Note
from the Aldinga Arts
EcoVillage…
Last week we had something of a celebration when the pump was finally connected and rainwater switched on through our house. One more step towards sustainability! - particularly with the very dry summer we have all just experienced. Now all we need is some rain to fill the tanks (though as I write this the grey clouds above seem to have remembered what they are supposed to do and the ground is wet for the first time in many months).
I am often asked, “Who lives in the village?” and I will try to give a snapshot of the people here. We are as diversified as any community you would find anywhere. There is Gina who cuts my hair for me - very well, may I say - and is also a painter of note. I look forward to seeing her paintings at Vivienne Newcombe’s new gallery, Dolphin Gallery, soon to open in that part of the village adjacent to Coach Road, an exhibition she may share with other village artists such as Ilona and Kat, Maria and Justin. Any talk of village professional artists must include Barbara Powell-Weise, who recently celebrated her 80th birthday with a party where villagers brought drinks and nibbles and many warm wishes - she managed to take time from painting to attend. Barbara is one of South Australia’s most respected artists, recognised for her work, her involvement in the Royal Art Society and, long ago, the Advertiser art shows at the Festival Centre.
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Landscapes in the EcoVillage
Visitors often ask us about our landscaping in the Village as it is distinctly different from the very artificial "instant garden" type of landscaping used by mainstream developers in conventional new suburbs.
Our landscapes are based on several principles:
(1.) Plants should be indigenous to the Aldinga region or should produce edible fruit or nuts.
(2.) Stormwater should be retained for use on site, using roadside and rip-rap swales and storage ponds
(3.) Planted mounds rather than fences should be used for privacy and windbreaks.
Thanks to intensive work over several years involving our development company, the Community's Natural Environment Committee, and Community members themselves, the site is now planted with thousands of native plants and hundreds of fruit and nut trees. They have hard a hard time in the drought of the last year but weeding and watering by villagers is finally showing visible results throughout the Village and on the berms of our farm area.
We have also been building on the 'themes' of plants in our streets - there is now Hakea rugosa in Hakea Walk, 3 different types of Olearia in Olearia Walk, Clematis microphylla in Clematis Walk and a row of Dianella revoluta will appear in Dianella Way when they are big enough to go in.
To source our native plants, the Natural Environment Committee plans many months in advance of each early winter planting. Plants are grown to order by Carol Shields at Wirrascape wholesale nursery in Aldinga Beach. Carol collects seeds from within 5 km or so of our site to ensure that the genetic stock we introduce is as close as possible to the original plants of the area. We have planted hundreds of trees and shrubs that have been grown with seed sourced from Trees for Life and propagated by villagers. Another exciting development is that our plants are now producing enough seed for us to propagate plants for ourselves.
Last week we had something of a celebration when the pump was finally connected and rainwater switched on through our house. One more step towards sustainability! - particularly with the very dry summer we have all just experienced. Now all we need is some rain to fill the tanks (though as I write this the grey clouds above seem to have remembered what they are supposed to do and the ground is wet for the first time in many months).
I am often asked, “Who lives in the village?” and I will try to give a snapshot of the people here. We are as diversified as any community you would find anywhere. There is Gina who cuts my hair for me - very well, may I say - and is also a painter of note. I look forward to seeing her paintings at Vivienne Newcombe’s new gallery, Dolphin Gallery, soon to open in that part of the village adjacent to Coach Road, an exhibition she may share with other village artists such as Ilona and Kat, Maria and Justin. Any talk of village professional artists must include Barbara Powell-Weise, who recently celebrated her 80th birthday with a party where villagers brought drinks and nibbles and many warm wishes - she managed to take time from painting to attend. Barbara is one of South Australia’s most respected artists, recognised for her work, her involvement in the Royal Art Society and, long ago, the Advertiser art shows at the Festival Centre.
**********************************************************************
Landscapes in the EcoVillage
Visitors often ask us about our landscaping in the Village as it is distinctly different from the very artificial "instant garden" type of landscaping used by mainstream developers in conventional new suburbs.
Our landscapes are based on several principles:
(1.) Plants should be indigenous to the Aldinga region or should produce edible fruit or nuts.
(2.) Stormwater should be retained for use on site, using roadside and rip-rap swales and storage ponds
(3.) Planted mounds rather than fences should be used for privacy and windbreaks.
Thanks to intensive work over several years involving our development company, the Community's Natural Environment Committee, and Community members themselves, the site is now planted with thousands of native plants and hundreds of fruit and nut trees. They have hard a hard time in the drought of the last year but weeding and watering by villagers is finally showing visible results throughout the Village and on the berms of our farm area.
We have also been building on the 'themes' of plants in our streets - there is now Hakea rugosa in Hakea Walk, 3 different types of Olearia in Olearia Walk, Clematis microphylla in Clematis Walk and a row of Dianella revoluta will appear in Dianella Way when they are big enough to go in.
