"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."
"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. A sign outside the cafe in Currumbin Ecovillage banning dogs because of the danger they present to native wildlife."
Bill Smart lights up when hearing the term solarpunk, defined as a movement envisioning a sustainable future intertwined with nature and community, combining renewable optimism with a DIY countercultural ethic. He guides visitors around a 110-hectare eco-community on Australia's Gold Coast that was conceived as a wildlife sanctuary and corridor. The community marks its 20th anniversary and houses about 500 people, including retirees, young families, stuntmen, journalists, monks, composers and recluses. Residents emphasize neighbourliness, mutual childcare oversight and shared village life. Cats and dogs are banned because they present a danger to native wildlife.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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