"I dream of living close to nature; having space to grow food; having a teeny little ecological footprint; and being part of a community."
You might recognise these words from my introduction to Little Eco Footprints.
I know I can fulfil that dream living here in the city. We connect with nature every now and then in local parks, in our backyard, or on weekend bush walks and camping trips. I have more than enough space to grow food and even if we did start to run out, there’s always a community garden, sprouts on the kitchen bench or pots on the veranda. We have access to weekly farmer's markets, public transport, a large pool of like-minded people, and most places are within cycling distance. And amongst the thousands of people within our city we’re finding our community. They may not live next door, or even in the next street, but I feel like we’re a community.
But despite its benefits, I sometimes feel like urban living is just not quite right for our family. I feel like something is missing.
I’d love to live somewhere where it was safe for Little Eco to explore her neighbourhood. With paddocks to wander through and bushland to play in. Where I knew each and every neighbour by name. Where neighbours cared about the health of our planet as much as me. With space for a flock of ducks and perhaps a share in a cow. A place free of contaminated soil and angry neighbours.
An opportunity has arisen and this vision is looking like it could be a reality.
An Eco Village is being planned in the Hunter Valley.
There’s 27 hectares of farmland on the urban fringe of Maitland. There’s a vision of clusters of sustainable homes amongst a communal playground, farmland, bushland, and of course a pizza oven where neighbours can gather. The vision is broad at this stage but we have only two weeks to secure the land before it’s snapped up by developers.
Are you interested in being part of this project?
Perhaps you are interested in one day living in the village? Or perhaps you see it as an interesting project you would like to be involved in? Or perhaps you have experience in developing an eco village and are willing to offer advice?
For more information and to express interest contact Mark from Purple Pear Organics.
Perhaps we could be neighbours one day ;-)
Have you, or would you live in an intentional community?
