This book first introduces eco-village concepts and then describes eleven eco-villages and communities in Australia, the USA and Europe. Seven of these are members of the Global Eco-village Network and/or the Eco-village Network of the Americas. An integrated view of each community is given which includes details of their beliefs and values; legal, financial, social and economic structures; technological systems, and interactions with the outside world. In the second part of the book, eight key issues arising from this study are discussed in depth:
• Building the legal foundations
• Finding the money
• Community sharing versus individual responsibility Creating a caring, sharing community
• Making decisions and managing conflicts
• Making a living
• Land selection and community design
• Technologies

The book contains a careful discussion of what makes a community an eco-village, and an imaginative glimpse of a sustainable future based on eco-village communities.