Lake James Eco Village Guiding Principles

Definition: (1st Draft)
Lake James Eco Village refers to the Ecological Village on Lake James in North Carolina, city of Morganton. A low-density residential neighborhood with easy access to Lake James and Morganton, NC. The community will preserve integrity of the land and lake and will feature open spaces for recreation and permaculture and focus commercial activity within the Village Center.

Guiding Principles 1st Draft
1. The density, design, and character of buildings will be safe, function and aesthetically pleasing and will be a compliment to the land and lake.
2. The Eco Village will integrate the natural landscape and incorporate designs that
complement the area’s rural ambiance. Development along the boundaries of the Eco Village will be sensitive to adjacent rural areas.
3. The Eco Village will concentrate commercial uses into a auto and pedestrian-friendly Village Center where commercial and public services are at an appropriate scale for meeting the community’s common needs.
4. Street connections and pedestrian paths between residential areas and the Village Center, and between the LJ Eco Village and larger community, will be sensitive to existing developments.
5. Options for different types of travel will be provided, including driving, walking and bicycling. Street designs will promote good driver behavior and be appropriately sized for the volume and speed of traffic.
6. Water, sewer and streets will keep pace with changes and growth that occur within LJ Eco Village
7. Public and private common space, parks, and sports fields will be provided and located to foster a strong community.

Is an Eco Village on Lake James possible?

Is a safe, functional & aesthetically pleasing Ecological Village on Lake James possible? We would need positive, hardworking, creative and visionary people to help us in creating our eco village dream. The visionaries would include entrepreneurs, organic gardeners, organic farmers, attorneys, sustainable builders/architects, carpenters, teachers, healers etc. that are interested in a superior and sustainable quality of life, in a unique and connected neighborhood, with character that reflects a strong sense of community.

Lake James North Carolina

What is an Eco Village?

"Ecovillages are human-scale, full-featured settlements in which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world in a way that is supportive of healthy human development, and which can be successfully continued into the indefinite future."
—Robert and Diane Gilman, Ecovillages and Sustainable Commuities, 1991

Free Classes at Lake James Ecological Village

I would like Lake James Ecological Village to offer free classes to the residents of Morganton, Marion, Glen Alpine and surrounding communities:

Classes could include:

What is Permaculture

Permaculture 101

Permaculture 102

How to build your own wind generator

How to build your own solar water heater

How to construct a sustainable and healthy home

What is LEED certification

How to raise happy and healthy organic urban chickens

How to have a Mini-Farm in Your Own Backyard

Fruit & Veggie growing seasons in North Carolina

Designing a Vegetable Garden

What to do in your garden in (enter current month here)

Less is More Philosophy by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (pronounced [ˈlʊdvɪç miːs faːn dɛʀ ˈʀoːɐ]), born Maria Ludwig Michael Mies (March 27, 1886 – August 17, 1969) was a German architect.[1] He was commonly referred to and addressed by his surname, Mies, by most of his American students and others.

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, along with Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier, is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture. Mies, like many of his post World War I contemporaries, sought to establish a new architectural style that could represent modern times just as Classical and Gothic did for their own eras. He created an influential 20th century architectural style, stated with extreme clarity and simplicity. His mature buildings made use of modern materials such as industrial steel and plate glass to define interior spaces. He strived towards an architecture with a minimal framework of structural order balanced against the implied freedom of free-flowing open space. He called his buildings "skin and bones" architecture. He sought a rational approach that would guide the creative process of architectural design, and is known for his use of the aphorisms "less is more" and Gustave Flaubert's "God is in the details".

Source: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

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