Staff Interview with Astrid Jirka

What inspired you to work for Eco-Gap Program at EcoVillage Ithaca?

I am worried about the state of the world. It seems to me that humanity is moving in a direction that is causing people to be more stressed out and the planet to become less stable. I believe that if everyone were more aware of the major issues of our time and understood the impacts that modern day living has on our own health and well-being, that'd we'd all be motivated to take action towards finding solutions that will make the world a healthier, happier, and more peaceful place to live.

EcoVillage Ithaca is a community that shares these concerns and beliefs and which is striving, every day, to find ways to live on the planet with a smaller ecological footprint and with more sensitivity towards others. It's an amazing place, regularly featured by worldwide media for its great success in providing an example of a new way that people can live together and thrive. I am honored to be able to help the EcoVillage develop and run a program for young adults that will showcase to them what the EcoVillage does—how it was built, who lives there, and how they work and play and manage their lives to be in greater harmony with each other and the land.

EcoVillage Ithaca inspires me. The Eco-Gap Program is a unique program that can inspire young people and give them a sense of hope and empowerment to find solutions to today's pressing issues.

Why do you do what you do?

I do what I do because I am driven by idealism and hope for a better world. When I feel discouraged about the way things are (climate change, racism, terrorism, childhood hunger, poisoned rivers, etc.) I am sad and often overwhelmed by the number and scale of the problems that we face. Sometimes I feel discouraged and wonder if it's even worth it to try to do anything to make things better, but then I realize that if I just sit back and do nothing I am not only part of the problem, I feel badly too. I know that I have skills, knowledge, and most importantly, a big heart and hopeful energy that might be able to make at least a small difference.

If I don't put those to use, and if others were to do the same, then nothing would ever get done.  It is better, and it feels better, to get up and do something. At the end of my work day I have the sense that the work I've done has been with the intention of affecting positive change and I can feel good about myself—and that feels good. I know that what is good for others is also good for me, so why not work for good in the world? I see no other choice.

What are some current projects you are working on?

I am currently working to develop the Eco-Gap Program at EcoVillage. We are establishing an Immersion Program that allows up to eight young adults to live at the EcoVillage to experience life there, take some time to explore their interests, and learn about innovative ways of living that are as low-impact as possible on the Earth.

We are also establishing an Internship Program that gives young adults the ability to explore their personal ambitions and visions by living and learning at the EcoVillage for a few weeks at a time.

Additionally, I teach yoga classes and workshops which help people have stronger and more flexible bodies, but also to clear and focus their minds so they can better understand themselves and what is important to them.

Lastly, I also work on projects related to environmental education about the watershed in which I live. All of these projects are focused on giving people a chance to experience and learn about their own well-being, the well-being of others, and the well-being of the planet.  

What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?

Talk to strangers. Interact with others. Look people in the eye when you talk to them (unless it's culturally inappropriate). Take public, local transportation as much as you can. Don't be afraid to be in a place where you don't speak the language or where you may look different than others.  Be yourself and others will be interested to know who you are. But use common sense and be careful too.

What makes EcoVillage Ithaca special?

EcoVillage Ithaca is one of the oldest and most well-established modern-day EcoVillages in the world. While many villages and cooperative living communities exist around the world, EVI was started by a group of people who did not have historical ties to one another. It was started by a group of people who came together with a vision and who took many years to implement that vision by purchasing land together, deciding on their building plans, building modern-day, energy efficient homes, and finally determining how they were going to govern and manage their collective life.

Over the years, 3 separate neighborhoods developed, but the village continues to function as a whole. With 220 people living there and four farms, it's one of the largest, most internationally-recognized ecovillages. It is a highly unique living arrangement that allows for the sharing of resources and the establishment of a sense of community. In this way it is addressing many of today's pressing global issues such as resource depletion, industrial agriculture, and feelings of isolation and depression. It is a place of experimentation for new ways of living and instilling hope.

What hopes do you have for the future of EcoVillage Ithaca?

The EcoVillage is just about at its maximum size in terms of how many people can comfortably live together on the land and manage their lives together. But there is the thought of creating a fourth neighborhood that would consist of tiny homes in an effort to showcase what a cooperative tiny home community could look like.

What is the mission of EcoVillage Ithaca and how do you continue to work toward it?

