Policies

Plastics

• We buy in bulk to minimise packaging and mimimise single-use plastic (towards zero but not militant)

• No large plastic play equipment/toys

• Avoid use of both soft and hard plastics, where possible (soft packaging, hard single-use bottles, and even multi-use buckets, kitchen containers, etc.)

Composting

• Kitchen scraps and garden waste

• Composting toilets?

Minimising consumption

• Where practical, we share items/gadgets/tools

• Buy as little as possible

• Buy second-hand items where possible

• Repair, repurpose, or manufacture rather than buy

Governance and Management

• Consensus-based decision making / sociocracy

• Community participation in collaborative teams, e.g. kitchen, garden, maintenance, cleaning and admin

Fire Management

• We live in a bushfire prone area and we must have and adhere to a village fire plan

Transport and Reducing Fossil Fuels

• We use hand or electric tools rather than fuels

• We walk and cycle as much as possible

• We use public transport

• We share cars, which are electric / hybrid as much as possible

• Car parking is limited to the entrance or extremities of the ecovillage

• The central part of the village is car free, with the emphasis on encouraging incidental engagement between community members

Alcohol and Other Drug Use

• Residents are responsible for their own bodies, health, safety, and choices. That being said, residents must agree to consider others in their choices and behaviour. For example, smoking is discouraged, and it is banned in communal areas.

Nudity / Loud Music / Behaviour Norms

• Community needs to discuss and come to consensus on behaviours that impact others

• Different zones may have different norms, e.g. the library, study and co-working spaces are quiet, the dining room is generally very social during meals, and the gym, dance and music spaces are louder.

Internet & Technology

• We envisage that many residents will want to “work from home” so a reliable internet connection will be provided in the co-working and study areas.

• We do not have TVs in shared spaces, except for in the “theatre” but TVs in personal rooms are ok

• Limits may be placed on the use of screens during meal times and/or during community interactions

Tidiness

• Dishes are washed after every meal and everything is put away, benches wiped

• In shared spaces, everything has its place and is put back in its place after use

• Guidelines about personal / collective responsibility will be necessary to avoid conflict and maintain a respectful attitude to others

Storage

• Storage limited to each resident's personal room

• Limited storage in the community toolshed, workshop, etc.