Ivory Park Ecocity, Midrand, South Africa
Ivory Park is a demonstration project located on the edge of a new and very poor township in Midrand near Johannesburg. It fuses African indigenous technologies with western technology. Models include ecologically-friendly homes, a zero energy community centre built by local women, solar energy, water conservation and harvesting, and medicinal herbs. The project promotes jobs in paper-making and traditional crafts, and encourages the use of smokeless stoves and solar cookers. Ecocity teams are developing eco-tourism, youth and women’s empowerment, and environmental activities. Projects also include sanitation, product recycling, food security, finance and eco-banking, eco-construction, eco-businesses, and co-operatives. Non-polluting transport, eco-urban planning, pollution, waste, and natural resource management are also areas of concern. Ivory Park is a courageous experiment in sustainability and poverty eradication for people living and working in cities and who need ecologically-friendly community models.
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