Elly and Pikelet are sharing their lot

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  Elly maintains a small practice in dance, and in particular, improvisation, participating in weekly performance groups in Sydney – experimental music, improvised dance/theatre, as well as the very non-experimental UNSW Collegium Choir.   All are immensely satisfying, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Elly is looking forward to establishing some classes at the village or finding a nearby studio in which to …

Jonathan and Sue – Religious diversity from cooler climes!

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Jonathan and Sue have come from 20 years in Melbourne, and before that they hailed from London. Retiring from ‘paid employment’ they feel they still have plenty of energy and enthusiasm to give to try to make a better world. Jonathan, a Rabbi, was involved in Interfaith work as well as Environmental awareness, and brought these together by serving on …

Radhika reflects on three months at NEV

adminCommunity, Village Life

At the end of March I attended a fascinating talk about the Auroville Ecovillage (more an ‘Ecotown’ with over 3000 residents!) in India by Radhika, a delightful young engineer who has lived there for 7 years, and who had recently arrived to spend a few months at NEV, thanks in part to Tanya and the Global Ecovillage Network.  Hard to …

17 A & B Gugandi

adminCommunity, Sustainability, Sustainable Houses, Village Life

Jonathan and Sue are building a modular 3 bedroom house adapted from a Parkwood Homes design at the front of this site on Gugandi Rd, the main ‘spine’ road of the village, close to the Village Hall and Coffee Cart and to our recycling collection point. The dual-occupancy site will ultimately include Tanya’s 2 bedroom home to the rear as …

Narara Ecovillage on ABC Central Coast chatting about Electric Vehicles

adminSustainability

ABC Central Coast reached out to the Ecovillage to ask about EVs, their benefits and challenges regarding charging. Member John Shiel spoke with Caroline about these questions and more. One big concern was the lack of charging stations on the Central Coast. John shared some of the latest updates: 30 charging locations on the Central Coast 2 maps to find …

When can I move in?

adminCommunity, Sustainable Houses

There are usually a handful of completed homes available for rent or sale, since families grow, people age or downsize, and unexpected changes do happen.  You can see some of these opportunities by clicking the link at the bottom. For those wishing to build, we have nearly completed sales of the 550m2 lots on stage 2, and expect to have …

Cathy and Jay – drawn to the ‘thickness’ of community

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With backgrounds in social change movements and progressive governance Cathie and Jay were drawn to Narara Ecovillage for its use of sociocracy, and what they call a ‘thicker’ experience of community. “As social change geeks, we liked the large scale of Narara”, says Jay. “An intentional community of 200 people means working together through differences, and exploring beyond a culture …

What Life is Like in this Ecovillage

adminCommunity, Village Life

After 28 years of dreaming, progressing and living the Narara Ecovillage Dream, Lyndall Parris reflects on some of the aspects of Narara Ecovillage that she loves.  It is fun living at Narara Ecovillage (NEV): when the NEV band plays gigs in the Village Hall and I dance with people my height and kids up to my belly button when I walk the …

Narara Ecovillage Strategic Plan

Narara Ecovillage 6-point Strategic Plan 2022-2030

adminCommunity, Project, Sustainability

Dave Burrows In a collaborative process lasting several months, members of Narara Ecovillage developed 6 objectives for 2030 in the areas of biodiversity, food growing, collaboration, regenerative business and carbon emissions. The Plan has six objectives which the Ecovillage will seek to achieve by 2030. For each Objective, a Circle or Working Group has been designated to develop strategies, implement …

Biodynamics Workshop

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By Rafaele Joudry Last weekend, five members and five visitors spent a wonderful two days learning about Biodynamic compost and other wonders of Biodynamic gardening methods. Teacher Diane Watkin attended despite having an infected leg, but she said the whole experience was so delightful, feeling the gentle welcome and peaceful atmosphere of our community that she felt restored by being …

Ecoliving Podcast #6: Renovating a Heritage Home, with Bellbird House

Adam WeissPodcast

This episode is about giving an older home a sustainable makeover — and it’s not just any home. We’ll be talking about: it’s Bellbird House, a Heritage-listed home and B&B here at Narara Ecovillage that’s over 100 years old. Owner Mark O’Brien talked about what it takes to bring a classic Australian home into the 21st century without risking its …

Ecoliving Podcast #5: Straw Bale and Straw Panel Homes, with Viva Homes

Adam WeissPodcast

With Sustainable House Day happening here at the ecovillage and across Australia in March, we wanted to focus this episode on one type of sustainable house that we have several of here at the ecovillage: a strawbale-insulated home. Straw has been used for insulation for all of human history, but that doesn’t mean that a straw-insulated house has to look …

Deb and Dan – seeking more connection and meaning

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Deb and Dan were looking for a place where their kids could roam free, and they could have meaningful connections with their neighbours. They had visited other ecovillages before choosing Narara, and were wanting to know they would have like-minded neighbours. Deb says: “We had heard stories of inter-connectedness, but hadn’t really felt it. What we didn’t really expect was …

Ecoliving Podcast #4: Mushrooms and Mushroom-Growing

Adam WeissPodcast

Want to move beyond fruit and vegetables in your garden? How about mushrooms? This episode features Lincoln DeKalb, a Narara Ecovillage resident who runs Shed 30 Mushrooms, a small mushroom-growing business based at the ecovillage. Lincoln started cultivating mushrooms at home (and in the forest that surrounds the village), then relatively recently started growing and selling gourmet mushrooms at a …

Lyndall and Dave – dreaming the village into being

adminPeople

Lyndall Parris is a passionate pioneer in the world of intentional communities. With a background in teaching and accounting—and a deep desire to live more purposefully and collaboratively—Lyndall followed a powerful calling that led her to found Narara Ecovillage. Lyndall’s journey is one of vision, courage, and heart. From the early days of dreaming up a community where people could …

Ecoliving Podcast #3: Community Batteries, Smartgrids, and Microgrids

Adam WeissPodcast

We just celebrated the official launch of our Narara Ecovillage community battery and microgrid, and Toby Roxburgh came up from Canberra to launch the system, which he helped design. Toby is the founder and executive director of Carbon Neutral Delivery Partners, and he joined Adam to talk about the differences between smartgrids and microgrids, and the benefits of batteries for …