Does society really have what it takes to live sustainably? Is this only the dream of a minority, the wish of an enthused nature lover, the distant hope of a young generation, or a lame article hidden in a magazine of short term government policy? I do ask myself why we “fight” for a different future. My personality tells me to sit back and watch life unfold and enjoy it. Everything is as it should be. I’m not the person who suggests how others should be, how they should live, or act. A brief visit to the Ecovillage at Currumbin today reminded us of a set of forgotten ideas and priorities in society that are real, achievable, and admirable. It is a future worth fighting for.
Our guides for the day, Chriss and Kerry, showed us around the 269 acre development that at first glance looks like Ecotopia. You might expect Adam and Eve to be strolling down the wide walkways over swales amidst sleepy teams of kangaroos. It is just how the American tourist thought we always lived with Skippy hopping around the backyard. I took time out to rest on the grass with a small mob of roos, and after half an hour I was so transfixed by their careless and social lifestyle that I almost felt like nibbling a tuft of grass before I left. But the close yet independent relationship between the villagers here and the wildlife is just the tip of the iceberg......
The ideas and design principles behind The Ecovillage at Currumbin are the mastermind of a team including Chris, Kerry, my Permaculture teacher Geoff , and my friend Dan, Australia’s best gardener, among others. Sitting in the biodiesel-fuelled truck Chris lists all the things that make his residential development different.....the best in the world in fact.
For example, did you know that typical residential streets are very wide mainly to accommodate garbage trucks? In normal developments, private lots occupy 80% of the total area, while roads, parks and public areas occupy about 20%. This is reversed at The Ecovillage where single lane, winding roads follow the landscape and connect private lots that occupy only 20%. The remainder is reserved for forest biodiversity, parks, walkways, orchards, public entertainment and recycled material storage. A rain tank connects with every roof, there is no connection to mains water, the river flows. This scene is juxtaposed by the offshore desalination plant near Coolangatta – an eyesore for anyone who finds a massive waste of energy and resources hard to look at. And what about lighting? Is there a reason that a bright light in a house or on the street should ever look you in the eye, or should it only reach necessary surroundings? Why do we in normal developments so readily block out the stars with light pollution?
At the start of the MyPOWER Tour, we gave ourselves a licence to dream. Read the “Vision for Australia” section of our bios in About Us. We envisage a rethinking of the way we develop the built environment, lawns and urban spaces filled with food trees and bamboo, and cycle paths as wide as car lanes. At The Ecovillage at Currumbin, all these ideas and more have become manifest in project that so finely connects society, ecology, and economy. Go to
www.theecovillage.com.au, it is a crystal ball in which we can foresee an incredible future for everybody.
Quote of the Day
“Why don’t they just show a list of awards they didn’t win” – Anonymous viewer of the Ecovillage DVD becoming impatient at the endless list of accolades.
A huge thanks to Tom’s entire family for injecting us with food, infecting us with laughter, and directing us to the Ecovillage. Huge thanks also to the inspirational team of Chris and Kerry, and to Dan who helped prepare the world’s best woodfired pizzas. I’m sure we will all meet again.
Mereki@mypower.org.au