Ananda EcoAldea: Creating Sustainable Communities

Guano, Ecuador

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

Location: Guano, Ecuador

Category: housing

Phase: construction preparation

Updated: 27 May 2025

Ananda EcoAldea aims to build a sustainable refuge for humanity for the next three centuries, integrating community management of land, water, and human talent. It will develop local systems for energy, medicine, housing and construction, using industrial hemp as a renewable negative - carbon source for raw material production, thus promoting a self - sufficient and regenerative model for future generations.

Project leader: Paul Moreno

What is still needed to proceed?

Finance

Still 100% of € 72,384

Skills

Stuff

Hands

Support

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Introduction

The community of Chingazo Alto in Guano canton, Chimborazo province, Ecuador, has been working for more than 10 years to achieve sustainability. In Guano, 81% of families do not have their basic needs met.

Adding to Ananda EcoAldea’s vision of creating a sustainable refuge for three centuries, this project responds to the urgency of the climate crisis and the growing need for ecological and accessible housing. Conventional construction frequently ignores sustainability criteria, which is why it is proposed to use waste from the Industrial Hemp industry, legal in Ecuador since 2019, to balance the carbon footprint of traditional construction.

Our proposal integrates an innovative housing and land management model that merges regenerative architecture and agriculture of industrial hemp with the principles of community land trust. This approach ensures long - term tenure, maximizes collective benefit, and empowers local residents in the design and management of their own living environment.

The strategic collaboration between Cooperativa Ananda and its partners exemplifies the synergy needed to implement transformative solutions that simultaneously respond to the housing, environmental, and social challenges of our time, establishing a replicable precedent for sustainable communities of the future.

Impact

This project contributes to the long-term development of the community by:

Promoting local self-sufficiency: Developing a local resource generation system, including construction materials, food, and energy, reducing dependence on external resources. The use of industrial hemp as a versatile raw material is central to this objective.

Promoting sustainable and regenerative architecture: Using hemp-lime construction, or hempcrete, which captures CO₂, significantly decreasing the carbon footprint compared to traditional materials.

Empowering the community: Adopting a community land trust model, the community participates in decisions about land use and development, ensuring shared prosperity and avoiding speculation. This model seeks to revitalize participatory and democratic governance structures for collective decision-making.

Guaranteeing affordable housing in perpetuity: The community land trust removes land from the market, allowing long-term access to housing, especially for low and middle-income families.

Generating local economic opportunities: Through the production of sustainable construction materials and community management of the trust.

Quantitatively, the project aims to initially build five homes with a significant reduction in CO₂ emissions per cubic meter of construction, as well as ensuring housing affordability for an increasing number of families over time thanks to the trust model.

Core team

The team was formed in 2019 with the founding of Cooperativa Ananda, but some of them have been working for over 10 years in the community. The team has a large experience in community development and nature-based solutions.

Paul Sebastián Moreno, founder of Cooperativa Ananda and expert in medicinal and industrial Cannabis cultivation. In charge of seed acquisition and selection, planting, cultivation, and processing

Dennys Nuñez, actual CEO of Cooperativa Ananda. Expert in business administration and cooperative businesses

Javier Ojeda, founder and current President of the Cooperativa. Environmental engineer with experience in water systems and participatory methodologies. In charge of the zero waste strategy and sustainable water management

Paul Moreno Arteaga, founder of the Cooperativa and Projects Officer. In charge of the long - term development strategy and the philosophy behind land and water stewardship.

Diego Chango, mechanical engineer in charge of the research and academic relations with local universities

Isaí Quinche, electronics and telecommunications, in charge of data collection for tokenization and monetization of the EcoVillage

Santiago Robalino, civil engineer, expert in construction and geospatial data. Manager of the architecture + engineering + regenerative landscape team

Marcos Hidalgo

Additionally, an administrative and marketing team supports the general operation of Cooperativa Ananda.

