The question on everyone’s mind is how do I begin a ‘Green Eco’ path to make up for the years I took the environment for granted?
Here are 4 steps down the Green Eco path to a healthier lifestyle for your family and the environment:
1.) Start by discussing ‘Green’ issues with your family, friends and neighbors.
2.) Start or join a local ‘Environmental Group.’
3.) Research and create a ‘Plan’ to prepare yourself for the long haul in lifestyle changes.
4.) Take ‘Action’ today in both your personal life and community; become a squeaky wheel and make things happen.
A wonderful resource to help your community become more ‘Sustainable’ is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Communities program.
You can download a web-based toolkit and planning guide @
www.epa.gov/greenkit/index.htm
After months of planning, we have finally completed our web site re-design! With our new site, you will be able to locate green communities with ease by choosing your respective state. Other features include green news, and sustainable articles pertaining to a particular state, or general news about green communities. Keep in mind this site is still evolving, and adding articles will be ongoing, as well as adding communities to states.
The same applies to the green builder’s page, and eco tips page as these will gradually grow with time, and notoriety of our fantastic web site.
If visitors want to know what criteria is involved in building a green home, or community, we have researched and written a comprehensive page explaining the ‘Green Criteria’.
We would like to thank everyone for all of their input, and ideas as to how to make the site attractive, yet informative on this subject. We hope that Green Eco Communities will become a resource to locate, and find sustainable communities, green homes, and builders in the United States while at the same time helping visitors make an informed decision as to where they would like to live, and keep their lives happy, green, and sustainable!
Here is a complete list links to our site, enjoy!
Green Communities (Map of US)
Although this is not “Breaking News,” take a look at a statement on Google’s web site: “With hundreds of millions of Google users, it takes extensive computer infrastructure to keep our tools and services running. And that takes a lot of electricity. Generating that electricity requires energy, and as our business grows, we want to make sure we minimize our impact on the Earth’s climate. So we’re taking every step we can to produce electricity using renewable energy resources that don’t add to the production of greenhouse gas emissions.”
What does this mean? Well when you think of all the data centers Google operates, with more on the horizon, it is refreshing to see that the worlds largest search giant is doing all it can to eliminate wasted energy. Last year they launched RE<C, which stands for “Renewable Energy Cheaper Than Coal.”
This initiative is designed to develop electricity from renewable energy sources, supposed to be cheaper than electricity made from coal.
Google Uses Renewable Energy?
If you take a look at this image, notice the sign behind the solar panels…Nope, this is not photo shopped, they have a 1.6 megawatt (MW) solar panel installation that distributes 30% of the peak power so as to fuel the GooglePlex buildings in California. They claim that not only does this reduce their carbon footprint, the solar panels make good business sense; these panels should pay for themselves in about 7 ½ years.
Google plans on sinking Millions into “Geo Thermal Energy Technologies” to forge a path to cut US energy needs in homes, and more. Is it possible for Google to become a US leader in sustainable communities too?
Take a look at this CNN video report:
Jeff McIntire-Strasburg of ‘Green Opinions Media‘ is our guest writer this week.
Jeff started ‘Sustainablog’ in July 2003, he is the Managing Editor, and ‘Sustainablog’ is now one of the longest-running green blogs on the web.
Jeff has been mentioned in the San Francisco, Chronicle and St.Louis, Post Dispatch as well as dozens of blog sites around the web. Read more about this accomplished writer.
We are pleased to bring you Jeff’s post on “The Future’s So Bright: Sustainable Communities and Eco-Villages”
So, what will the eco-community of the future look like? Something like this?
Or, maybe, something more like this?
The answer? Both… and neither.
For decades, the “ecovillage” has been a countercultural icon: a community built by members interested in living both outside of modern consumer culture, and in closer harmony with natural rhythms. Increased environmental threats, such as climate change, loss of biodiversity, and dwindling natural resources will compel many more of the “treehuggers” amongst us to reject the suburbs for rural agricultural communities, urban co-housing initiatives, or existing neighborhoods dedicated to “greener” community standards and redevelopment practices.
These developments, however, will likely only be the tip of the iceberg for the green community of the future. Let’s face it: most citizens of developed nations aren’t willing to take drastic steps to lower their ecological footprints. Tiny strawbale houses will get quizzical looks, if not outright sneers. However, traditional residential development is becoming greener. In some cases, consumers want greener housing and neighborhoods; in others, buyers simply want lower utility bills. That’s OK – we don’t need everyone to become a diehard treehugger. Still, many of these new developments will borrow concepts from their “crunchier” predecessors, including
- Small-scale energy production: Builders of new structures have an advantage here: it’s much easier to build for solar panels, wind turbines, and geothermal heat pumps than to retrofit existing structures. And even the most hardcore climate change denier will find independent energy production appealing… especially once the system’s paid off and producing free energy.
