Los Angeles Eco Village

 I was surprised to find the place nestled in between a strip mall of fast food joints and schools. There is a lot to say about this fabulous place, and the people within it. It is home to a food co-op that sells bulk food for about $10/lb (not limited to the residents), a micro-brewery, bee colony, a weaving class for the kids in the community, and a bike shop headed by Jimmy; a carefree member with a passion for bike building. Some of the members have started their own businesses from selling chocolate to Jimmy's bicycle kitchen (a shop aimed to bring more bikes into the community), the community has inspired and encouraged members to obtain the skills needed to sustain their lives.

As of this writing, Lois Arkin (the founder) and the rest of the members are gearing up for an expansion of the ecovillage set on 2 blocks on Bimini Place between 1st and 3rd streets which will include a pedestrian friendly walkway in the alleyway to increase foot traffic. At one point, during our tour, Lois had the crew stand in the street to demonstrate how much the street needed this addition; plenty of cars were using the street as a shortcut.  A coffee shop with low income housing on additional floors, an outside learning center for the community, and within the property itself an art studio, improvements on an outdoor living room, and so much more all for the sake of bringing the community closer together.

If you are looking for a place that integrates "social, economic, and ecological systems of the neighborhood" this is the place. I met such a diverse group of members in this 40 unit space from Anne, the resident doctor with an infectious laugh to Julio, a cancer survivor, with a heart of gold, I was enthralled to have spent 2 days with everyone.

Check out more about the eco village and what they do!
http://www.laecovillage.org/