Here’s a look from the Guardian last week at an ‘intentional community’ where looking after wildlife is a priority; or, as the founder says, ‘We miss having a dog but it’s the price you pay’: the village that banned pets to save wildlife [image: The Guardian]

Bill Smart has never heard the word “solarpunk”. But the softly spoken 77-year-old lights up when given the definition from Wikipedia: a literary, artistic and social movement that envisions and works towards actualising a sustainable future interconnected with nature and community. Solar refers not just to renewable energy but to an optimistic, anti-dystopian vision of the future. Punk is an allusion to its countercultural, do-it-yourself ethic.

“That’s us!” says Smart, a retired mechanical engineer. “I never knew there was a word for it. I guess I’ve been a punk all along.”

Smart is giving a tour of his 110-hectare (272 acres) eco community on Australia’s Gold Coast, right on the southern border between Queensland and New South Wales. This weekend, the residents will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its foundation, though no one is sure how many people live there today. The last census was taken in 2017 and Smart estimates about 500 people call the village home...

Here’s more about The Ecovillage at Currumbin | An international award winning sustainable community

And the awards for the Currumbin Ecovillage include recognition of its stunning sustainable architecture [Image: Courtesy Landmatters Group]

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