A small eco-village in a big city

This small village in downtown Los Angeles is truly amazing: kitchen waste is used to fertilize vegetables, water is recycled, solar energy is applied to cook, and bicycling is the way to commute.

The Los Angeles Eco-Village, situated in Koreatown in downtown Los Angeles, is the only eco-village in city in Southern California and was turned from an old building compound built in 1902.

"It is unique to have an eco-village in the urban area. I just want to have an impact to the whole state, the whole country and perhaps to all the people in this globe who want to protect the environment," Lois Arkin, founder of the eco-village, told Xinhua.

Arkin had lived in the apartment building since 1980. In 1993, she turned the apartment building compound into an eco-village.

"It is not easy since I have no money but I have a vision. I think people live in this globe would finally realize that we should live in harmony with our neighbors and with our environment," said the 78-year old founder.

Arkin said the eco-village idea is in conformity with the eco-city movement that has started in the United States and some other countries.

About 50 households live in the apartment compound, all of them strong supporters of environmental protection and prefer to live an eco life.

"People who live here intentionally demonstrate to the rest of the city that to change the way of life will contribute to the protection of our environment," said Arkin.

Residents of the village had set up the Los Angeles Eco-Village Intentional Community, where every one was willing to sacrifice luxury life style and contribute to the environment.

Lora Morrison, an active volunteer who lived in the compound, had built a small chicken farm. She said she can get four eggs per day on average.

She also showed how people here turned kitchen waste into food for plant and grow their vegetables in the yard.

There was no air conditioning in her room. There was a heater but she said she seldom used it unless it was very cold in winter.

None of the residents had air conditioner, and hot water came from solar energy. Water from washing machines was collected to irrigate the yard.

Almost everyone owned a bike, but only few people had cars.

"People in the village prefer to walk or ride bikes to work or shopping. Car driving is very limited," said Morrison.

The garden of the village has become a model for education, where nearby school students come to learn hands-on experiences of eco life.

Michelle Wong, an acupuncture practitioner, volunteered to work in the garden for the past 15 years. She had planted many Chinese herbs as a way to let people learn Chinese medicine.

She said she would use some of the herbs she grew in the garden to treat her patients.

The eco-village was rather busy in April, the Earth Month, with open houses and lectures.

Yi Huang, visiting scholar from China at the University of La Verne, told Xinhua that she was impressed by the eco-village after the tour.

"We have concerns about the safety of food, water and air living in a modern society. After visiting the village, I think every one living on this globe should do something to get rid of those worries," said Huang.

She said she found it was amazing that the eco-village was built in downtown Los Angeles, instead of some rural area.

It was a small village in a big city, which made Yi think of finding some space to grow vegetables and flowers when she went back to China.

"No space is no longer an excuse for me," she said.

Yi believed that though the eco-village was not big, it would inspire people from other parts of the world to do similar things in their capacity.

The eco-village has attracted attention from researchers and scholars in the country and the City of Los Angeles has also supported efforts of the eco-villagers.

"Yesterday we welcomed a group of scholars from China, I think environmental protection is a global issue that should be dealt with by everyone living on earth," said Arkin.