2005-11-20,+Even+Utopia+has+its+troubles,+Saturday+Star

= Even Utopia has its troubles =

Ivory Park eco-village points way to greener, sustainable future

November 19, 2005

By Christina Gallagher

Eco-City is a tree-hugger's Utopia. The village - located in Midrand's Ivory Park, one of Gauteng's poorest areas - is a model for a future built on self-reliance and detached from dependence on fossil fuels.

But not everyone is wiling to buy into a sustainable future.

Layers of dust kicked up from the earth settle as the sun bakes it into the crevices of your skin. Inside the eco-village, refuge from the heat is found in a creche.

The igloo-shaped room is insulated with natural materials and made from clay with a minimum of cement, which maintains a cool temperature.

The concept that provides warmth in the winter and coolness in the summer would benefit shack dwellers who live in virtually opposite conditions - resembling a sauna in summer and cooler box in winter.

In January, 29 eco-friendly houses sponsored by the Department of Housing are to be built at a cost of R42 000 each - more than the R31 000 subsidy for RDP houses.

But these homes are expected to be more cost-efficient in the long run as they will incorporate similar materials to those used in the crche and solar panels for energy.

The most revolutionary concept is the bio-gas digester.

It is a flush toilet system that gathers methane from human waste and converts it as a safe energy source for cooking and heating. In summer the digester can provide enough gas for more than 60 people a day to do their cooking.

Initially, the models at the village have received a sceptical response from residents who played down any potential benefits.

Christina Madlabane, Eco-City's community project officer, said: "We showcased these types of houses to the people, but they said they live in urban areas now and that with the design we are taking them back to rural areas."

Poor urban areas such as Ivory Park rely on paraffin and coal as their energy sources.

Three-fifths of the residents are connected to electricity grids, but few can afford to pay for the luxury. Respiratory infections are common because of the smoke and fumes these energy sources emit. A prepaid solar power system is part of the village's vision to access energy. The drawback is that solar power, unlike grid electricity, depends on the weather.

The service is rented and its initial subsidised fee of R3 500 is still beyond the reach of many.

Annie Sugrue, board trustee of Eco-City, said: "Women have said that the systems do not provide them with enough energy to use an iron."

But, she added ironically, the same systems were being used to power black-and-white TVs.

When the solar panels were first put on one building in the eco-village, residents quickly found an alternative use. Madlabane said: "People stole them and used them to charge batteries in the area." Behind the village buildings green, floppy leaves emerge from land fertilised by compost.

Five farmers grow beetroot, cabbage, pumpkins, spinach and carrots and sell them to residents. With their income between R2 000 and R2 500, they put away R500 in a group savings scheme and divide the rest.

"I buy here because it is fresh. It tastes different," said one customer.

One of the farmers goes into the field and picks her the best spinach. The price is R3.

This is comparable to inner-city markets that charge around the same price. It is a cheaper option at the co-operative because customers no longer have to pay for transport and they receive quality food that was previously only available at up-market retailers.

Near the farm is another eco-city initiative, Twanano Papermaking Project. Situated next to Iteke Waste Recycling (another Eco-city co-operative), 16 women make everything from sheets of paper to boxes out of milkweed trees, aloe, mealie and banana leaves, and even old bed- sheets from a hospital.

Virginia Ngobeni, who chairs Twanano, said: "My neighbour buys mealies from one of the co-operative farms. She gives me the leaves, I bring them here and make paper from them."

The newest arrival to the Eco-village is an eco-bank. The bank will provide loans to residents who previously lacked access to capital for small businesses. So far, nearly 80 people have joined the bank. The five-year old Eco-City project had trained more than 100 youths in eco-building and improved more than 300 people's livelihoods, said Sugrue.

It has been applauded locally and worldwide, but lack of money is preventing it getting beyond training and conceptual models.

Sugrue said: "We came up with a concept that works for the poor, but it is hard for the mainstream to develop and make it work. This is a new way of life."

cga@star.co.za

From: http://www.thestar.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=131&fArticleId=3001623