Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage

Avalon Organic Gardens & EcoVillage also known as Avalon Gardens, is a sustainable community and ecovillage started in 1994 by Global Community Communications Alliance. The ecovillage is located in Tumacacori, Arizona, south of Tubac, Arizona in the Santa Cruz Valley and consists of over 100 residents. Its sustainable practices include recycling, composting, organic gardening, rainwater harvesting, greywater recycling, alternative energy sources, eco-architecture, resource management, and human consumption management.

History and vision

Avalon Gardens was started in 1994 in northern Arizona, USA. In 2007 the ecovillage moved to the Potreros Ranch in Tumacacori, neighboring the Mission San José de Tumacácori (Tumacacori Mission), started by Father Eusebio Kino in 1691. The ecovillage incorporates some of the traditional agricultural practices employed by the Tumacacori ranchers and farmers in former decades as well as newer permaculture methods. They plan to extend their facilities and housing to accommodate visiting and resident WWOOFers, students, and workshop participants.[1]

Activities and development

Organic gardening

Avalon Gardens has a year-round organic food production system that involves greenhouses, garden beds and forest gardening, drip irrigation, soil composting and development, food preservation, and seed saving. Avalon Gardens locally participates in the community-supported agriculture (CSA) program,[2] being the first established in the state of Arizona. Their “Hands In The Soil” mornings are organized for public participation in organic gardening at the ecovillage, and workshops and tours are held regularly for public education and training. The gardens also supplies vegetables to the Food For Ascension Café, an organic vegan-vegetarian and slow food movement restaurant in Tucson.

Water harvesting

Water harvesting is important to the ecovillage because they are located in desert climate. At the ecovillage, rainwater is collected from house rooftops and water-catchment tanks. Thousands of gallons of run-off rainwater are redirected and stored to water high-water use trees, their food forest, gardens, and pastures. Through a greywater system, water is harvested from washing machines, indoor and outdoor showers, and house sinks and basins. This water is used to water flower beds, trees, and plants around the homes.

Rainwater harvesting has become significant in view of the realization that water has become scarce and it is becoming a critical problem globally. In big cities large residencies are required to have a rainwater harvesting system. For the present, drains are being constructed with conventional materials such as brick and stonemasonry and R.C.C. side drains. Rain water is made to flow through these drains to a centralized water storage tank. Water from this tank is designated for nondomestic and gardening purposes. The water storage tank is of brick masonry or R.C.C. The drains for the flow of rainwater and the tank for the storage of rainwater can be constructed using Ferrocement technology. Ferrocement drains are machine-made, precast products about 2.4 to 5 meters long with covers and perforations of the same length at about 25 mm thick. The surfaces of these drains are known to be strong and not easily eroded by the flow of water. The bottom and sides of the water storage tanks consist of ferrocement plates with space frames. These plates are about 25 mm thick, waterproof, strong, durable, and low-maintenance.

Energy-efficient building

The ecovillage uses sustainable, renewable, and recycled building materials in their building and construction projects. Paper and cardboard products are reused by blending them into a fiber pulp that is mixed with cement, poured into molds, and dried. This reused paper-cement mix is called papercrete, and the blocks are used as building material for walls, benches, flower beds, and other types of structures. Some of the sustainable dwellings at Avalon Gardens include earth domes, monolithic domes, yurts, and Eco-friendly houses.

Sustainable transport & sharing resources

To reduce their ecological footprint, noise and air pollution, ecovillage residents carpool, group-transit, bike, walk, and use other means of sustainable transport. Assigned shoppers buy food and supplies in bulk, and designated shuttle drivers make daily pickups and deliveries for over 100 residents.

Ecovillage residents share resources like vehicles, washing machines, and household appliances to make the most and best use of them. One of their facilities is a community kitchen and dining room where most of the meals are prepared and served for the entire community. Bio-friendly cleaning products and personal care products are also used to avoid water and environmental contamination.

List of agricultural and sustainable practices
  • meat, dairy, and egg dietary needs provided by on-ranch animals
  • composting
  • food forest gardening
  • greywater and rainwater harvesting
  • eco & "green" building practices in construction, including papercrete
  • use of solar power and wind power
  • sustainable transport
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See also

References
  1. Maggie Milinovich “New Neighbors”, The Villager June/July 2007, p.20
  2. Kathleen Vandervoet, “Avalon Organic Gardens, Farm, and Ranch Harvests Organic Produce Locally” Santa Cruz Valley Sun, August 6, 2008
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