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The EcoVillage
It is a 21st century village in a modern African township. On a crisp July morning, young dancers entertain residents who have come to an open day to see and hear how they fit into the WSSD. They wear modern versions of yesterday’s grass skirts and tank tops with beaded sequins, spreading a message of safe sex. The era is different, but many of the eco concepts on display are indigenous.
The EcoVillage is in the heart of Ivory Park, with an entrance through a zero-energy centre welcoming area, daubed in Ndebele paint.
The EcoVillage Snaking around the border of the EcoVillage is an organic market which creates a commercial edge. Women and men from the six co-operatives sell their organic produce to passers-by, though the market also sells other consumables. It is still a work in progress, although there is already quite a bit to see in the village. Compost heaps dot the opposite edge of the village, adjacent to small farming plots. Permaculture principles are used and a permanent stream and water collection system runs through the EcoVillage, so that all water is reused and recycled. This has been made possible by tapping a stormwater culvert for use in the village. This method of water management bagged a municipal innovation award and was designed to cause the least possible environmental degradation and to create as much work as possible. Forty people were employed to build the stormwater channel and a local contractor managed the project. The system is now linked to a stormwater management system on the EcoVillage site that collects surface water for the site and stores it in a specially prepared dam for use in irrigation. A solar pump allows the water to be distributed evenly around the site. Near to the market, but inside the village parameters, architects are planning a community centre. Unlike the corrugated roof and brick building abodes that are de rigeur in South African townships, this one will have a soil roof, says architect Ken Stucke. “The temperature of the earth is constant so that the building will not need heating in winter or cooling in summer.” In the meantime, three houses have already been built, with support from Bioregional UK, an organisation that has won several international prizes for eco-building. The WWF has helped to facilitate international interest and assistance. The earth brick house has been visited by 2 000 people. It measures 42m2 and has three rooms plus toilet, shower and kitchenette. Constructed with earth bricks, the clay is locally sourced and cement is used only in areas where water is used. Fourteen women, called the Ubuhle Bemvelo EcoConstruction Co-operative, have been trained to build using local materials to specified environmental standards. Several features make the houses and buildings in the village key symbols of what it is trying to achieve. Labour-intensive methods, such as brickmaking, are used so that more money remains in the community. Minimal cement is used where possible, cutting down the rate of carbon production. Because natural building materials are used, the houses “breathe”, thus making them more sustainable. At the end of the project, 30 demonstration houses will form part of the EcoVillage community. The completed EcoVillage will include indigenous gardens, a traditional African Kraal (homestead), a space for spiritual reflection, a poets’ corner and vibrant economic activity. The first phase of the EcoVillage, now under construction, focuses on the creation of an ecological business park so that the centre becomes the hub and showcase for local economic development. The land belongs to the City of Johannesburg which has granted development rights to the EcoCity Trust and which will eventually give land tenure to the residents. Currently it is home to the EcoBuilders who will construct the 30 homes as well as the young eco-tourist guides who will show visitors around. Other innovations will include a business making insulation material and blocks from used and reclaimed polystyrene packing; a battery recycling facility; a brick, beam and block-making facility; a medicinal herb garden; a renewable energy supply and information shop; and a small organic farming business. A seedling nursery is already in bud. The entire village is geared toward sustainability and self-sufficiency. Tourist fees will generate income and training in eco-village design will be offered to others who want to replicate the idea. Like proper villages, this one will succeed if it is mixed-use, where people will live, work and play.
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