Sieben Linden – a utopia turned reality!

Today the Sieben Linden Ecovillage (which means seven linden trees) is a vibrant village where children play on unpaved paths, adults look as busy as anywhere else, and a 7.5-acre vegetable garden full of local produce makes you want to eat. Fifteen straw bale houses and forty-five caravans form an ensemble that is unique in Germany. The settlement is largely car-free – the parking lot in front of the village shows that car sharing is a top priority here: 14 parking spaces are reserved for the community’s own cars.

The 150 residents of the ecovillage live in pure, self-created luxury: Who else has a pond with a beach, their own sauna, a dance room where music is played once a week, and a choice of several yoga and sports groups on site? Who else gets two meals a day cooked with delicious vegetables from their own garden and has so many helpful neighbors nearby?

1 The ecovillage site in 1997 – the cleared agricultural landscape is still very much in evidence
2 Straw bale houses “Windrose” (wind rose) and “Libelle” (dragonfly)
3 Straw bale house “Windrose” (wind rose)

Small, closed cycles – cradle to cradle

The goal of “self-sufficiency” was interpreted quite literally in the early days of the ecovillage project, but has been deliberately adapted over the years. The goal is now to create closed cycles that are as small as possible, to be aware of the ecological and social consequences of consumer goods – and what happens to the products at the end of their life.

In the food sector, self-sufficiency through the cultivation of fruit and vegetables is an important cornerstone. Throughout the year, the village is 70% self-sufficient in fruit and vegetables – and we really do eat a lot of vegetables, which are cooked every day for lunch and dinner. When it comes to construction, self-sufficiency is now less about all future residents contributing to the building. Instead, as much as possible is built by our own professional craftspeople, who are paid fairly for their work. Some houses were built with wood from our own forest or clay from our own site. However, as we have gained experience with the quality of the materials, we now often use commercial building materials. There is also a high degree of energy self-sufficiency (solar thermal, photovoltaics, and firewood).

The cradle of straw bale construction in Germany

The Sieben Linden Ecovillage is the cradle of straw bale construction in Germany. Almost all new buildings in the ecovillage are straw bale houses. This construction method is a perfect example of the principle of small cycles over the entire life cycle of a product: the straw for the straw bales grows in the immediate vicinity of the ecovillage, which keeps transportation distances short. We have developed a good personal relationship with the farmers. At the end of the house’s life, the main building materials – wood, straw, and clay – are natural materials that can be easily recycled or composted.

Fortunately, the end of the life of the houses in the Seven Linden Ecovillage is still a long way off. The first approved straw bale house in Germany was built here 22 years ago, and there are no signs of weakness or damage to the building. In France and the United States, there are straw bale houses from the 1920s that are still in excellent condition. Our straw bale houses are no different.

Small ecological footprint

Straw bale construction is by no means the only ecological feature of our village. At Sieben Linden you will find only composting toilets. The feces are composted and recently even partially converted into biogas in a small experimental biogas plant. In recent years, more and more green roofs have been built, providing very special habitats.

Solar thermal and photovoltaic (PV) systems are an important part of the energy concept. Sixty percent of the village’s electricity comes from its own PV systems. Important next steps include energy storage and wind power. The ecological footprint of the residents of the village is already only one third of that of the average German citizen. This is due to the predominantly plant-based and regional diet, as well as the astonishingly low primary energy consumption of the straw bale construction and the very energy-efficient heating systems.

4 Straw bales being installed
5 A sample straw bale wall section for workshops
6 Eva Stützel used her experience as one of the founders of the Sieben Linden Ecovillage to develop the Community Compass, which has since become an important tool for community housing projects.
7 The ecological footprint of the Sieben Linden Ecovillage is impressively smaller than the German average, but still too large!

The social dimension

For the Seven Linden Ecovillage, the social dimension of sustainability is just as important as the ecological dimension. “Our ecovillage is as successful as it is because, from the very beginning, we have always put a lot of energy into connecting with each other, into constructive communication, and into building community,” the founders of the Sieben Linden Ecovillage concluded. Three times a year, the community sets aside a generous amount of time for what we call “Intensive Times,” when we take a closer look at the workings of our community in a safe space, sometimes with and sometimes without the help of external facilitators.

Other shorter meetings, such as “plenary assemblies,” “council meetings,” and “small group meetings,” ensure that projects continue to evolve as they are implemented. In addition, we have a good organizational structure that is constantly adapted to current needs. The social dimension also includes the many celebrations and a culture of appreciation and recognition of all contributions that serve the development of the village.

8 Summer camp
9 Cultural Festival “Wagen und Winnen” (dare to do and win, especially to exchange ideas)
10 Harvest Festival

The Sieben Linden Ecovillage is organized as a cooperative; the grounds and communal infrastructure belong to the ecovillage cooperative “Ökodorf eG,” of which all permanent residents are members. Most of the residential buildings belong to the housing cooperative “Wohnungsgenossenschaft Sieben Linden eG;” private ownership of real estate is not permitted. The housing cooperative also runs the village’s own tree nursery, the photovoltaic systems, and manages over 170 acres of forest that provide firewood for the village’s wood-fired heating systems. It pursues an ambitious low-impact forestry concept inspired by “process protection,” which initiates a long-term ecological transformation of the forest.

The main economic basis of the Sieben Linden Ecovillage is now less about self-sufficiency and more about “local economy.” As many contracts as possible are awarded in the village itself, making Sieben Linden less dependent on outside income than a traditional village. For the flow of money from outside, the people of Sieben Linden rely primarily on sharing their experience with the world. An educational company for sustainable development, whose guests are of course accommodated in a straw bale house, is a very important source of income. In addition, many people from Sieben Linden are self-employed and share their knowledge and experience in other places as consultants for community building, environmental educators, or experts in straw bale construction.

More info

• Sieben Linden Ecovillage
• Community Compass   
• Video: 2021 Ecovillage Summit – Sieben Linden Community Compass