Cecilia Meneses

Brazilian social entrepreneur who created Latin America's first eco-village for marginalized youth

Cecília Meneses (1942-2012) revolutionized urban development in Brazil through her creation of the Comunidade Ecológica Vila Verde, a self-sustaining eco-village established in 1970 to house marginalized youth from Rio de Janeiro's favelas. This visionary project combined ecological principles with social justice, providing housing, education, and vocational training in a model that influenced later urban renewal initiatives.

Innovative features included:

• Solar-powered housing constructed from recycled materials
• Organic farming programs producing 70% of residents' food needs
• Apprenticeship programs in renewable energy and construction

Meneses' approach predated modern concepts of circular economies and sustainable urban planning. Her work was recognized by the UN Habitat Program in 1975, though she remained critical of large-scale urbanization projects. The Vila Verde model inspired similar initiatives across Latin America, including the Uruguay's Eco-Community Network. Her memoir Building Tomorrow Today (1998) remains a key text in urban sociology.