This will treat all domestic and commercial waste water on site and replace our use of mains sewerage, which has been connected since 1981. The community also operates an extensive recycling program and has been instrumental in encouraging local authorities to expand the range of recycling services to the local area. The growth of the community in the 70's mainly living in caravans lead to some amazing creative structures. Unfortunately they were largely illegal and had to be removed when the local council discovered them. The philosophy has been to use materials as the uniting element whilst letting the forms be left to the individual's creativity.
Some buildings have a conventional rectilinear style while others are round or multi-sided.
There is an internal planning committee that acts as a filter and all plans must be posted for community viewing and comment before final approval is given. Energy and ecological standards are not completely formalized but the understanding is that the best in natural and healthy building materials will be used whenever possible. The construction used has been almost exclusively timber, both for structural elements and claddings. The community is using a unique 'breathing wall' construction that eliminates the need for a vapor barrier and allows the fabric of the building to interact with the indoor climate in a beneficial way. There are plans to experiment with other types of ecological construction including straw bale and rammed earth.