An eco-municipality or eco-town is a local government area that has adopted ecological and social justice values in its charter. The development of eco-municipalities stems from changing systems in Sweden, where more than seventy municipal governments have accepted varying principles of sustainability in their operations as well as community-wide decision-making processes.Miranda Spencer (September 22, 2005) Building Sustainable Cities: Scandinavia's "Eco-Municipalities" Show the Way .sustainablebusiness.com. Retrieved on: November 5, 2007. The purpose of these policies is to increase the overall sustainability of the community.
