[Pil-pc-oceania] Return of the Commune -Crystal Waters - Today Tonight July 20th 2007

[Ilan G]

http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/article/40110/lifestyle/return-commune
There is also a lo-res video link on this page to the story below
(That's the Channel 7 Commercial TV network in Australia)
>
>
>     Return of the commune
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>     * Reporter: Gavin Alder
>     * Broadcast Date: July 20, 2007
>
> *The ads might sound like advertising for the latest housing estate, 
> but the New Age communities they feature are a modern twist on the 
> hippie lifestyle.*
>
> Today, more than 200 people live on acreage blocks at Crystal Waters.
>
> Sepp Hock and Isabella Shodmak run a health retreat from their Crystal 
> Waters home. They have their own chickens, grow their own fruit and 
> vegetables, and life has never been sweeter.
>
> Griffith University Social Historian Dr. Bill Metcalfe has spent 30 
> years studying so-called "intentional communities" in Australia.
>
> "There's a long and very rich history in Australia of intentional 
> communities" he said.
>
> Forget Aquarius. According to Dr Metcalfe, we have entered a new age 
> of group living.
>
> "When I started my research, there wasn't a council in Australia that 
> wanted anything to do with any of these groups," he said.
>
> "They were seen as dirty, they'd reduce property values, these things."
>
> Now, he says many councils encourage them, because the communities 
> take responsibility for their own roads, their own water supply, a lot 
> of their power requirements and much of their waste management.
>
> At Crystal Waters, they look after almost all aspects of life, even death.
>
> Cemetery Manager Richard Giles said: "It's very small. We're hoping 
> not too many of us will disappear over the next few years."
>
> As well as being a restful spot to rest in peace, Richard says Crystal 
> Waters is an equally peaceful place to spend his life.
>
> "Crystal Waters is part of a network of eco-villages or eco-centres 
> around the world and I guess in a lot of ways, people in Crystal 
> Waters have pioneered it," he said.
>
> Developers are catching on, too. Kerry Shepherd is co-developer of the 
> Currumbin Valley eco-village on the Gold Coast, the first eco-village 
> actually being done by property developers.
>
> "The methodology of doing this project has been done in a very 
> mainstream way," Kerry said.
>
> "Because we wanted to appeal to the development industry, to say 'this 
> is how it can be done'."
>
> It certainly appeals to Melissa and Eric Pearson.
>
> "Everybody is so approachable and friendly and we know most of them 
> already," Melissa said.
>
> "Those we don't know are worth getting to know, because they're here, 
> they've come here."
>
> At the moment, their block is home to the local wildlife, but even 
> before construction has started on their house, it feels like home, 
> especially for their children Kirra and Jordan.
>
> "Letting kids be kids, not having so many restrictions on them, so 
> they enjoy life and they can explore," Melissa said.
>
> "We're not worried about them going out onto a busy main road."
>
> At a time when many of us are grappling with terms like global 
> warming, climate change and environmental sustainability, people 
> living in this eco-village are literally thinking globally by acting 
> locally.
>
> The preferred mode of transport is pedal power and every home has its 
> own water supply and generates its own solar power.
>
> Dennis and Claire Johnston's home won't need artificial heating, 
> thanks to the rammed earth walls retaining the warmth of the sun.
>
> It won't need cooling, either, because the design allows for the 
> breeze to travel through the entire house.
>
> Ten solar panels will provide more than enough electricity. And the 
> rest, they'll sell back to the power company.
>
> Once they are established, they will grow their own food, like the 
> members of Crystal Waters community - where you won't find hippies. 
> They call themselves "happies".
>
> "This is a renaissance, in a way, where it's not alternative anymore, 
> it's becoming mainstream," local resident Max Leddigger said.
>
> For 20 years, Max has held firm to the belief that this is the way 
> forward.
>
> It has been a long time coming, but now he says he doesn't just look 
> like a pioneer, he feels like one too.
>
> "At the moment, I think we have a choice," Max said.
>
> "At the moment, we can choose to do certain things and learn certain 
> lessons. In 10 or 20 years, we might be in such a tight spot, the 
> change will be forced upon us."
>
> *Crystal Waters is at Condondale, near Maleny on Queensland's Sunshine 
> Coast. Phone (07) 5494 4801 or click on 
> www.ecologicalsolutions.com.au/crystalwaters 
> <http://www.ecologicalsolutions.com.au/crystalwaters>*
>
> *For information on the Ecovillage at Currumbin, see 
> www.theecovillage.com.au <http://www.theecovillage.com.au> or ring 
> (07) 5598 7377.*
>

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