Have you ever wanted to join a housing co-operative, collective or eco-village? Then this is the episode for your green fuzzy ears! Listen to a conversation all about kicking down fences with Anitra Nelson, author of Small is Necessary: Shared Living on a Shared Planet. We discuss her ideas for eco-collaborative housing and the problems with our cities and suburbs. Also catch the first installment of Urban Wasteland Survival Guide and learn how to safely forage your veggie needs!

Interested in Small is Necessary? Anitra has made the book available on open access here: https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/30716(link is external)

About the book:

Does small mean less? Not necessarily. In an era of housing crises, environmental unsustainability and social fragmentation, the need for more sociable, affordable and sustainable housing is vital. The answer? Shared living - from joint households to land-sharing, cohousing and ecovillages. Using successful examples from a range of countries, Anitra Nelson shows how 'eco-collaborative housing' - resident-driven low impact living with shared facilities and activities - can address the great social, economic and sustainability challenges that householders and capitalist societies face today. Sharing living spaces and facilities results in householders having more amenities and opportunities for neighbourly interaction. Small is Necessary places contemporary models of 'alternative' housing and living at centre stage arguing that they are outward-looking, culturally rich, with low ecological footprints and offer governance techniques for a more equitable and sustainable future.

Urban Wasteland Survival Guide Resources:

The Weed Forager's Handbook: AGuide to Edible and Medicinal Weeds in Australia by Adam Grubb and Annie Raser-Rowland.

GardenSafe by EPA Victoria(link is external)

VegeSafe and DustSafe by Macquarie University(link is external)

Songs:

Little Boxes by Malvina Reynolds

Somewhere That's Green from Little Shop of Horror's featuring Ellen Greene