I have been living in an ecovillage almost all my adult life – and I absolutely love it.
Tonight I chatted with ABC Queensland Evening host, Trevor Jackson, about what it means to me to live in an ecovillage. Here is the podcast (14:35 mins). I hope you enjoy listening.
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| https://soundcloud.com/user-523529725/living-in-an-ecovillage |
An ecovillage is a place where people are working together to live more simply and sustainably. People are attracted to ecovillages to live a more ecological, peaceful and productive way of life.
As long as I can remember I have been curious, passionate and interested in exploring different ways of life that have a holistic approach to sustainable living and regenerate natural and social systems.
Over the past few decades I have travelled around the world to experience sustainable ecovillages in urban, suburban and rural areas, and both traditional and intentional communities.
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| This is me threshing grain in Ladakh, Little Tibet, where I spent many many months in 1992 and 1995. My experience in Ladakh helped me understand what it really means to live sustainably and the value of deep community connection. |
Ecovillages look different in each different context, but the core is similar. I am convinced if more people knew that there were other ways to live, and have the opportunity to experience ecovillage life, that they’d be more confident to make the transition. I often do talks and workshops around urban areas explaining what it means to live in a place like Crystal Waters. Often people are surprised – they did not know that such a place existed, let along just up the road from them.
Ecovillages are human scale – nourishing, peaceful and relaxing. They provide a healthy way to live and raise a family.
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| My livelihood is predominantly through permaculture design and workshops, and consulting. I just love being involved in designing useful education programs. |
These are some of the reasons I love living in an ecovillage. To:
- think, act and be ecological
- connect with nature, self and others
- have practical ways to engage in positive action for the future – demonstrate and share, show don’t tell, walk my talk …
- share the ecovillage experience through educational programs and workshops
- be creative – find solutions, new ideas, trial innovate strategies and appropriate technologies
- work with others to meet local needs – to create the future and environment we are seeking
- be surrounded by amazing wildlife and nature
- have space to grow good food
- create a home affordably – through sharing land costs, resource costs, owner building etc
- find a work-life balance
- strive to live and work with a sustainability ethic at the core
- have time to contribute and volunteer more
- to need less, want less and live a less consumer-based way of life
- raise children naturally
- live mindfully, slow down and breathe
- regenerate landscapes
- be amongst fresh air, fresh water and fresh food
- live with a lesser footprint – low-consumption, reduced waste, more sharing
- to cultivate deep and lasting friendships
- care for community – elders, those in need, those grieving, those birthing and caring for little kids, those celebrating moments
- the list just keeps going…..
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| Sharing Crystal Waters is what I do. I love working with youth and seeing how their eyes open – realising that ecovillages aren’t some kind of weird concept to be dismissed, but actually a really valid and appealing way to live, and taking home ideas of things that could do differently. |
