement of natural spaces can benefit biodiversity, provide a space for recreation and wellness, and even contribute to the food system. Their planted woodland is a testimony to the members’ commitment to conserving nature and tackling climate change. However, it is shown that biodiversity can be protected even on a smaller scale, such as biodiversity walks, neighbourhood green spaces and personal gardens.

Community involvement, support of local enterprise and education have been at the heart of the Ecovillage. The Ecovillage has helped to revive the existing town, drive local business, and promote green enterprise and innovation. Cloughjordan Community Farm demonstrates how a community can support local business and engage a community with its food system. Engaging more with our food systems helps us respect the food produced, natural resources used, and people involved. Events such as Féile na nÚll bring people together in celebration of food, connect people with the seasons and nature, and provide an excellent opportunity for education. The Ecovillage has committed to educating the public on sustainable living, welcoming visitors from near and far for tours and talks, which have proven most popular.

The success of Cloughjordan Ecovillage, in the face of many challenges, is clear from its numerous awards celebrating the sustainability and liveability of the Ecovillage, and achievements from ecological footprint, to community integration, to social enterprise. It demonstrates a model of rural transformation and sustainable living that could be imitated in communities across Ireland, and perhaps even across the world.

Visit Cloughjordan Ecovillage

The residents offer visitors a guided tour of the Ecovillage on the first Sunday of every month. You are encouraged to come along and see their work in action! Find out more on their website.

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Life Inside Cloughjordan Ecovillage – A Blueprint for Sustainable Community Living – Podcast Episode: S4, E6

Life Inside Cloughjordan Ecovillage – A Blueprint for Sustainable Community Living

Cloughjordan Ecovillage Full Podcast Episode