A movement for sustainability in Spain has sparked some independently minded people to inhabit once-abandoned villages, turning them into eco-villages, where community members live a self-sufficient life in harmony with nature. Matavenero is a village in the mountainous El Bierzo region of Spain where inhabitants strive to live sustainably far from the comforts of modern amenities and densely populated cities.

Matavenero became abandoned in the late 1960s. In 1989, an international mix of people who wanted to live simply off the land resettled the village, abandoning their old lifestyles based on efficiency and consumption. The community was based on three core values: self-sufficiency and ecological living, harmony with the environment and respect for fellow community members.

Photographer Kevin Faingnaert fared the three hour hike into the mountains to visit the village and snap photos of the lifestyle within the community.

(MORE:)

"There are considerable challenges to living in Matavenero, like growing and harvesting crops on the available land – much of it steep and stony," Faingnaert told weather.com. "But the biggest challenge at the moment is definitely the rising popularity of the village."

Matavenero recently got an internet connection and created a Facebook and Twitter account for the village. As the internet allows the villagers to connect with the outside world, it also allows the world to find them. There has been a large increase in the number of people asking to visit the community. While Matavenero is open to visitors, the growing interest in the village is begining to create pressure and a debate as to whether the community should remain closed to new members. Many villagers believe the community should consolidate their shared vision before allowing new members to join.

From Faingnaert's photos, it is clear that the community's members leave little to waste. Homes are built and repaired with mismatching materials in a lopsided fashion. The do-it-yourself mentality is apparent, but the villagers have been living this way for over 25 years.

"They made this place a fairy village, with most irregularly shaped houses, winding waterways, little paths through the trees, the colorful dome in which celebrations are held," Faingnaert said. Everything that is brought in must be carried by a donkey, horse, wheelbarrow or on a carrier's back for a three-hour trek."

All electricity is from renewable sources. All waste is recycled or carried uphill. "The same plastic bags appear over and over," the photographer said. "Very little money is used, but the same euros go around and around."

(MORE: )

Life in Matavenero is far from easy. Most inhabitants maintain a small income as buiders in nearby towns, by selling chestnuts, or as craftsmen. Weather can be harsh on the high peaks, with snows in the winter and forest fires in the summers. There are no roads leading to the town, and it is impossible to approach with a car or any kind of motorized vehicle. Once a week, a few community members walk to the nearest village to restock at the local market.

Children are educated at a small school within the community. A small shop sells staples such as rice, tobacco, juice and fresh vegetables from villagers' gardens. There is a village bakery and a communal telephone as well. Once a week, the community members gather for a pizza party, and every Thursday there is a communal work and council meeting.

Matavenero is not the only eco-village in Spain. According to , there are nearly 50 throughout Spain. Deep in the valley below Matavenero lies the village of Poibueno, a sister eco-village. The two villages work closely together.