Eco Community Essay

Economically, the 21st century has been characterized by The Great Recession, an ongoing economic decline that began in 2007 when mortgage concerns hit United States markets and share indexes plunged. The U.S. housing bubble burst, damaging financial institutions and creating an interbank credit crisis. World and U.S. markets began to slide in 2008, and U.S. oil prices reached a record $147 a barrel. When the stock market crashed, over $1.2 trillion U.S. dollars in market value assets evaporated, and America entered a deep recession. In 2009, Congress passed a $787 billion stimulus package to help the U.S. economy. In 2010, unemployment reached its highest in the decade at 9.6 percent. That same year, 1,593,081 people and businesses filed for bankruptcy in America. Contributing to these numbers are the increasing levels of competitiveness and productivity. In order to remain profitable in a global capitalist economy, corporations have been downsizing and outsourcing in the past decade. On average, …show more content…
The literature on these communities disclosed some information on the history, philosophy and basic elements of eco communities. However, they omitted important information. Furthermore, without an understanding of the motivations, perceptions, and actual lifestyle of eco community members, no analysis could be complete. There are certain things that can only be realized through first-hand experience, since what scholars have written about the communities or what a community may claim on its website or in interviews is sometimes faulty, deceptive or incomplete. The danger of misunderstanding is especially great because these communities are alternative societies. It is necessary to learn the culture of the communities before one can produce valid explanations and analyses of the eco