The residents of the Ecovillage are living the sustainable dream. Nestled between surf and bush in the Currumbin Valley, 7km from Queensland’s Gold Coast, the Ecovillage offers a contemporary way of life that is in harmony with nature. The residents have peace of mind knowing they are helping to reduce their urban ecological footprint.
With a vision to inspire awareness of sustainable living and development practices, Chris Walton, managing
director of Landmatters, the developer of the Ecovillage, says the village has become
“a world-leading ecologically sustainable and conscious community where
people and nature flourish in beauty, harmony and integrity”.
2008 marks a significant time in human history: for the first time more than half the world’s population resides in towns or cities. Today, 3.3 billion people worldwide live in concentrated urban environments. By 2030 this number will have increased to more than five billion, according to the “State of World Population 2007” report released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
While urban development has traditionally received bad press regarding the pressure and stress that urbanisation has placed on the natural environment, such as rising pollution levels, resource degradation and increased waste generation, cities are now being recognised as offering the best chance to create
a sustainable future and reclaim the world’s natural equilibrium.
Highlighting the belief that urban concentration need not aggravate environmental problems, UNFPA suggests that “urban localities actually offer better chances for long-term sustainability” and that “adopting the right approaches in anticipation of urban growth can also prevent many of the environmental problems linked to urbanisation”.
William McDonough, co-author of Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things and an internationally recognised designer and architect specialising in ecologically, socially and economically intelligent architecture and planning, is a firm believer that growing urban concentrations offer hope for future generations. According to McDonough,
a city “can be a healthy, generative place, a place that allows people and nature to fruitfully co-exist”.
This school of thought is no longer
a fringe ideal. Today, governments, citizens and urban planners throughout the world are coming full circle, recognising that the long-term health and wellbeing of humankind is intrinsically linked to a healthy and well-functioning natural environment. As a result the creation of eco-cities and the development of sustainable urban communities have become increasingly prevalent notions throughout the world.
According to the Global Ecovillage Network database, more than 400 eco-villages exist or are emerging worldwide, from Dontan in China, to Ithaca in New York State, to Hammarby Sjöstad in Stockholm, Sweden. New Zealand and Australia are also involved in this budding movement. Throughout the two countries there are at least 39 eco-communities that are making inroads towards sustainable urban development.
ECOVILLAGE, CURRUMBIN
Australia’s most applauded sustainable urban development and the recipient of more than 24 prestigious international, national and local awards, the Ecovillage is a world-class ecologically sustainable community on the Gold Coast’s doorstep. A 110ha site that is close to beaches, native bush and urban facilities, the Ecovillage development comprises
144 home parcels that range from 450m2 to 6500m2 and span a diverse array
of landscapes.
With environmental, social and economic sustainability as its driving principles, the Ecovillage was awarded the FIABCI Prix d’Excellence 2008 by the International Real Estate Federation, one of the property industry’s highest accolades. Though the buildings in the village vary, they all incorporate low-energy use, passive solar design and climatic orientation. The architectural code of each building ensures they tread lightly on the environment.
Examples of environmental features and sustainability initiatives of the Ecovillage include energy-efficient housing; self-sufficient energy supply throughout, with each building and house grid connected to solar power systems; and complete autonomy in water and waste water recycling. Edible landscaping, streetscaping and household farming overlay the entire village, enabling food and material self-sufficiency among its residents. Comprehensive waste recycling strategies, including the village’s own recycling centre, have also been established.
The Ecovillage encompasses a broad mix of socially oriented sustainability initiatives that aim to cater for the diverse needs of the community.
The Village Centre with its variety of services and convenience facilities was established to foster community cohesion and allow residents to “spend less time commuting and more time simply enjoying life”, says Walton. Facilities include a co-op community store,
a café/bakery, health practitioner rooms, a plant nursery, a community preschool/primary school, a village hall, a village green and an Interpretive Centre where residents can undertake continuing education about sustainable living and
development practices.
The village also incorporates traffic-saving strategies involving minimised laneways for cars, allowing easier access for walking and cycling tracks throughout the village. Of the on-site work facilities Walton says, “There is an increasing trend for small business owners to work from home.” To cater for this, a number of mixed-use office buildings, called Home Studios, have been designed for both residential and commercial use, further reducing the community’s reliance on vehicles and their impact on the environment.