- Locally-available building materials: Again, energy prices (particularly transportation fuels) will make locally available materials much more appealing for builders and buyers. The large dumpster outside of renovation sites may become a thing of the past as builders look to reuse materials in new structures.
- Water conservation and reuse technologies: While cisterns and rain barrels may raise hackles on aesthetic grounds, or for fear of giving pests a breeding ground, greywater systems that reuse water from sinks and showers are relatively unobtrusive… and cut down on the water bill.
- Economic Self-Reliance: The traditional eco-community generally produces the things it needs: food, clothing, furniture, and more. While more mainstream green development will still rely to some extent on national and global economies, various manifestations of “mixed-use development” focus on putting local businesses close to their customers. Customers can walk or bike to these businesses, thus cutting down on gasoline use.
In order to be successful financially, greener housing developments will have to reach beyond a “dark green” demographic, and be able to convince mainstream consumers of the advantages of buying an eco-friendly home. To create this appeal, developers will likely incorporate some or all of the following elements into their eco-communities:
- Certifications: LEED, ENERGY STAR and the new Water Sense are among the most prominent certification systems for residential and commercial building. The eco-community of the future will have to meet at least some of these standards: mainstream buyers won’t accept green claims at face value (nor should they have to).
- Technology: The mainstream buyer will still want comfort and convenience in their eco-community, so technologies that enhance efficiency, conservation and independence will be key to giving these developments widespread appeal. From programmable thermostats to next-generation solar energy products, builders will rely on technological developments to provide the desired balance between a small environmental footprint and the amenities expected in a modern home.
- Aesthetics: We’ve all got ideas of what a house should look like, and communities that feature residences that diverge radically from these expectations will likely have limited appeal (I’d love to live in an Earthship, but realize I’m in the minority). Smaller houses will likely become more acceptable as energy prices continue to rise, but just because a buyer doesn’t want a McMansion doesn’t also mean that s/he wants something that looks like it might have come straight out of a science fiction movie.
Given the ecological challenges we currently face, we need the eco-community to become the norm for both new development and renovation. In many cases, we won’t bring new residents into these communities by extolling their environmental virtues, but by demonstrating that “green” can mean comfortable, affordable and modern. If we focus on the needs and desires of the widest market possible, we may reach a point where we won’t need to market “green”: buyers will just come to expect it.
NSTAR Electric & Gas (In collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources) has implemented a plan to diversify its energy efficiency programs to help us! According to this plan is should help residential heating customers for the upcoming winter season.
I bet we are all glad that the Green Communities Act has finally acted! Fuel costs are still skyrocketing, so perhaps this will set a precedent???
This report went on to say “NSTAR filed the proposal in response to requests by the DPU and DOER that energy efficiency programs in the state be significantly enhanced in time for the heating season. The company immediately began researching the most cost effective way to do so in the least amount of time.”
Another snippet “We are already seeing greatly increased demand for energy efficiency services, as consumers take steps to get ready for the winter. Now the utilities and other service providers are working to meet that demand and it is good to see them stepping forward.”
Read the entire WSJ article here.
Not to clear on NSTAR? visit www.nstar.com
A New Mexico sustainable community has become the first of its kind to receive funding from a new initiative that targets carbon offset supported affordable green housing.
For those of you new to the whole green community thing, a carbon offset is when carbon dioxide emissions are intentionally balanced with a house or other product that saves the same amount of carbon dioxide.
Silver Gardens is located in Albuquerque, NM and is an affordable green community for low-income families. The community will emit less CO2 and use between 15-20% less energy than traditional communities. Silver Gardens is located on the site of an old bus station terminal in downtown Albuquerque and will rent 119 apartments for low and middle income families. The rent for the majority of the apartments will range from $278 to $739. The Silver Gardens development would not be possible without the support of the Enterprise Green Communities Offset Fund.
The goal of the Enterprise Green Communities Offset Fund(TM) is to create affordable green homes that assist both businesses and families in reducing their impact on the environment. Not only will the homes provide for a healthier living environment but they will also reduce both energy and water bills. Money for the fund will be raised by charitable contributions from events, individuals and various organizations. All money donated will go directly to community-based groups to support developments that reduce carbon emissions, save energy and generally benefit the environment. Those who contribute to the fund receive credit for verified emissions reductions which help to offset their own carbon emissions.
