Around the Region

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand, as ever, seems to be a hotbed of ecovillage activity! There is an active network – the Ecovillage and Cohousing Network of NZ (http://www.ecohousing.pl.net/) – there already, and we continue to hear of new initiatives being undertaken. We recently were advised of a new ecovillage group starting up in Christchurch. The Otautahi Eco-Village Group is seeking to establish and ecovillage and held a seminar at the beginning of April on the topic. Contact Scott Meiras at email Creators@free.net.nz for more information.

Zero Waste
On March 1st New Zealand became the first country to adopt a national vision of zero waste. The new strategy, subtitled ‘Towards Zero Waste and a Sustainable New Zealand’ recognises the groundswell of public support that has grown for the adoption of Zero Waste as a national goal over the last few years. With nearly 50% of councils committed to zero waste and numerous community groups, businesses and schools working in their communities to achieve it, the grassroots message to government was quite clear. For more information visit the Ministry for the Environment’s web site http://www.mfe.govt.nz/new/index.htm

Alternative Currency System
Margit Kennedy, from the ecovillage of Lebensgarten in Germany, has recently toured New Zealand and Australia, giving presentations about her speciality subject— an inflation-free currency system. This was particularly well received in New Zealand, where she stayed longer than originally planned to assist locals in starting up such a system.

Those with internet access should check out http://www.stable-money.com for information on this new network in New Zealand.

Helen Dew is a member of the core group of this new group, based in Tauranga, and is keen to hear from others interested in this concept. She is also the distributor of Margrit Kennedy’s book, in which Margrit gives a clear, simple explanation of how interest wrecks cultures, ecosystems, and economic systems. The book reveals the hidden flaws in our money system by identifying and exploring the far-reaching consequences of four basic misconceptions:

• That there is only one type of growth.
• That we pay interest only if we borrow money.
• That we are all equally affected by interest.
• That inflation is an integral part of free market economies.

Contact Helen Dew on email at helen.alf.dew@contact.net.nz
or by phone (06) 379 8034

AUSTRALIA

Australian Ecovillage Network
Sarah West, from Sydney, has been travelling around lately, making presentations about ecovillages to interested groups. She brought this presentation to Crystal Waters on 18 May, where we provided the EcoCentre facilities for her free of charge.

Sarah has undertaken three separate ecovillage design courses – one in Findhorn (UK), one in Tui (NZ) and our course here at Crystal Waters. She has also travelled around a number of the European communities. She tells us that there is keen interest in Australia. She is coordinating the establishment of the Ecovillage and Co-housing Network of Australia, a sister organisation to the Ecovillage and Co-housing Network of New Zealand, see: http://www.converge.org.nz/evcnz/projects.html. The network is for established communities, groups planning to build and create a community, interested individuals and related businesses and organisations with something to offer groups in the formation stages and the on-going living phases. People and groups who would like to help initiate and join the network can email Sarah on sarahmwest@gmx.net. This is a much-needed initiative.

In other parts of the world – as in New Zealand – national ecovillage networks have been formed. These national networks then feed into the wider GEN via the regional secretariats. In the GENOA region there have not been many such networks formed as yet, and we are keen to see these increase. GENOA will be only too happy to assist anyone who wishes to facilitate this development.

New Western Australian Ecovillage
Paul Antonelli, who also attended our Ecovillage Design Course last year, advises that his ecovillage group have found land for their ecovillage near Perth.

Paul writes:
The Perth Ecovillage Project located in the hills now moves to the next exciting stage. After two years of background work and sharing of the vision land has now been secured. An offer has been placed and accepted on 399 acres located approximately 50 minutes east of Perth. This site is located adjacent to large state forest area and is within 1.5 km of the Chidlow town site. There has been much community support and interest for the project to date with over 120 families following the project closely. The settlement date for the land is set for the 15th August 2002.

Between now and then two things must happen. Firstly the money must be raised to purchase the land - in total $1.15 million dollars is required. Secondly, preliminary site investigation and planning activity to take place to ensure the site is suitable for the projects needs.

If you are interested in obtaining more information about the project, would consider living in the ecovillage or interested in supporting the project financially or other forms you can make contact with Paul Antonelli:
Phone (08) 9572 3225
or email paul@quolkids.com
Information about the project to date is available online at http://www.ecocom.org.

Aldinga Arts Ecovillage
Aldinga Arts Ecovillage, near Adelaide in South Australia, have 58 lots sold (out of an eventual total of 142), and have started putting in the roads and other infrastructure. They expect to have the infrastructure finished by the end of June. Steve Poole advises that they have avoided using PVC entirely, using only PEC piping. They have also developed some innovative business ideas.
Check out development at http://www.aldinga-artsecovillage.com.au
or contact Steve at splm@chariot.net.au

KOREA

GENOA ran a very successful residential week-long course here at Crystal Waters for a group of Korean Architecture Professors and Graduates during February. The group were able to visit a number of the ecological homes on Crystal Waters, and were introduced to a range of environmentally friendly building materials and living practices.

The Korean organising body, the Korean Institute of Ecological Architecture and Environment (KIEAE), brought participants from universities all over South Korea. The feedback was both encouraging and illuminating, with participants indicating that they had expected to learn purely about architecture, but had learned that ecological architecture is so much more than just choosing a building material.

Ecological architecture needs to look at sustainability, and sustainability involves people’s habits and the patterns of life…all is interconnected. Some indicated that they now had a much wider interest focus – that of ecological living, not just ecological building.

SOUTH ASIA

Marti Mueller (from Auroville in India) is discussing with the GEN-South Asia office, a networking meeting in South India for projects in the South Asian region. At this point this is very much on the drawing board, but we hope that it will take place soon. The Living & Learning Centre in Sri Lanka (Tanamalwila) is progressing well, and it is planned that Max Lindegger will lead a Permaculture Design Course there in October. There has been some interest in the ecovillage idea from Nepal lately, and also some enquiries from China.