Albert Bates
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Albert Bates (born 1947-01-01) is an influential figure in the intentional community and ecovillage movements. A lawyer, author and teacher, he has been director of the Institute for Appropriate Technology since 1984 and of the Ecovillage Training Center at The Farm in Summertown, Tennessee since 1994.
Bates has been a resident of The Farm since 1972. A former attorney, he argued environmental and civil rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and drafted a number of legislative Acts during a 26-year legal career. The holder of a number of design patents, Bates invented the concentrating photovoltaic arrays and solar-powered automobile displayed at the 1982 World's Fair. He served on the steering committee of Plenty International for 18 years, focussing on relief and development work with indigenous peoples, human rights and the environment. An emergency medical technician (EMT), he was a founding member of The Farm Ambulance Service. He was also a licensed Amateur Radio operator.
Bates has played a major role in the ecovillage movement as one of the organizers of the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN), and served as GEN's chairman of the board (from 2002 to 2003) and president (from 2003 to 2004). He was also the principal organizer of the Ecovillage Network of the Americas and served as its president (from 1996 to 2003). In 1994 he founded the Ecovillage Training Center, a "whole systems immersion experience of ecovillage living."[1] He has taught courses in sustainable design, natural building, permaculture and technologies of the future to students from more than 50 nations.
In 1980, Bates shared in the first Right Livelihood Award (also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize) as part of the executive board of Plenty International.
[edit] Published works
Bates is author of many books on law, energy, history and environment, including:
- Climate in Crisis (1990),
- Voices from The Farm (1998) with Rupert Fike
- The Y2K Survival Guide and Cookbook (1999)
His latest book is The Post-petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook: Recipes for Changing Times (2006).[2]. In it Bates examines the transition from a society based on abundant cheap petroleum to one of "compelled conservation." The book looks at the ways of preparing for this transition. He regards the coming change as an opportunity to "redeem our essential interconnectedness with nature and with each other."
[edit] External links
- The Curse of the Were-Rabbit as a Post-Apocalyptic Utopia Transition Culture, Feb, 2006. Accessed: 2006-06-11.
- Dreaming A Sustainable Environment The Bridging Tree, Summer 2002. Accessed: 2006-06-11.
- Technological Innovations in a Rural Intentional Community The Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society, 1987. Accessed: 2006-06-11.
- When Architectural Design Fosters Community Goals: The Oneida Mansion House Communities Magazine, Summer 1997. Accessed: 2006-06-11.
- The Karma of Kerma: Nuclear Power and Natural Rights Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation, Univ. of Oregon School of Law Vol 9, Page 3 February, 1988. Online version accessed: 2006-06-11.
- The Gospel of Chief Seattle: Written for Television Natural Rights, Spring 1990. Online version accessed: 2006-06-11.
- Showtime in Waco Communities Magazine, Summer 1995. Online version accessed: 2006-06-11.
- Contemplating Megadeaths: Cultural Memory and Cataclysmic Events The Permaculture Activist, Summer 2003. Online version accessed: 2006-06-11.