It is believed that the Green Communities Offset Fund is the only carbon offset program that supports affordable green houses.
Environmentally responsible materials and methods used for the Silver Gardens development are in accordance with the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED(R) green building rating system for new construction.
Common ways to reduce carbon dioxide productions include planting trees and supporting renewable energy projects. But, if you are interested in additional information, Trees, Water and People have a list of ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Treeswaterpeople.org also provides information on a carbon offset program.
Pete Halsall from Bioregional Quintain visited us this weekend, and left some very interesting news happening in the UK, so instead of me re-writing his comments, I thought I would just show them here in a post. There is alot of exciting news happening across the pond with sustainable communities!
“We develop sustainable communities in the UK - applying the 10 One Planet Living principles. Although the market is extremely tough, we are making progress with sales although buyers want to see the product in a finished state (we have just started construction)
Our Brighton project is - we reckon - by far the most sustainable residential project of it’s scale in the UK (120,000 sq. ft. + with 170 apartments. See http://www.onebrighton.co.uk
I would say though that we don’t have any issues with keeping our construction costs competitive, and largely through a range of innovations, including the establishment of community wide ESCOs (energy services companies) which shoulder the initial capex of the renewable energy systems.”
More on this can be found at http://www.bioregional-quintain.com
Thank you Pete for your comment, please keep us posted on the projects developments!
Everyone knows the current condition of the housing market is less than favorable, and many people wonder what it will take to get the market back on its feet. I’m sure time is a huge factor in the recovery of the housing market, but the emergence of green communities may actually speed things up a little. According to a report from McGraw-Hill Construction, 40% of builders believe building green houses and communities helps them market houses, even with the down market.
In case you didn’t know, the goal of green building is to use recycled products to create a building that is energy and water efficient all while minimizing waste. These communities are becoming increasingly popular because of the growing concern for the environment; another reason for the growth is the reduce cost of energy. These houses may have higher up front cost but over time, they’ll pay off by saving money through reduced energy consumption.
So how will environmentally sustainable houses save the day? Investing in green houses can be expensive. The materials, the labor and even the newness of green building drive the price up a bit. But many home builders, developers, etc… are quickly realizing that green communities are not just a trend, they are the future. The same survey by McGraw-Hill says the green building market is expected to double from 12% market share to 20% market share by the year 2012.
A green builder from Delaware says his company is thriving and even claims he had a customer from Maryland who paid the down payment on a house that hadn’t even been started yet.
Green communities are not longer a specialty; they are well on their way to becoming mainstream. Just a couple weeks ago, California became the first state to adopt green building standards. The standards were developed by the California Building Standards Commission and several other state agencies. The code contains standards for houses, commercial buildings, schools, hospitals, and other non-residential buildings. Although the standards will go into effect in a couple months, they remain voluntary until the year 2010. This time period gives developers, builders, governments and communities the time needed to adjust to the new standards.
Governments and organizations around the country are also realizing the importance of green building by awarding green building grants to homeowners, non profit organizations and government organizations. I’m sure these grants are given with the goal of minimizing the impact of buildings on the environment, but they are simultaneously giving a much needed boost to our economy.
Green building technology will be available and affordable for low income families in Ohio and they are calling it ‘Ohio’s Green Building Boom.’
Project developers announced today that Ohio has 16 affordable housing developers who will receive funding for ‘greening’ up the homes they will provide, these projects are in the wings for low income families.
Doug Garver, at OHFA said, “We are pleased to collaborate on this initiative to bring efficient healthier home environments to Ohio’s low income families.”
The families who qualify will be those who earn 60% less than the areas median income.
The homes will feature green building technology to include water conserving appliances and fixtures, energy heating and cooling systems; indoor materials that emit fewer pollutants, and the list goes on and on.
This is good news for the average family who wants to live in an environmentally friendly home but thought it was out of reach. Looks like this is just the beginning, soon a green community will be sprouting up in a town near you.
Please take a look at this video that just was put out by the Wall Street Journal a few days ago. The bottom line is that smaller homes are back in style coupled with green communities. Here are a few excerpts from the video, enjoy….
“Mr. Moon says he and his wife dumped a much larger home in Boston three years ago to seek a simpler, greener life here.”
“In the past decade, the two men have built about four dozen Craftsman-style cottages that range in size from 800- to 1,500-square-feet. The houses are squeezed into five boutique-sized tracts, all within a two-hour drive of Seattle. Some were melded into more spacious suburbs under zoning laws modified to ease density restrictions for small houses. Most were built around a grass commons shared by a dozen or so like-minded residents who boast of their tract’s smallish carbon footprint.”
