As part of SLA’s SLEX display, we are hoping to assemble a “model ecovillage” from recycled materials. We’re looking for (a) materials and (b) people to help design and build the model during the school holidays.
The model will fly banners for sections representing different Action Groups (a cafe for “Heart and Soul”, a garden for ALF, a wind turbine for Energy …). There will be a variety of buildings demonstrating various sustainable principles including solar passive design and retrofitting older homes. A poster explaining where the materials for the model have come from (and where you could source materials in real life; e.g,. “cotton reel” coffee table base in model could be a used “cable” reel from the Building Recyclers in real life)) is also planned.
Can you help provide materials? Here are a few ideas for starters …
- broken propellors off toy planes to make sails for a wind farm
- broken toy car wheels (some buildings in Garbage Warrior made from tyres)
- toy shipping containers (e.g. the container part of a semi-trailer)
- toy or ornamental houses (any design)
- toy trees, plants and animals (especially chickens)
- realistic toy people
- green felt (for grass – maybe from a wrecked billiard table?)
- model/dolls house chairs and table for a coffee shop
- model bicycles
- anything that looks like a miniature solar panel (e.g hand mirror)
- disused model railway layout (i.e. the landscaping with hills etc)
- architect’s model for a house, townhouses, garages ….
- plastic or glass that could look like the walls of a greenhouse
- used match boxes (basic building units)
- cotton reels (for water tanks or the base of a coffee table in the cafe)
We will decide the scale and how to use the materials once we know what we’ve got.
Do you have time to help design or assemble the village, suggestions or materials? Please contact Cathie Lamont, who is coordinating the construction, on (Local prefix) … 8240 or email her at village@slarmidale.org, or bring your materials/suggestions to the next SLA forum.
