Who are we?

The founders of The Green Swing are Mark and Alana Dowley and Helmuth and Eugenie Stockmann. We have, as they say, put our money where our mouth is in the hope that our small scale project will make a difference and inspire people to realise their sustainable dreams!

Helmuth & Eugenie - Helmuth is an IT architect working 4 days a week. The other days he can be found in the garage working on his hobby: woodworking. Eugenie works 3 days a week as finance officer in the financial services industry. She studies towards a Masters in Sustainable Urban and Regional Planning. Both have been dreaming about building their own strawbale home for almost a decade... After a sabatical in 2009 they decided it was time to bite the bullet and pursue their dream. They sold their home in the Northern suburbs in December 2009 and have been living in rental accommodation since.

Mark & Alana - Mark and Alana both work part-time and care for their three kids part-time. Mark is an engineer who has studied renewable energy systems and some sustainable urban design units. He is keen to be involved in the construction; wants to project manage and may base a PhD thesis on the project. Alana is a Construction Lawyer who will assist with legal and contractual issues.