Free Rent in an Ecovillage for a Year? (Documentary project, Victoria, Australia)

Are you a passionate and knowledgeable permaculturalist? Would you like to live in a developing ecovillage for a year ‘rent free’ as part of a documentary project? Do you want to explore a life of frugal abundance? If so, read on!

Over the last 12 months the Simplicity Institute has been involved in the development of an ecovillage permaculture farm out near Moe, Victoria, Australia (about 1 hour 45 mins from Melbourne). To date the communities involved have built a small Earthship, a beautiful cob cabin, and last week we made great progress on an earthbag dome and a pizza oven. There are bees buzzing, beers brewing, water tanks collecting, and communities forming. We’ve also planted 40 odd fruit trees and have established some large vegetable gardens, with more to come. The 20-acre property has a large dam, a large shed, a large greenhouse and chicken coop, as well as a more conventional house.

These are early days, but much has been done over the last year with many more plans and projects in the pipeline. Our primary aim is to explore what ‘one planet’ living looks like, to demonstrate it as far as possible, and to use the property as an education centre and activist hub to promote pathways to a radically ‘simpler way’ to live. We don’t want to escape the system; we want to help transform it. Would you like to be part of this adventure?

The Simplicity Institute has been approached by a documentary filmmaker and we are now conspiring to turn this project into an inspiring educational documentary, which records the evolution of the property in these early stages and demonstrates the nature of a highly localised, sufficiency-based economy. We are currently seeking applications from people interested in living out on the property for one year, starting in January 2015, to be part of this documentary.

We are seeking creative, passionate, good-spirited and knowledgeable permaculturalists, who are prepared to explore a lifestyle of radical simplicity and who are committed to making this property and this documentary project a success. The documentary will be filmed over a one-year period, with the participants being filmed exploring the various aspects of ‘one planet’ living. Among other things, it is hoped that the documentary will demonstrate organic food production, renewable energy production, radically reduced energy consumption, alternative technologies and building methods, composting toilets, low-tech solar hot water, making and mending rather than buying, home production, minimizing waste, building community and local economies, and so forth. We aren’t interested in documenting ‘light green’ living. We are seeking applications from people interested in exploring the ‘deep green’ alternative. If you are ready to challenge yourself and inspire others, be in touch.

If you’re interested in applying, please send a one-page application to entropiaecovillage (at) gmail.com

Tell us who you are, why you want to be involved, the skills you could bring, and anything else you feel we should know. Applications close 10 November with interviews and decisions soon thereafter. We’re aiming to invite up to 6-8 people onto the property for the year to establish the small community for this project.

Like all documentaries, this one will require funding. For the rest of the year, the Simplicity Institute will be donating all proceeds from the sales of Entropia and Simple Living in History to this project. Please support this important project by buying copies of these books and sharing these links. We can’t do this alone. Christmas is coming up, so perhaps rather than buying junk we could all buy our families and friends copies of these books to spread the important messages of simplicity and permaculture while also supporting this documentary. Thanks for your support.

If you are able to financially support this project in more significant ways, please be in touch at: entropiaecovillage (at) gmail.com