EcoDIY Eco-house


A Few Words About Us

Chris, Rosie, Merri and Robin (and now working in London) moved to Clacton in July 2007.  We soon added Zero a Labrador puppy (born in July 2007) to the family as well as a tribe of chickens (I won't list their names!) and bees (too many to count!) Rosie works as an independant nutritiion consultant. Sadly zero dies last year and we now have a lively cockapoo called Pippin
The plan is to put Rosie's and Chris's passion for recycling and green living together with Chris's experience of self sufficiency and alternative engineering to create a 'green' dwelling near the sea with enough space to offer experiential 'Eco' holidays to people with similar passions to ourselves. The result is lots of work and a fair bit of chaos! 

Chris Southall

Chris's potted history:
After a 5 year engineering apprenticeship at the Royal Aircraft Establishment in Farnborough I spent 9 years trying to live self-sufficiently in the Isle of Man with poultry, cows, pigs etc. I made a mean cheese as well as some totally awful ones!
 I lived In intentional communities for about 22 years including 18 months in a self sufficient community in the Isle of Man and have been a committed 'Green' all my adult life, standing for the Green party a number of times and campaigning in the renewable energy field over the years.
As well as a wide experience of community living I have accumulated a lot of different useful skills in my life. I was trained as a engineer in but have also managed to fit in working as a potter, a drummer, a beekeeper, a Mr fixit (small scale builder) a computer engineer (I ran an industrial unit for re-cycling IT equipment ), a self development workshop leader (working with drumming, movement, sweat lodge etc - I completed Gabriel Roth's 5 Rhythms movement training). I am a very experienced gardener and smallholder.  I have done a lot of house building and maintenance over the years and am very excited about the process of converting our house in Burrs road into an eco dwelling. I have stood in elections for the Green Party many times at many levels but never been elected except as a Prish Councillor for a while in Suffolk.