WORDS HEATHER DIXON PHOTOS DAVE BURTON
Rick and Angie Cross’s smallholding is what Rick would call a “long-term work in progress”. His 2.5 acres of quiet land, nudging beautiful countryside and with Scottish lowlands visible on the horizon, provide a valuable insight into renewable resources and giving something back. _eir homestead is primarily community-focussed, promoting rainwater harvesting, organic fruit and vegetable planting, animal breeding, wildlife conservation and recycling.this is interwoven with sustainable education and activities centering on the importance of community and collaboration – with Rick and Angie’s eco home at its core. Their Cumbrian house, designed by Andrew Yeats of Eco Arc, is a highly insulated, triple-glazed, solar-water-heated family home built in the characteristic Lakeland colours of white and grey – with a touch of Scandi thrown in. It’s a far cry from Rick’s initial tongue- in-cheek vision of a rustic “shack”, but the end result is strikingly simple and a modest example of the way in which great eco design can be less futuristic and blend seamlessly into its surroundings.
