Eco Warriors

Hodka Eco Village Gujarat, India

After September 11th, I remember sadly thinking that this event would be the hallmark of my era, that I would think of this horrifying day as the mark of how the world had changed when I was a young adult. Last night I felt joyous to report, that this outlook has changed...

All around me of late I am noticing the extraordinary prominence of the Environment as not only a subject of dreaded apprehension as it has been in the past, but rather as a subject of activism and action. People are actively and happily engaging with reducing their carbon foot print and putting the needs of Earth above their own. It's becoming something of a fashion to be green, although this has it's problem ie. the 'greenwashing' of many products that are anything but green. It is however, great to see humans seriously contemplating for the first time that we could live more simple lives and still be very happy, if not more so. I am coming to hope that this is what my era will be noted for, the age of the peaceful Eco warrior.

Last night Sixty Minutes featured several Eco Villages around the world, housing developments that are completely self-sustaining. Since Greg and I moved to Chippendale and have been awed by the work of Michael Mobbs, who has manged to convert a city terrace into a water, waste and energy efficient home. It has always been our dream to design and build a home of our own where we can be completely off the grid and live without impacting on the environment.

The program featured Earthships eccentric homes designed and built by architect Mike Reynolds, these had me positively vibrating with excitement as not only were his homes made entirely from recycled materials and able to generate their own electricity through solar power. They collect rainwater, only 8 inches a year in the deserts of New Mexico and recycle that for use all year around, even sustaining a vegetable garden inside the house. I was enchanted by the design and aesthetics of the houses, which are fashioned like the old Mexican mud buildings, made with smooth mud walls and painted in bright colours. It reminded me of the Eco Village we visited in India recently. (I have posted a picture above).

It is not often that your exact dreams are crystallized as images before you, and even though this particular dream is still far away, I am still feeling the buzz of having seen it can be a reality.