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Do you want to live in a beautiful home for you and your family that helps the environment and creates a feeling of community? If so, we really need your help. The Cape Paterson Eco-Village in Victoria’s Gippsland region has a vision to create Australia’s FIRST well designed community run on 100% solar power, rain water tanks for every house and community gardens to grow fresh fruit and vegetables for the entire community.

Cape Paterson Eco-village is looking for your assistance regarding a visionary eco-housing development that seeks to demonstrate how Australians can enjoy a high standard of living, and lower electricity, water and grocery bills whilst living in a genuine community that enhances the natural environment.

The Cape Paterson Eco-village is Australia’s first large-scale zero carbon house development project.

The development will consist of 200 beautiful architect designed energy and water efficient houses that run on 100% clean solar energy. Each house will be required to have an 8.5 star energy rating. The whole development will produce zero carbon emissions, as well as demonstrate best practice in water conservation and community food production. The project will also undertake large-scale ecological restoration of the delicate coastal ecosystem on the site.

Recently, an independent planning panel made a curious finding that it is preferable to build up to 1400 conventional houses which are very likely to be built to minimal standards and run on brown coal electricity  on the site opposite the proposed Eco-village, but rejected the Eco-village's submission.

This decision fails to respond to the looming challenge of climate change, and continues to lock home buyers into energy intensive and poorly designed housing that makes our community vulnerable to future energy and water price increases.

Despite the council’s decision, the Eco-village team is continuing to work to deliver this project. We are currently seeking letters of support from high profile community members and members of the general public for this project.

For detailed information and a short film about the project visit the website www.capepatersonecovillage.com.au

We would appreciate your support of this visionary and nationally significant project by writing a letter of support to the following email address ASAP but definitely before July 16th:dean.sbennett@gmail.com

or you can submit your letter through the website: www.capepatersonecovillage.com.au

For further information about this project, please call Brendan Condon (Project Director) on 0412 198 974

Please support this ambitious and visionary project !


Cape Paterson Eco-Vilage Facts:

•    Energy: All houses will be 100% solar powered and will ensure that families, retirees on fixed incomes, renters or investors can control their electricity costs. Homes generating their own power in the eco-village will protect the average family from rising energy costs in the future.

•    Water: The eco-village will use water tanks and large water storage facilities to ensure that the precinct can provide as much water as possible, reducing the costs to each home owner and reducing the need for desalinated water. Low water appliances, grey water re-use, stormwater capture/treatment and re-use on site with wetlands to treat runoff will ensure that the Eco-village is helping home owners to live responsibly and save money on water costs.

•    Community gardens:  The community will have access to a community garden where they can grow their own healthy fresh fruit and vegetables and reduce food costs for each household.

•    Walking and cycling network: Houses in the Eco-village will be linked to the Cape Paterson township by 4km of pathways and boardwalks, encouraging the entire community to get healthy and cycle more.

•    Leading environmental credentials: Houses will meet an 8.5 star minimum energy rating, there are currently less than 10 such houses in all of Victoria. The Eco-village is aiming to build 200 houses like this.

•    Community Centre: A community and educational space with magnificent views over the water and Cape Paterson will provide an ideal location for all community groups from Cape Paterson to meet.

•    Architect designed: The houses will be designed by leading architects with experience in Environmentally Sustainable Design to allow home owners to choose various options to build their 8.5 star home at an affordable cost.

•    Regenerating local ecosystem: 15% of the entire eco-village development will consist of new heathland that will be re-generated for the enjoyment of the entire Cape Paterson community. Over 1 million plants will be planted using locally sourced seeds.

•    Planning for climate change: The entire development will be set back 400 metres back from the ocean, over 20 meters above sea level and further back than much of the existing Cape Paterson township.

•    Generating local tourism and local employment: A nationally significant project such as the Eco-village would generate interest from eco-tourists and provide a large economic boost to the local economy during the holiday periods.

•    Local ranger to enhance the environment: The Eco-village will employ a ranger to ensure that the local wildlife in the area near the beach is protected and enhanced for all Cape Paterson residents and visitors