Open Day, Forest Aliveness, Decision-making

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Upcoming Events

Open Day at Narara Ecovillage Sat March 27, 10am-1pm

Are you interested in Narara Ecovillage and perhaps already considering living here?

Our Open Day shows what Narara Ecovillage is all about, and shows how we are putting our ideas around ecological, social and economic potential into action.

You are warmly invited to join us on a 1.5 hour tour of this beautiful community development.

Saturday 27 March, 10am – 1pm. 

Last tour will leave at midday.

Families may wish to participate in kids’ activities, or enjoy our adventure playground, before their tour.

Come and join us for a fun morning of discovery, and enjoy a coffee and bite to eat at Candy and Sophia’s Coffee Cart.

Forest Aliveness Experience  Sat, May 15. All day, from 7.30am

On May 15th, Let your senses come alive on the Central Coast at Narara Ecovillage for a magical day of discovery with 3 local experts guiding you into the realms of Birds, Yoga and Rainforest.
This gentle day is suitable for all ages and will help you rest deep into the wonders of nature and learn to use your senses in new ways to explore this pocket of paradise so close to Sydney. You’ll enjoy it even with no prior experience of bird-watching or yoga.
Choose either morning or evening bird tour (as group size is strictly limited for comfort)
Delight in an early or afternoon bird tour, morning and afternoon tea, gentle yoga to take you deep into your senses then join a fascinating talk to stroll through the unique human and natural history of the local area and its rainforests.
Your guides for the day are:

  • Richard Cassels: his passion for the life, habits and quirks of birds lets him share fascinating insights and stories about our local wildlife
  • Mark O’Brien: blends 28 years of yoga & meditation with his love of nature to guide you deep into your senses to find clarity to experience Nature in a new way.
  • Peter Fisher: Author and historian Peter shares lively tales of the characters and rain forests of the Central Coast

You can see more details at: https://www.qiyoga.net/events/forest-aliveness-birds-yoga-rainforest/
Price: $135 (incl morning/afternoon tea)
$10 discount for our lovely NELN members (details below).

Rufous Fantail (C Elizabeth Noble)

STOP PRESS! The latest addition to the fabulous “Forest Aliveness” Day program will be a presentation of photographs of forest wildlife, particularly that of local forests like Strickland and Ourimbah, by Hornsby-based photographer Elizabeth Noble. Liz’s  photos and talk will complement the already rich program presented by Mark O’Brien, Richard Cassels and Peter Fisher.

NB Peter’s new book  Tales from the Rainforest: History and Heritage on the NSW Central Coast has two chapters on the Research Station (now the Narara Ecovillage) and Hogan’s Brush (part of which is now Strickland State Forest).

Elizabeth Noble

Join the Network for discount tickets

  • Discount tickets are available for NELN members. The Narara Eco Living Network is a not for profit educational and outreach body established by members of Narara Ecovillage Co-operative to promote more sustainable living in all its forms. All are welcome to join. Join the Network here

Village News & Views

How is agreement reached so that decisions are made and work gets done?

How do we make decisions? This is a perennial question for any group of people, from governments, to businesses, to families.

There are many systems for making decisions, and each one has its own impact on our experiences within the group, our access to its resources & benefits, and our sense that the group is legitimate and worthwhile.

Narara Ecovillage uses Sociocracy – a collaboration method that incorporates respectful, reasoned and authentic human deliberations, along with authority to act (those who do the work make the decisions), transparent communications, and feedback mechanisms, and also holding space for the fact that we’re all fallible humans.

The values embedded within Sociocracy have helped build a wider community ethos: respectful listening, open communication, equivalence, and reasoned discourse while acknowledging human needs & differences. So Sociocracy has also helped shape our community.

Find out more about Sociocracy: in 2021 we are running a series of “Sociocracy In Action” workshops.

To register your interest, email the Narara Ecovillage Sociocracy Circle sociocracy@nararaecovillage.com, and we’ll send you details about dates and places.

Do a thing a day

iNaturalist- citizen scientists on the go

Become part of the global citizen scientist movement, and help protect biodiversity.

iNaturalist 

Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. Connect with a community of over 400,000 scientists and naturalists who can help you learn more about nature! By recording and sharing your observations, you’ll create research quality data for scientists working to better understand and protect nature.

How to do it:

1) Sign up to iNaturalist

2) Get the app

Free apps for mobile devices:

3) Observe & record

Get outside, and observe an individual organism … pick something wild and take a clear, full frame photo.

4) Share

Then share your observations, and the community can come in with comments and identifications.

Biodiversity, meet Big Data

  • Check out the Global Biodiversity Information Facility – for the more scientifically inclined

GBIF—Global Biodiversity Information Facility—is an international network and data infrastructure funded by the world’s governments and aimed at providing anyone, anywhere, open access to data about all types of life on Earth.

From our Network

Eco Village Voice Special Offer

Eco Village Voice publishes a magazine for anyone interested in ecovillages, regeneration and community, and we want to connect with as many ecovillages as possible. We produce a quarterly magazine, podcasts, webinars, videos, blog posts, a monthly newsletter and more.

SPECIAL 2 for 1 Annual Membership Offer, valid to June 30 2021 Buy 1 USD$50 membership, and nominate someone else to receive a free gift membership. Offer available to anyone living in an ecovillage, especially members of Global Ecovillage Network (GEN). How to claim: Select Level 8 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP then email editor@ecovillagevoice.com

Global Ecovillage Network Australia speakers at the Australasian Permaculture Convergence

GEN Australia Consultants Trudy Juriansz and Shane Sylvanspring are speaking on Tuesday 12th at the Australasian Permaculture Convergence in Brisbane. Find out more about the Convergence here

GEN 2021 Online Ecovillage Summit

Inspired by the motto ‘Living Solutions for a Regenerative World,’ the Ecovillage Summit will showcase how ecovillages and communities contribute to the mitigation of climate crisis in the face of multiple crises and function as resilient communities of practice under the conditions of environmental breakdown.

We will explore how individual and community participation in ecovillage lifestyles work towards earth restoration, economic revival, social regeneration and cultural celebration through showcasing practical solutions and inspiring individual and collective action through sharing ecovillage and solution stories.

Register Now

Jumbun Rainforest Aboriginal Eco-Network Workshop, Murray Falls

A GEN team are going to Murray Falls for this program in April – we will have an update in the next newsletter.

More information here