A project that has been building for nearly 15 years is coming to fruition.
Manitou Arbor Ecovillage currently is looking for those interested in creating a sustainable residential community in Southwest Michigan. The eco-village will be on a 40-acre site located in Comstock Township, near Kalamazoo.
Groundbreaking is expected in 2013 and reservations for lots soon will be available. The land, located on East Main between 28th and 30th Streets, is currently part of Nazareth Farms, owned by the Congregation of St. Joseph, formerly the Sisters of St. Joseph.
The planned residential development will offer four-apartment style units connected to a community center and 50 individual single family or duplex units, a total of 54 residential units. They will have ecological designs and be energy efficient. Passive solar architecture, water conservation, low-maintenance natural landscaping, and a shared community garden are among the planned features of the village.
Almost 15 years ago Sister Virginia Jones gathered a core group of people who wanted to make Manitou Arbor a reality. Their goal is to create a community of people from all ages and stations in life who want to live in a sustainable setting.
Sister Virginia says Manitou Arbor is one of a trend toward "intentional communities" for those who have a common visions and who want to create an alternative society. The focus of Manitou Arbor is sustainability, community and spirituality.
Building the ecovillage is a direction toward the kind of world where "people took their rightful place in community and in a proper and respectful relationship to all that is with the Creator, Creation and each other," says Sister Virginia.
Writer: Kathy Jennings, Second Wave
Source: Sister Virginia Jones, Manitou Arbor Ecovillage
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