"The movement to create ecovillages is perhaps the most comprehensive antidote to dependence on the global economy. Around the world, people are bujilding communities that attempt to get away from the waste, pollution, competition and violence of contenporary life."

Helena Norberg-Hodge, director of the International Society for Ecology & Culture.
As cited in Dawson, J. 2006. Ecovillages, New
Frontiers for Sustainability

Eco-communities and co-housing developments have considerably evolved over the past 30 or so years.

Across Europe and the US these developments are increasingly becoming mainstream as people realise it makes sense for their health and wellbeing, financially, environmentally and socially.

Some reasons people gave for involving themselves in an eco-community:

• Money saved by using less petrol, growing
• own food and using renewable resources.
• Family safety / Safe and substantial
• playing areas for children and their
• friends.
• Environmental factors.
• Social aspects.
• They understand the amount of harmful
• chemicals and pesticides used in
• producing commercially grown "fresh
• produce".

GHNZ uses the principles of permaculture.
These can be applied to urban and rural
settings and to almost any scale and size.

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