COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION:

Founded in 1984, La Cité Écologique ecovillage is located on 700 acres of forested land outside of Ham-Nord in Quebec, Canada.

After 30 years, La Cité now has a center in Quebec and another in New Hampshire. The Canadian branch counts 80 residents, eight businesses and an alternative school. Their educational center offers hands-on learning experiences trough internships, classes and events. They are working with international networks to offer programs such as.

Since the beginning, the school has been the dynamic center of the community. It puts the emphasis on team building and collaboration among students, as well as parental involvement. The school covers primary education through high-school. It focuses on and balances the three parts of each individual: the will, intellect, and heart. One particular part of this education program is supporting young adults to become company executives, students have the chance to operate enterprises in which educational principles can be grounded. Thus, the community became known for its abundance of student-run businesses, including ones focused on organic farming, sustainable energies, ecological clothing, recycling and a sustainability learning center.