Ecovillages: A Path to Human Survival, Metabolic Health, and Global Peace

These include

• A relentless pursuit of economic growth at all costs
• An anthropocentric worldview that disconnects humans from nature
• Rampant individualistic consumerism
• Short-term political thinking and policy
• Centralized, non-participatory governance

To prevent human extinction, we must move beyond mere sustainability toward regeneration—environmental, economic, and social. Regeneration actively restores ecosystems, community well-being, and metabolic health vitality. My global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions modeling projects a 98% drop in net GHGs (from 53.0 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent per year (GtCO2e yr⁻¹) in 2023, a record amount, to approximately 1 GtCO2e yr⁻¹ by 2100). This model includes:

• Organic/Regenerative Farming: Ecovillages could generate net-negative carbon footprints. Globally, they could potentially sequester 24.1 GtCO2 yr⁻¹ into farmland, contrasting sharply with conventional chemical/herbicide/pesticide farming, which currently emits 11.9 GtCO2 yr⁻¹ into the atmosphere.
• Fossil Fuel Emissions Reduction: Fossil fuels account for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions. If 50% of humanity lived in healthy, productive, greenhouse gas-sequestering ecovillages, global GHGs would be reduced by more than half. The integration of organic/regenerative farming would then nearly eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions.

Ecovillages as a Regenerative Solution

An ecovillage is an intentional or traditional community designed to live in harmony with nature while fostering social, economic, and cultural resilience. These communities aim to regenerate rather than merely sustain, integrating four key dimensions:

Core Characteristics of Ecovillages

• Ecological Design: Built with renewable energy, natural materials, permaculture farming, and zero-waste systems.
• Social Cohesion: Emphasize shared governance (often by consensus), mutual aid, and inclusive decision-making.
• Cultural Vitality: Encourage mindfulness, celebration, education, and intergenerational learning.
• Economic Localization: Support circular economies, cooperatives, and local production to reduce reliance on global supply chains.

Purpose and Impact

Ecovillages strive to or could strive to:

• Minimize ecological footprints or even become net-regenerative (sequestering carbon dioxide into the ground)
• Restore degraded ecosystems and facilitate biodiversity
• Promote metabolic and mental health through lifestyle design
• Serve as living laboratories for regenerative innovation

Ecovillages can be rural or urban, small or large, and are often connected through networks like the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN), which supports over 10,000 communities worldwide.

A nature-based, scalable solution to reversing global warming would be the viral (exponential) spread of global ecovillages. However, there must be a compelling reason to join or visit an ecovillage other than the climate crisis facing humanity.

Epidemic of Poor Metabolic Health

The compelling reason to join or visit an ecovillage could be to reverse the global epidemic of poor metabolic health, defined as:

Not being overweight, obese, prediabetic/diabetic, or hypertensive, and with a waist circumference of less than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men.

An alarming trend highlights a drastic decline in global metabolic health. In 1925, an estimated 80-90% of the global population was metabolically healthy; by 2025, this figure is projected to drop to only 10-20%. U.S. estimates for 2025 suggest an even lower range of 7-15%. This metabolic dysfunction contributes significantly to the high prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), which caused 43 million deaths globally in 2021, accounting for 75% of all fatalities.

The lifestyle changes of the past 100 years that have fueled the global metabolic health crisis cannot be reversed through media campaigns, government proclamations, regulations, or legislation. These behaviors—now deeply embedded in modern culture—are not accidental; they are economically entrenched. According to Microsoft Copilot, reversing global warming means decreasing consumption of US residents by 60%-80% by 2050 and significant amounts by all other countries except for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Undoing these consumption patterns requires more than policy reform—it demands a paradigm shift. Utilizing ecovillages to reverse the global epidemic of poor metabolic health could be a win-win-win situation benefitting the environment, human health, and global peace.  

For ecovillages to multiply virally, they must provide a culture where metabolically healthy individuals can lead resource-rich, happy, and meaningful lives. Indeed, global warming could be completely reversed if four billion people lived in four million rural ecovillages within five years (2026-2031).

“Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) Legislation Doomed in Congress

Google Gemini said of the 78-page MAHA bill that passed the Senate with a tie-breaking vote, “while an aligned administration might push minor regulatory changes (like Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) reform) within 1-3 years, broader federal legislative goals (e.g., major GRAS reform, widespread additive bans, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) restrictions) are multi-year endeavors (3-5+ years) that frequently face indefinite stalling in a divided Congress.”

Metabolic Health Would Require Ecovillage Immersion for Most People

The worldwide metabolic health crisis cannot be solved within big or small city cultures that actively undermine it. Achieving robust metabolic health requires immersion in a culture where it thrives—cultures found in organic/regenerative, self-governing, resource-rich, global warming-reversing ecovillages. Ecovillages could self-govern, finding multifaceted solutions to live healthy, productive, and resilient lives while restoring ecological balance.

US Surgeon General nominee, Dr. Casey Means' book, "Good Energy," highlights that most chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, cancer, dementia, anxiety, and depression) stem from metabolic dysfunction, or "Bad Energy." Metabolic health is the body's ability to efficiently convert food into energy. Optimal cellular function, powered by healthy mitochondria (i.e., energy producing organelles in human cells), leads to mental clarity, physical vitality, and longevity. Conversely, poor diet, lack of exercise, sleep deprivation, chronic stress, and environmental toxins contribute to metabolic dysfunction.

Key "Good Energy" practices include:

• Nutrient-Dense, Organic/Regenerative, Whole Foods: Eliminating processed foods, refined grains, and seed oils.
• Consistent Movement: Beyond structured workouts (walking, avoiding prolonged sitting, stretching, etc.)
• Stress Management: Meditation, mindfulness, Hatha yoga postures, etc.)
• Circadian Rhythm Alignment: Optimizing light exposure and sleep.

Philanthropy Investing: Initiate the Viral (Exponential) Spread of Ecovillages

In addition to organic/regenerative farming and ranching and negligible fossil fuels use in ecovillages, ecovillages will need the following:

• Adherence to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs): Guiding principles for sustainable living.
• Shift in Values: Ecovillagers—and through examples others—prioritizing interconnectedness, stewardship, and well-being over material consumption.
• Social Cohesion: Collaborative living, shared governance, and strong community bonds.
• Exclusive Renewable Energy Use: Solar, wind, hydroelectric, etc.
• Scalability: Ecovillage models can be adaptable to diverse contexts.
• "Viral Proliferation" Mechanism: Venture capital could facilitate rapid growth of ecovillages promoting ecology, good metabolic health, and peace.

The exponential growth of ecovillages would involve knowledge transfer, network effects, demonstration effects, resilient webs of sustainable settlements. It would require rigorous research of alternative methodologies to continuously improve ecological, health, and social outcomes.

While motivated individuals can achieve metabolic health benefits, the current "big city" and “small town” cultures makes it challenging without extensive support. Venture Philanthropists could offer unique opportunities ecovillages:

• Supportive Environment: A culture where the metabolic health lifestyle is the norm
• Self-Governance by Consensus: Fostering community and shared purpose
• Fair Employment: Providing meaningful work that directly or indirectly promotes metabolic health and tangibly contributes to reversing climate change

Climate and metabolic health activists, farmers, and others will be encouraged to join these ecovillages. Once established, ecovillages can become self-financed by growing organic food, raising livestock, teaching students, and hosting guests seeking to learn and apply metabolic health principles. Additional funding can come from research, supported by governments, non-governmental organizations, and individual donors to fuel their global expansion.

Pursuing the ecovillage path to human survival, metabolic health, and global peace will present significant challenges, but these are surmountable compared to the escalating crises on our present perilous course.