Eco village in Fairfield, Iowa focuses on green living

By Kelly Smith, May 2010
Staff Writer  

An Eco-Village is a type of Intentional Community that has its focus on sustainable living, reducing its environmental impact on the Earth. It is a collecti on of people living together in harmony and for the betterment of all, and Troy Van Beek of Fairfield, Iowa knows what it means to live sustainably and for the betterment of all. In fact, he and his girlfriend, Amy Greenfield, are the epitome of the modern eco-couples.

Photo courtesy of AP

“I wouldn’t want to live any other way, really, ” Van Beek says.

And for them, living ecologically goes far beyond recycling.

With the help of her ex-marine boyfriend turned eco-conscious yogi, Van Beek, Amy has created an eco-village on the outskirts of Fairfield, Iowa, that creates more energy than it needs.

“We are able to sell the energy back to the grid,” says Greenfield.

Her company Greenfield Properties at http://www.greenfieldproperties.com was recently named Greenest Builder of Fairfield and has its eyes on creating more communities in the future.

Amy Greenfield and Troy Van Beek’s home in Fairfield, Iowa is so much more than meets the eye. When I first visited the property in the spring of 2009, I saw what looked like a few houses in a field, a windmill and a small organic farm. But as I stepped inside their newly finished home, I noticed right away that their creation was much more than a house, it was a living organism that had its own identity.

1. The first thing that I noticed was that the house did not have that “new house smell” of fresh paint and chemicals. Instead, it smelled fresh and natural. Every inch of the house from the doors to the floors was carefully thought out with an eye to the environmental factors.
2. The floors, covered in bamboo, would have to be replaced every seven-to-10 years, which is just the way they like it. Instead of the regular types of hardwood in the typical household, which is made from wood that is unsustainable and slow-growing, the floors of their home are made of bamboo which grows at an accelerated rate and therefore takes less of a toll on the environment.

Eco-housing is a growing trend around the world. There are hundreds of examples all across the globe with the main theme being that of careful attention towards environmental factors. The desire is more than just to become part of a trend ; there seems to be more and more of a need to take part in conserving and maintaining a sustainable planet.
As Greenfield puts it, “If everyone in the world lived like those in the U.S. did, we’d have to have seven planets to survive.”

Eco-Communities in Arizona currently accepting visitors, include the following:

Arcosanti
Cortes L akes A rizona
http://www.arcosanti.org
Phone: 928-632-7135 or 928-632-6225
This eco-village prototype in Cortes Lakes, Arizona , north of Phoenix off of Interstate 17, is an on-going sustainable housing “experiment” in response to the problems of urban sprawl. The project started in the 1970s by architect Paolo Soleri has daily tours and accommodates overnight guests with prior arrangements.

Forrest In The Desert
Pearce, Arizona
Phone: 520-824-3537 or 520-507-0327
Forest in The Desert is a unique and interesting oasis in the high desert grasslands of Southeast Arizona. For over 30 years, The Forest has been a place of learning about natural systems and how to cooperate with them. The Forrest accepts visitors upon request.
Wind Spirit Community
Winkelman, Arizona
http://www.windspiritcommunity.org/
Wind Spirit is an eco-community of seven homes two hours from Phoenix or Tucson on 16 acres of land amongst 1,000 fruit trees. They have an active visitor s’ program and accept long-term visitor s upon interview. Check their website for more details.