Starting eco village ~ Gympie - Mossman, People wanted

[ghost]

G'day even though I'm "new" to this forum I have been reading for quite some time. I'm at a stage where I'm ready to up & start from scratch & stop "talking" & start doing. Our property is currently up for sale & we are looking for 500 - 2000 acres somewhere between Gympie to Mossman for a secluded eco village. I'm a builder, so I have vast experience on building & designs, I also have my own drafting business. I have been following several eco villages & their structures (land ownership, body corp etc) & would base it on several successful villages. I'm not a vegan, pagen, born again hippie (lol) or any other "out of the norm" just down to earth believing in sustainability to face what disasters mother nature throws at us. It would be based on a "shared community" basis, with its own "council" so to speak.

Some basics of my thoughts~

* 20 - 50 individual secure homes
* full permaculture basis with community profits from excess production
* 100% eco designed housing & power
* non religious based - these are peoples own private beliefs
* individual land titles - buy & sell to suit lifestyle
* 15 - 30 min drive from town, ie; close enough for people to relocate & find their existing job
* all familys help build each other house's - depending on other trades?
* seek govt grants for establishing the community
* have no idea on $$, this would be depending on land/infastructure/farming equipment, number of blocks etc. In todays world an avg house is $250K - $450K (house & land), so realistic would keep it in this bracket, but you are out of the burbs & have your own 500acre vege garden!
* farm - vege's, fruit, bees, cattle, goats, rabbit, sheep, trees, aquaculture, power, diesel trees (i see a dumb look after reading "diesel" trees, but yes they do produce diesel (bio-diesel)), well you get the idea
* keep the costs as low as possible to allow "first home owners/younger generation" to get their own house as well as step in the right direction for sustainability
*can you up root from your current cosy lifestyle & make a serious commitment?

I'm not doing this as a "profit making business job", I can do that easily enough where I'm at now. Just looking for serious like minded people that are doers not talkers. Please PM or email me

cheers

mike@paradiseislandhomes.com.au

[richard in manoa]

Here's a couple of random thoughts:
I think rabbits are illegal in the sunshine state!
I also think that the 15-30 minutes drive from town = unsustainable, unless the community buys and maintains a biodiesel bus and everyone commutes together...
Similarly, I think a real ecovillage will refrain from spreading out all over the landscape, ala the pseudo-suburbia of Crystal Waters and the like, where everyone has their own acreage and the community is as beholden to the car culture as the rest of the planet. No, an ecovillage will incorporate sensible design to achieve a level of density that minimizes the footprint whilst maximising the efficiency of service provision and somehow, with thoughtful plantings and the right sort of ethos give people an appropriate degree of privacy...
But I commend you on the general idea, and would be interested to follow your progress - one day I hope to return to Australia and live in a Permaculture village somewhere in the tropics.[/i]

[Luisa]

Dear Ghost,

Sorry, I'm a talker in this issue not a doer.

Support your initiative but just want to throw in a few comments/questions.

Yes, rabbits are illegal in Qld. Those fluffy pet wabbits are sure gunna boost the wild wabbit numbers but there you go, no can do.

I think Richard has raised some points which I don't think you should feel obligated to answer cause they are more general PC/ecovillage issues than restricted to your concept. But keep them in mind.

Size of land required is the first. Commuting distance is the second. These are both serious points cause realistically most people CAN'T earn a living off the land, we won't all wear horsehair undies for example, so we do need $$ - to buy, to build houses, to educate, to clothe, etc.

Sorry, I am a downer here, I like the idea but I still have trouble figuring out how this will work for most people. Not just your idea but the whole sustainability thing while we're all trapped in the cash economy, tied down by banks and loans and credit cards, etc.

Personally I don't like the idea of living too close to other people so a small acreage of my own as a buffer would suit me but Richard has a good point - to reduce footprint and lose the car culture, smaller spaces for each would be more useful. But then how do you earn a living ....

Serious apology for being so negative, will follow with interest.