Save the Ecohouse

Ecohouse, in Bellingen, is finding itself in the position of fighting for its life.

Thomas Luck has sent me the following message, and asks that people assemble for a protest rally on Saturday, June 30 at 11am, at the Bellingen Council park.

I've had to abridge the letter, but if you want the whole facts sheet, contact details are at the foot:

Dear friends and Ecohouse supporters,

At last I get around sending a bit of background information to you that hopefully will help everyone to understand better what is happening to Ecohouse, and to be more efficient in campaigning for Ecohouse to stay. The fight is not lost yet; there is still a chance to stall the process with legal tools. If that happened, the contracts would have to be put out for tender again and we would have a good chance to win it, if there is enough pressure by the public. We would demand that a waste minimisation target would be made part of Council tender document and we also would suggest to reduce cost to Council through a couple of simple measures. $100 000 annually could be saved easily, but Council has made no attempt at all to reduce costs.
Even if it was too late for Ecohouse, it’s crucial to not allow the new tenderer to wreck all the good work Ecohouse has done. I feel that now it’s the principles that Ecohouse stands for, and it will be the rivers and the land next. A Council that sells out all environmental, social and ethical values for short term profit will do the same if for example a developer offers enough money for sensitive land. I’m also concerned about the erosion of democracy in the shire and the loss of our special Bellingen identity and culture. To me Ecohouse embodies the best of Bellingen and we just have to fight for it ...

If you have any questions or want to talk about how you can help, please contact Thomas on 6655 5405 or 0413 269 120 or e-mail luckt@optusnet.com.au.

Categories: action, activism, sustainability, environment, recycling, australia, bellingen