With a goal to “preserve and enhance the current beauty of the site, improve its biodiversity and nurture the regeneration of the land”, a mandate ensures that
80 per cent of the Ecovillage site remains as open space, and 50 per cent remains as environmental reserve. To achieve this, the development process included the creation of extensive wildlife corridors, the preservation of natural landforms, the regeneration of native plants and the minimisation of vegetation loss. “Our design team has challenged conventional thinking and searched for simple solutions that mimic nature and enhance the natural environment,” Walton says.
EARTHSONG, AUCKLAND
New Zealand is also making inroads towards urban sustainability. Located in Waitakere City, on the periphery of Auckland’s city centre, Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood is one of the many small yet thriving examples of sustainable urban development across the country.
Based firmly on the principles of permaculture, co-housing and eco-design, the Earthsong development project was established in the early 1990s by key founding members Robin Allison, John Hammond and Cathy Angell, whose vision was to create a neighbourhood that would serve as a model of a socially and environmentally sustainable community.
Within walking distance to the local shops and the train station, Earthsong comprises 32 houses among 1.6ha of organic orchard, permaculture and native bush. There are extensive edible garden landscapes throughout the neighbourhood, which significantly reduces food packaging, transportation and greenhouse gas emissions.
Managed locally by the residents, the neighbourhood’s water and energy management systems are able to sustain the environment and its people, says co-founder and development co-ordinator Allison. The houses are equipped with water catchment tanks and solar panels for water heating, significantly reducing reliance on the national resource grid. The residents estimate that water
tanks collect more than $4500 worth of water annually.
Constructed using natural breathable and non-toxic materials that are designed to stay warm in winter and cool in summer, the buildings respect the Earth, Allison says, allowing for healthier residents and a healthier environment.
Earthsong also has a strong social and community-focused aspect. Based on commons management, each house has its own title, however, the residents share a pool of common resources, including land, bush, the orchard, the pond and
a Common House with facilities where the residents can get to know each other.
Legal and landscape co-ordinator and director of Earthsong’s development company, Angell says most Earthsong residents “have a green focus and want to live in a place where they share common values with their neighbours”.
All decisions regarding the neighbourhood are made on a consensus basis. In the event that intracommunity issues arise, open communications between residents are strongly endorsed to avoid unnecessary conflict. “Our wish is not to create an exclusive enclave but to foster sharing and exchange with neighbours and others,” Angell says.
Earthsong is a strong advocate of putting people, not cars, first. The neighbourhood layout has been designed so that cars are allowed only on the periphery of the complex, outside the general communal housing area.
As a result the adult residents have reduced their dependence on vehicles, and the children can play safely, which gives their parents greater peace of mind. “Kids have no worries about cars zooming through here as it’s really peaceful,” Allison says.
Because many Earthsong residents still need to commute to workplaces outside the neighbourhood, Earthsong is planning some commercial development, for which 20 per cent of its land has
been set aside. To further reduce the residents’ carbon footprint, Stage Two
of the development will comprise
a series of home office workplaces or other ethically aligned ideas, making the two-minute commute a real option.
“Hopefully we’ll be a catalyst for helping other people set up environmentally friendly business with us,” Allison says.
DR GILMAN
Dr Robert Gilman is an astrophysicist who turned his focus to the study of global sustainability in the mid-1970s when he decided “the stars could wait but the planet couldn’t”. In 1979 he co-founded the Context Institute, one of the earliest NGOs to focus on sustainability, with his late wife, Diane. He also helped to found the Global Ecovillage Network, which supports and builds eco-villages throughout the world. Dr Gilman defines an eco-village as “a human-scale, full-featured settlement in which human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world in a way that is supportive of healthy human development and can be successfully continued into
the indefinite future.”
GENOA
Global Ecovillage Oceania & Asia (GENOA) is an organisation that promotes the eco-village concept as a practical environmentally and socially responsible alternative to conventional land settlement and resource use. GENOA runs many courses through the UN World Habitat Award-winning Crystal Waters Permaculture Village,
100km north of Brisbane.
genoa.ecovillage.org
ECO-VILLAGE DIRECTORY
According to the Global Ecovillage Network there are 31 eco-villages in Australia and eight in New Zealand, including Awaawaroa Bay Eco-Village on Waiheke Island and Tui Community at Wainui Bay. Worldwide there are hundreds of eco-villages, including the famous Findhorn founded in Scotland in 1962. Findhorn is now home to more than 400 people from more than 40 countries (recycled whisky barrel house pictured). It also hosts more than 4000 visitors a year on residencies.
ecovillage.org