The team was formed in 2019 with the founding of Cooperativa Ananda, but some of them have been working for over 10 years in the community. The team has a large experience in community development and nature-based solutions. Paul Sebastián Moreno, founde

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved i Image gallery

Chimborazo Volcano from the viewpoint in Chingazo

image: Cooperativa Ananda | some rights reserved

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Marcos Hidalgo is our community relations expert

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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Say hello to the camera!

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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Sunset at Ananda EcoAldea, Chimborazo, Ecuador

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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Hempcrete wall mixed 3:1:1 hurds, water, lime

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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Presenting Biobrick, hemp-lime blocks, by Jhonny Duicela

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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Jaguar Shaman metamorphosing into a snake

image: Paul Moreno | © all rights reserved

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Chimborazo volcano with the lights of Guano, Ecuador

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved i

Testing urban equipment to be printed in 3D with hempcrete

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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A nice bike ride from Riobamba, 16 km

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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Marcos Hidalgo, our Community Relations expert

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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#BOSJ Banda Orquesta San Jacinto

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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Sunset at the office

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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Ananda EcoAldea color palette

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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The community of Chingazo. The house in front is the Ananda Volunteer house

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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Own the land, stand for the future!

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved i

June Solstice, Inti Raymi in Chingazo

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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Marcos Hidalgo teaching regenerative agriculture to visitors from other province

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved i

The WHY: Marco’s grandsons.

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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The land, the hands, the house

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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Technical drawings

Working among volcanoes

image: Johanna Medina | some rights reserved

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Water runoffs for hydrological design of keylines

image: Johanna Medina | some rights reserved

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Agricultural use of the land in Chingazo piedmont

image: Johanna Medina | some rights reserved

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La Quebradita, the Ananda Laboratory and the Viewpoint

image: Johanna Medina | some rights reserved

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La Quebradita walkway

image: Johanna Medina | some rights reserved

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Ananda Laboratory and Pergola

image: Johanna Medina | some rights reserved

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Viewpoint with keyline hydrological desing

image: Johanna Medina | some rights reserved i

The Masterplan for Chingazo, Chimborazo, Ecuador

image: Johanna Medina | some rights reserved

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Sun movement analysis for the Ananda EcoAldea

image: https://drajmarsh.bitbucket.io/sunpath3d.html | © all rights reserved

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Dual Education - Berufslehre for sustainable construction

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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Second sketch of the Ananda EcoAldea

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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General layout of the Ananda EcoAldea

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved

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Draft: Every hexagon is about 500 m2. image: Leonardo Durán, arquitecto | some rights reserved i

Detail of the perspective-refuge garden with a multifunctional edible forest and pollinator garden

image: Leonardo Durán, arquitecto | some rights reserved i

House with natural crwoing: the first module to be built will be the left one

image: Leonardo Durán, arquitecto | some rights reserved i

Tiny house #1 for the Ananda EcoAldea

image: Nataly Moreno | some rights reserved

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Tiny house #2 for the Ananda EcoAldea

image: Nataly Moreno | some rights reserved

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Accesible not-so-tiny house

image: Ramon Granados - Hempengineering Australia | © all rights reserved

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Tiny house #4 for the Ananda EcoAldea

image: Ramon Granados - Hemengineering Australia | © all rights reserved

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Tiny house #4 with deck for the Ananda EcoAldea

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved i

External links

Cooperativa de Producción Agrícola Ananda, CooproAnanda

Youtube Channel

Instagram @Coopro.ananda

Twitter @CooproAnanda

Help bring our project to life!

Finance: Still 100% of € 72,384 Support

Skills: Design Support

Skills: PR & Marketing Support

Skills: Financial advice Support

Stuff: Equipment & tools Support

Hands Support

There are no updates yet.

Help bring our project to life!

