permaculture

["Harold Waldock" <hwaldock@yahoo.ca>]

Key to Permaculture in Cool Temperate Zone is adequate housing - Bill
Mollison in the Global Gardener Video said that Temperate Zone Permaculture
is 50% about housing.  Early Permaculture innovators gave us straw bale and
cob natural housing techniques.

Access to land is difficult these days, but it is made easier if one gets
others to join into a team.  This project, however, is transitional as few
people know about Permaculture.

What other Ecovillage projects do you know have significant permaculture
elements?  I'd like to see more comment on this list.

Harold Waldock

-----Original Message-----
From: Harold Waldock [mailto:haroldw@alternatives.com]
Sent: August 4, 2004 3:41 PM
To: vanpermaculture
Subject: Yarrow Ecovillage Society Coop (YES) has rezoning approval for
Phase 1!


Yarrow Ecovillage Society Coop (YES) is a 30 Strata-unit Ecovillage
development in Chilliwack and has 20 acres of land as an organic farm and 5
acres that will have housing, workshops, stores, and many shared facilities.

Last night I drove to Chilliwack and sat in on the Chilliwack City Council
public hearings and open sessions.  It was fascinating to see the council
proceed through the agenda, thinking, making comment, and voting on things
like an urban rezoning where the neighbours, simple people in a single
family home complain about a townhouse development. Council also approved
giving a 72 hr clean up notice to the owner of 3 properties which were
filled with up to 6 feet of garbage. Finally council listened to the members
of the community make comment about our 9 residential, 3 commercial unit
phase 1 development proposal.  Two neighbour complained about traffic and
congestion problems that is not caused by us, one had worries about our
septic field. They were not that concerned but had questions, and two spoke
in favour of our project, our commitment, our values and our
neighbourliness.  We had extensive consultations with the neighbourhood in
advance of this approval.  Very few of the neighbours showed up.  The vote
at the end of the night was quick and unanimous with notes about the septic
field and the need for traffic calming which we had already proposed.

This is a big step forward for Vancouver Permaculture, Ecovillage and the
Cohousing movements.

We  went back to the farm, had wine cider and left over cake from our 2-year
anniversary party from the day before and had yet another good time.  The
anniversary was well attended - we had potluck and music and of course cake.
What is community with out celebration!

Now we have to get a building permit and 1-2 more people to buy units and 3
businesses to lease the units available.  The other units have been spoken
for.   Once this has been built we will do phase 2 with 20 units and fix up
the heritage barn.

More info will be at www.yarrowecovillage.ca
Vancouver Permaculture Network  www.alternatives.com/vpn

If you have been wanting a tour please call or email me.


Harold Waldock
haroldw@alternatives.com
alternate:    hwaldock@yahoo.ca
Cell 604 763 6984