Lessons from an Eco-Village
By John Taylor; 2009 June 13, Nur 07, 166 BE
We should develop a universal building code run under a world building authority. While there are undeniably aspects of buildings best fitted to a particular locality, most apply everywhere in the world and should be open and standard. We are living under a regime ideologically opposed to standards and planning, otherwise in the face of climate crisis we would set up goals like these:
For every new building with a flat roof, include at least one raised vegetable garden. Have residents plant and tend it, and let its harvest be consumed locally, preferably on the premises.
For every new building with a flat roof, install at least one solar panel and one small wind turbine to offset the energy costs of the building. This would reduce power transmission costs.
Phase out non-flat roofs on new buildings, which are not environmentally tenable. Sloping roofs should be required at least to be "green," that is, to have a plant covering. Incentives should be introduced to convert sloped roofs to flat ones.
As anybody who has built a solar panel or wind turbine will tell you, you have to figure in a large overhead for red tape and bureaucratic delays. Why not make it a goal to see that rules are upheld while still encouraging innovation?
In summer, why not save on air conditioning by doing what residents do on flat roofs throughout the Middle East? For every building with a flat roof see that there is temporary, outdoor sleeping accommodation for residents, even if it is only hammocks.
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High density housing is the most efficient and least environmentally harmful, and low density housing is the worst thing that can happen to the balance of nature. Therefore the goal of social vivification and that of environmental protection are congruent. Lest any doubt that the way to counteract environmental degradation is to increase the interest and vitality of social life, let them consider a small town in Germany that decided to do everything it takes to eliminate waste. This is from a special report by The Economist Magazine on how to reduce waste:
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"Sieben Linden, a hamlet in former East Germany, half-way between Hamburg and Berlin, looks deceptively normal. There is a cluster of houses, some fields, a few cars parked by the side of the road and a small shop, all set against the backdrop of a looming pine forest. Closer inspection, however, reveals a few peculiarities. Several of the modern-looking buildings turn out to be made of wood, straw and mud. There are huge quantities of logs, because wood-fired stoves and boilers provide all the heating, and quite a few solar panels, which generate most of the electricity. And there are more young people around than usual in rural Germany. Sieben Linden, a self-proclaimed eco-village, is growing fast, unlike the surrounding towns.
"The 120 inhabitants have decided to live in as green a manner as possible. They are trying to wean themselves off fossil fuels, grow their own food and timber, acquire fewer frivolous possessions and produce less waste. Food comes either from their own fields or from wholesalers, so there is no need for much packaging. Any scraps are composted. Urine from the toilets is diverted to a reed bed for natural purification, and the faeces are turned into compost for the community's forest. The residents live separately but share big appliances such as washing machines and cars. Before buying a new tool, say, they will put a note into the community's logbook to ask if anybody has one they could borrow. If not, they will probably buy one second-hand. They often wear one another's hand-me-downs. Unwanted possessions are left out for others to help themselves.
"Carefree consumption is not actually forbidden, though it would raise eyebrows, says Eva Stitzel, who helped to found Sieben Linden over a decade ago. But the main reason the inhabitants buy less and waste less is that they have a rich community life which does not revolve around trips to shops, restaurants and cinemas. They go ice-skating on a nearby pond in winter and swimming in summer; they teach one another horse-riding and yoga and tai chi; they put on plays and concerts and seminars.
"The idea, explains Kosha Joubert, another resident, is not to adopt a dreary, ascetic lifestyle but to demonstrate that it is possible to live in a green manner without undue sacrifice or disruption. Western urbanites could easily adopt elements of the eco-village lifestyle, she says, by forming car pools, say, or shopping co-operatives." ("A special report on waste, Less is more, The ultimate in waste disposal is to tackle the problem at source," Feb 26th 2009, The Economist, February, 28, 2009, p. 16 (http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13135425&fsrc=rss)
John Taylor
email: badijet@gmail.com
blog: http://badiblog.blogspot.com/
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