Co-operative Living Information

Our group is planning to create an eco-village in the NSW Central Coast region just north of Sydney, Australia.

We formed as a group after a workshop on eco-villages and co-housing held in July 2003. We have been meeting since to discuss the project and to socialise as a community with this common interest.

We have defined the basic features of a project based on some core values defined by the initiating group. We see these ideals attracting people to the project, but the process of developing our ideas is ongoing.

Our plans

Location and Size

We intend to create a community with up to 100 adult members and their children. We will seek to gain planning approval in Gosford or Wyong Shires. We see this location as providing a wonderful natural environment with close access to a large city. We see the eco-village concept as a means of maintaining a productive agricultural land use in areas of increasing land value.

Housing

A cooperative structure will provide housing considerably cheaper than other options available. All houses will belong to the cooperative but be designed, built and maintained by occupants. We will seek to achieve a high standard of sustainable design in all buildings. Houses will be arranged both in small clusters and centralised using a co-housing model. We will build community facilities to take advantage of reduced cost through sharing resources.

Environment

We intend to create a balance between agricultural activities and natural habitat on the property. We intend the property will be a native wildlife refuge and that cats and dogs will excluded. We intend to achieve a sustainable lifestyle by using renewable energy sources including solar, wind and biomass. We will seek to achieve a high standard of living with minimal environmental impact by reducing, reusing and recycling.

Agriculture

A cooperative structure provides the possibilitity to live on, care for and enjoy a large rural landholding at reasonable cost. We will manage the land to provide as much of the food requirements of the community as possible. We will use sustainable agricultural practises on the land with no man-made pesticides or chemical fertilizers. We will develop an agricultural system modelled on natural systems with minimal energy inputs and external interventions. We will encourage visitors to the community to enjoy our clean, healthy and tasty life-giving food.

Community

We will seek to create vibrant internal community where people can develop as individuals and feel valued. We see the community as providing a safe, nurturing and educational environment for children. We intend that the community will become a valued part to the wider community in which it is located. We will encourage artistic and cultural activities to enrich both the landscape and the life of the community members.

Economy

We will seek to create an internal economic system that encourages all members to contribute to the development of the community We also want to allow as many people as possible to work on the community site to minimise commuting and encourage interaction. We expect that people joining the cooperative will be those seeking to find a balance between material wealth and personal growth. We intend to reward people in proportion to their effort in maintaining and improving the community and its infrastructure. We are seeking to achieve these economic goals in a manner that minimises cash transactions.

Management

Management of a cooperative is by law done by directors elected by the members. Nevertheless, we intend that all cooperative members will be active in decision making. We intend to use a consensus model to make decisions, with a means of breaking deadlocks after one revisit. We see committees taking a major role in helping achieve consensus by making recommendations.

Finance

Finance will be raised by issue of partly paid shares to members of the cooperative. New members joining will pay the "paid-up" value of the total shares for one membership at the time of joining. Members seeking to leave will be payed out by joining members or from a fund established by the cooperative. The paid up value of a share will increase as calls are made on the share. A share's value will be based on financial contribution rather than the value of the cooperative's assets.

Employment

We intend that community members will be assisted in finding local employment. A commercial entity associated with the community will seek to create employment opportunities for coop members. We expect that coop members both bring valuable skills and will also create local work opportunities, and so be valued by the surrounding community.

Join us

We are now seeking people who might wish to live in such a community and who can help us bring the project to reality.