Eco-village near Chilliwack overcomes skepticism

When a handful of soft-spoken back-to-the land types bought up a 25-acre parcel of land 18 kilometres west of Chilliwack and showed up at city council to ask for a special “eco-village” zoning, they were prepared for questions. According to Yarrow eco-village founder Michael Hale, “There’s a fair percentage of people that are skeptical about what we’re doing. Some people are totally unconvinced or think we could be a cult.” The group had already dealt with local curiosity at a series of public meetings where, over organic and free-trade beverages, the “pioneers” shared their plans to develop an eco-village in the area.

Denise Ryan