EcoVillage at Ithaca is part of a global movement of people seeking to create positive solutions to the social, environmental, and economic crises our planet faces. Since 1991, we have developed an award-winning ecovillage that invites all to live, learn, and grow. Our mission is to promote experiential learning about ways of meeting human needs for shelter, food, energy, livelihood, and social connectedness that are aligned with the long-term health and viability of Earth and all its inhabitants.

We work towards this mission by maintaining the 100 homes we have built for the 220 residents that are partaking in this living experiment. We also offer learning tours and programs to the media and educational institutions to help others learn from our experiences.

What do you hope participants take away from your programs?

It is my hope that participants will leave the EcoVillage Ithaca, where the Eco-Gap Program takes place, with a sense of peace in their hearts, hope for the future, and a direction for which to take their renewed sense of enthusiasm and drive to work towards a better future for all. The EcoVillage is a fairly peaceful place with lots of access to nature. It is also a place where the residents are open-minded and open-hearted and wanting to share their good intentions and learned knowledge and skills with others. They are welcoming and encouraging.

These two aspects of the ecovillage make it a safe and supportive atmosphere to live in for a while, while learning about the many different facets of ecological living. With so much stress in the world today, participants will hopefully find a place where they can slow down a bit and find some peace. At the same time they will learn some invaluable knowledge and skills that they can incorporate into their personal lives and/or use as inspiration to further pursue their interests.

Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?

I think it is extremely important for all people, but young people in particular, to travel outside of their communities to see how others are living in the world. If it's possible to go abroad where people speak other languages and eat wildly different food and maybe practice different religions, then that is an opportunity that should not be missed. But just traveling to another region closer to home may also provide a shift of perspective. Seeing new landscapes, learning about the history of new places, talking to people about how they make their living and the challenges they face, living with or near others, and talking with them to hear about their hopes and dreams and struggles are all so important for us to see the world from a global perspective.  

I believe we are one human family. Too much of our media focuses on the differences between us, but really we are all practically the same. It is good to understand the differences, but it is essential to develop the understanding of our common unity. In this way we can work together, across cultural lines, to find solutions to the problems of today. Traveling opens our hearts and our minds to new possibilities and challenges us to think out of the box.

Why do you think learning a new language is important?

Language is nuanced and multi-faceted. It contains depth and history. It is an indicator of what is important to the culture that it comes from. Are there specific words to delineate gender? Words that dictate hierarchy? Words that acknowledge seniority? How many ways are there to say please? What words are used to describe 'hello', 'good day', or 'sweet dreams'? By learning another language it gives you insight and perspective into a new culture.

Perhaps more importantly, attempting to learn a new language if you are traveling to a new place is a critical gesture that indicates your appreciation of and respect for that place and its people. English-speakers are lucky in that many in the world speak English so we may take it for granted that we can communicate easily all over the world. But even if others can speak English as their second language, it is important to show an interest in their language and to learn as much as possible in order to gain a richer understanding of that person's or culture's values and nuances. Plus learning new languages is a good challenge for the brain and can be fun!

What advice do you have for individuals thinking about going abroad?

Try new things. Be brave. Be respectful. Get out of your comfort zone and see what happens.  Slow down a little, pause and look around, listen, observe with all your senses, and breathe.  Notice if all you're ever doing is taking photos and posting them. Try to be present with your experience and those around you. Above all, use common sense and be safe. 

What does meaningful travel mean to you?

Meaningful travel reflects the idea that we are both going to a destination to learn something about that place and that we understand that our presence in that place may have an impact of which we should strive to be aware and respectful towards. Meaningful travel might have an explicit educational focus, like studying abroad, or it might be a trip that has a specific goal of learning about a particular subject or perhaps contributing some time and effort towards a social or environmental cause.

It is also the kind of travel that asks us to be knowledgeable about the place to which we're going and to understand what the overall tourism impacts are on that place and culture. We strive to be respectful of cultural norms and not to damage the environment. In other words, meaningful travel takes into mind the collective experience of the traveler and the destination rather than just the individual traveler's recreational goals.

What hopes do you have for the future of international education?

My hope would be that anyone who would like to have an international education experience can do so and that all are encouraged by their home institutions to go abroad. I would hope that all majors and disciplines find a way to give students time in a different location to understand how others are working in that subject area but perhaps more importantly just to give young adults the experience of being in a new place and seeing the world from a new perspective. Ideally more people would be studying abroad. However, the environmental impacts of air travel are a real issue to consider and so mitigating those impacts some how will be critical.