To source our native plants, the Natural Environment Committee plans many months in advance of each early winter planting. Plants are grown to order by Carol Shields at Wirrascape wholesale nursery in Aldinga Beach. Carol collects seeds from within 5 km or so of our site to ensure that the genetic stock we introduce is as close as possible to the original plants of the area. We have planted hundreds of trees and shrubs that have been grown with seed sourced from Trees for Life and propagated by villagers. Another exciting development is that our plants are now producing enough seed for us to propagate plants for ourselves.
The village is home to retirees and to young
families, too - there are growing numbers of
children who can play safely, ride their bikes,
visit friends, and who add greatly to the village
mix. There are people like electrician Stefan
Dispain, who is developing perhaps the world’s
first eco-powered bicycle. This strange but
practical machine has had test runs around village
streets and, if the looks of delight on the faces
of the human guinea pigs are anything to go by, is
destined to be a huge success. There is another
Stefan, who builds amazing rock walls and other
landscaping wonders and can advise on what grows
best, on permaculture and indigenous native plants.
And Adrian, who is quietly and determinedly
building his own house, piece by piece, bale by
bale, very much by hand, eschewing gadgets such as
nail guns for an oldfashioned hammer.
There are people like John, who looks after village finances and the wastewater treatment system - perhaps not such strange bedfellows, after all - checking the system daily, making sure that things run smoothly (no pun intended!) Which brings me back to the opening topic and one of the village’s aims - to work towards sustainability, to reduce impact on the land and reliance on imported ‘services’ - hence our rainwater tanks. With more than 150 lots in the village there will be much to tell you about in the future.
Sandra
[As published in Coastal Views April 07]
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To look after our plants, villagers keep an eye on them and remove any weeds from directly around them that will compete for moisture. All young seedlings are marked with a stake so that they can be readily identified for weeding and watering over summer.
Neighbourhood Groups* have been a vital link in our planting program, along with the villagers who braved working bees to plant, fill pots and collect seed. We are grateful to all the volunteers who came and got their hands dirty.
To teach villagers more about our local native plants, the Natural Environment Committee has put together a folder that includes photos and easily accessible information on many of our local species - e.g., approximate size of the plant, conditions it needs to grow, and the time of year that it flowers. This resource is being added to each year as time and energy permit. Each Neighbourhood Group Leader has a copy of the folder and there is also a copy in our Community Library at the Heij's house at Lot 63 on Hakea Walk.
There are very few people who have knowledge about these plants, how they are propagated and how they respond in landscaping, and we are lucky to have access to their advice. However, we will be building our own knowledge base over time as we get to know how our plants perform.
Another great resource is The Native Plants of Adelaide: Returning the vanishing natural heritage of the Adelaide Plains to your garden by Phil Bagust & Lynda Tout-Smith. This book is also available in our Community Library.
* The Village is divided into five "Neighbourhood Groups" of neighbouring blocks so that local landscape and garden maintenance can be done coordinately by neighbours who have a shared interest in their immediate neighbourhood.
*********************************************************************
News from our Friends at Christie Walk
Urban Ecology Newsletter
There are people like John, who looks after village finances and the wastewater treatment system - perhaps not such strange bedfellows, after all - checking the system daily, making sure that things run smoothly (no pun intended!) Which brings me back to the opening topic and one of the village’s aims - to work towards sustainability, to reduce impact on the land and reliance on imported ‘services’ - hence our rainwater tanks. With more than 150 lots in the village there will be much to tell you about in the future.
Sandra
[As published in Coastal Views April 07]
******************************************************************
To look after our plants, villagers keep an eye on them and remove any weeds from directly around them that will compete for moisture. All young seedlings are marked with a stake so that they can be readily identified for weeding and watering over summer.
Neighbourhood Groups* have been a vital link in our planting program, along with the villagers who braved working bees to plant, fill pots and collect seed. We are grateful to all the volunteers who came and got their hands dirty.
To teach villagers more about our local native plants, the Natural Environment Committee has put together a folder that includes photos and easily accessible information on many of our local species - e.g., approximate size of the plant, conditions it needs to grow, and the time of year that it flowers. This resource is being added to each year as time and energy permit. Each Neighbourhood Group Leader has a copy of the folder and there is also a copy in our Community Library at the Heij's house at Lot 63 on Hakea Walk.
There are very few people who have knowledge about these plants, how they are propagated and how they respond in landscaping, and we are lucky to have access to their advice. However, we will be building our own knowledge base over time as we get to know how our plants perform.
Another great resource is The Native Plants of Adelaide: Returning the vanishing natural heritage of the Adelaide Plains to your garden by Phil Bagust & Lynda Tout-Smith. This book is also available in our Community Library.
* The Village is divided into five "Neighbourhood Groups" of neighbouring blocks so that local landscape and garden maintenance can be done coordinately by neighbours who have a shared interest in their immediate neighbourhood.
*********************************************************************
News from our Friends at Christie Walk
Urban Ecology Newsletter
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