BUILT ENVIRONMENT
mation gathering prior to that. But the upside of all this – as well as the fact that they share certain resources – are the close bonds that the residents have formed. “We know how to work together. There are a well-devel- oped set of guidelines as to how we do this,” says architect and resident Robin Allison. She has been involved with the project from day one and coordinated development of the project. “It’s like a mini government. We share some of our resources so we all have access to more, which means we have to agree on how to use our common land and resources.” So when it comes to ‘policing’ what goes in the recycling bins, they don’t have, or need, a dedicated recycling officer. “We all keep an eye on what’s going on in the bins and every now and then an email will go round saying that something put in there was inappropriate,” explains Haslam. Working together and sharing also means the right tone is employed to address issues that arise, without causing discord. Residents that move into the Earthsong community are already pretty ‘green’ but, according to Haslam, living together they learn from each other. “We are trying as much as we can to take public transport or walk.” It’s common for UK residents to criticise their council for not providing collections for difficult recyclates, but residents at Earthsong are proactive. “If anything changes in terms of a company setting itself up to recycle something that hasn’t been done before, I just know that we, as a group or an indi-
vidual, will set up that system so that collection of that mate- rial happens at Earthsong,” says Allison.
The community’s autonomy is one of the bonuses the Waitakere City Council has had with its eco-community. Another benefit is that it also serves as an education centre, providing an example of good practice. In recognition of this the council helped the project by providing the community with a $300,000 interest-free loan to help them complete the construction of the common house. Perhaps it’s time UK councils started singing from this same hymn sheet.
www.earthsong.org.nz
Katie Coyne is a freelance journalist
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April 2011 Local Authority Waste & Recycling 9
Photographs: Earthsong Eco-Neighbourhood
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