Finance: Still 100% of € 72,384 Support

Skills: Design Support

Skills: PR & Marketing Support

Skills: Financial advice Support

Stuff: Equipment & tools Support

Hands Support

Where are we now

As of March 2025, the community diagnostic is ready. It includes runoff maps, soil and agricultural use analysis. An hydrological design using keylines methodology for water management has begun. A tourist "Cannabis and Hemp Scenic Route" that goes from the community entrance to the viewpoint where an astronomical observatory will be built is already designed. The 6,649 m² land is in the architectural design phase, and will incorporate 3-30-300 principles, a pollinator garden and a multifunctional edible forest windbreak. Systems for wastewater treatment, solid waste management and a garden to supply residents have also been proposed. Approximately USD 16000 has been invested in this phase.

An indication of our team’s capacity:

10% funding already raised

5% expertise already found

10% materials / equipment already found

5% builders already found

Finance: € 72,384

The Ananda EcoVillage project plans to build the first Sustainable House over the next six months. Simultaneously, all Scenic Route spots will be activated, generating tourist attraction and “awe spots” for social networks. The project includes a dual-education training program (Berufslehre) in sustainable construction. A local house will be adapted for temporary accommodation of volunteers and experts. A prospective SROI analysis will be implemented to ensure the success and sustainability of the initiative. The municipality of Guano has commited their machinery for ground shifting and has donated about 5 cubic meters of stone pavement.

Budget for the next 12 months:

Energy 3,000

Architectural design and landscaping 6,000

Planting of 2 hectares of hemp 25,000

Wood 4,000

Ground shifting (Municipality) 2,000

Stone pavement (Municipality) 10,000

Cash for training (6 weeks, 4 people)

3,600 Construction manager

2,000 Utilities and communications

2,000 SROI diagnosis

3,000 Local Hemp Building Conference

3,000 Hydrological design (keylines) for the community

6,000 Insurance 4%

2,784 Skills: Design, PR & Marketing, Financial advice

We require consultancy in architectural design to develop energy-efficient housing, incorporating local and low-carbon materials while harmonizing with the local landscape. In the financial sphere, we seek to implement a self-sufficient local economic system ensuring long-term viability with alternatives such as community land trusts. A PR and Marketing strategy is essential to integrate the community, communicate our mission of creating safe havens, highlight the advantages of ecological construction, and attract potential collaborators, investors and volunteers.

We require consultancy in architectural design to develop energy-efficient housing, incorporating local and low-carbon materials while harmonizing with the local landscape.

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved i

Stuff: Equipment & tools

We need a Hemp Decorticator (~USD 2,000) to separate fiber from hurds. Could be a used one and we will repair/upcycle it.

Power tools are also needed to start building the first house: circular saw, miters saw, power/multiuse drill, nail gun, router... also any kind of small tools.

We require precise data for data-driven decisions about community sustainability. Implementation of integrated sensors, cameras and traceability systems is essential: laptops, printers and similar equipment are also needed.

Hemp mini decorticator needed

We require precise data for data-driven decisions about community sustainability. Implementation of integrated sensors, cameras and traceability systems is essential

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved i Hands

We’ll implement a structured volunteer program with stays up to 15 months. Long-term volunteers will be specialists in key areas: regenerative architecture, arts and music, geospatial analysis, among other disciplines. Each expert will design and lead their own project while training a local "sidekick" who ensures continuity. This assistant will coordinate medium-term volunteer teams (maximum 6 months) that form the operational workforce. This model promotes local employment and long-term sustainability. Additionally, we’ll offer brief "spring break" programs focused on specific community infrastructure projects.

We’ll implement a structured volunteer program with stays up to 15 months. Long-term volunteers will be specialists in key areas: regenerative architecture, arts and music, geospatial analysis, among other disciplines

image: Paul Moreno | some rights reserved i

Help bring our project to life!

Finance: Still 100% of € 72,384 Support

Skills: Design Support

Skills: PR & Marketing Support

Skills: Financial advice Support

Stuff: Equipment & tools Support

Hands Support

Location