-Mikala Dind In this six-part series, Narara Ecovillage member Mikala Dind shares her knowledge about what makes houses healthy or unhealthy. While this article is about existing homes, the information will definitely assist anyone seeking to build a home. THE AGE OF A HOUSE The age of a house can give clues to potential hazards. For instance, homes built: before …
Kids Tour of the Ecovillage
Want to know what’s so great about growing up in an Ecovillage? Take a tour with some Ecovillage kids around their favourite places. Watch the video: More videos on our Youtube page.
Background on the Project
Get some background on the project with one of our members Donna and then follow around the property with our founder, Lyndall Parris. With around a third of the homes in Stage 1 being built and Stage 2 about to be available, now is a great time to come and take a look if you think living in an ecovillage …
Small and Tiny Equals Affordable Living
How 2 independent ladies found a way to share one housing lot and create affordable living for them both. Jazz’s Yurt with a Difference Jazz Mozzi was the original owner and had long planned to build a yurt on the block. The builders specialising in yurts gradually increased their prices until it was out of Jazz’s reach. Living Green Designer …
2 Couples, 1 Block
Grant & Liz and Bron & Dave joined the village as a joint membership from day one. Liz and Bron are twins. All four of them were early investors and committed to the vision of Narara Ecovillage. They had always intended to build a composite house that would afford each couple their own living area with a shared communal living …
Climate Impacts on Growing Food
Our network of growing friends on the Central Coast and further afield has been very hard hit this summer. As you are all no doubt aware, many local farmers have suffered very long periods of dry weather, followed by the effects of bushfire, followed by the effects of torrential rains. Two of many examples: Little Feet Gourmet, located at Ourimbah …
A New Year at Narara Ecovillage
It seems strange saying Happy New Year to you during these interesting times, but 2020 has started and at Narara Ecovillage, we are excited at the prospect. We have been under threat of fire and still the fire season has a way to go, but throughout this period we have witnessed some very sweet behaviours here, from offers of practical …
2019 Wrap Up
By Lyndall Parris 2019 has come and nearly gone, with a full year of activity behind us. It is time to say Happy Christmas, New Year and Holidays and give you an update on the extraordinary Narara Ecovillage (NEV) people and project. As the fires in our region continue as a threat to Narara Ecovillage, the solidarity within the community grows …
Observations of Wildlife in the Triplespan
By Andrew and Megan Dobson As gardeners, winter is a reliable test for our patience, however when the growing season commences, a different and more immediate form of patience can heap untold rewards on the determined practitioner. At home in Wyoming, aphids bombarded our rose bushes. A preliminary hosing with water cut the infestation in half. Then we waited two …
Disconnection and the Need to Reinvent Community
The climate emergency and its impact on all life on the planet runs parallel with a crisis of disconnection between individuals, families and nations. Ironically the human groups with the greatest control over the resources of the world are also facing the highest levels of loneliness and mental illness, violence and rocketing rates of self-harm. For most of known history, …
Candy’s Earthship
Candy’s earthship at Narara Ecovillage (the first approved on the Central Coast) was designed by Australian earthship guru, Martin Freney of www.earthshipecohomes.com.au It’s a two-bedroom design for a small suburban block of land only 15m in the north south direction, and addresses principles of human needs: Thermo-solar heating and cooling Solar electricity Composting toilet Building with natural and recycled materials …
Jazz’s ‘Mushroom’ House
Who would have thought that in my 60’s I would be building a house and using words like ‘waffle pods’ and ‘thermal mass’ and attempting to understand how solar panels and normal/ grey/reticulated water all ties together. I’m an admin person who loves food, reading and music, and now the brain is being stretched to new levels! We’ve nicknamed my …
Shared House at Narara Ecovillage
There’s movement afoot at Narara Ecovillage for some of Stage 2’s building lots to be co-owned and occupied by groups or collectives of up to 8 individuals. The legal identity of such a structure is yet to be nutted out, not to mention the compatibility of individuals, the building design and a host of other matters. For now, let’s just …
Why we love hemp!
Hempcrete is relatively new to Australia with less than 50 houses using this sustainable building material in the whole country. Not only does it come from a renewable resource, using the stem of the hemp plant, but it provides a much healthier home due to it’s high breathability. good thermal and acoustic insulation breathable walls avoiding moisture build-up which prevents …
Narara Ecovillage Building Standards
Our standards seek an outcome based on inclusive decision making, good design, good health and the well being of all community members. They encourage small and inexpensive houses knowingly designed to provide thermal comfort, low water use and low energy consumption. The standards also seek innovation from community members in the design of their homes and the use of recycled …
Bush Regeneration
One of the pleasant tasks of life at the ecovillage is maintaining and regenerating the native bushland on the property. The village is situated next to the renowned Strickland State Forest, and forms with it an unbroken corridor of forest on ridge-land and slopes down into the Narara Valley. A volunteer team meets weekly to go into the forest and …
What is Cohousing?
Cohousing is a model of residential light footprint planning that blends private space with shared resources. It originated in Denmark in the 1960’s and was adopted enthusiastically in America and the UK. Interest is now growing in Australia and innovative housing projects in both urban and rural environments, are drawing on the core elements of successful cohousing developments around the …