November 03, 2007


Speedlinking - SUSTAINABILITY

(thanks to Jean Hudon)

Related resources for ecologically sustainable communities, architecture and energy sources:

Welcome to Celebrating Community
The Celebrating Community project links up existing and forming Communities across Canada and develops communications within the network. This opens opportunities for each of us to share in the wealth that communities have to offer. There are many forms of community in existence today, including ecovillages, cohousing, intentional communities, ecohamlets, religious orders, communes, eco-learning centers, cooperatives, collectives, and other eco-community- initiatives such as friendly neighbourhoods. Each community, whether residing together or not, with its own approach, supports values that celebrate the spirit of community. CLIP

Global Ecovillage Network

How Sustainable is Your Community?
With the aim of creating and presenting to the world outstanding examples of what it means in live in harmony with nature in a sustainable way, GEN promotes and facilitates communities--whether rural or urban--which develop and implement technologies and practices such that human activities are harmlessly integrated into the natural world in a way that is supportive of healthy human development and can be successfully continued into the indefinite future.The Global Ecovillage Network is developing the concept of sustainability auditing to provide measuring rods for individuals and for existing villages and communities to compare their current status with ideal goals for ecological, social, and spiritual sustainability. In addition, these tools are learning instruments - pointing out actions aspiring individuals and communities can take to become more sustainable.The process of community sustainability assessment is an exploration and cultivation of the qualities needed to bring mankind through the 21st century.

Ecovillage LivingRestoring the Earth and Her People -

THIS IS BY FAR THE BEST BOOK ON ECOVILLAGES!!

http://www.chelseagreen.com/2004/items/397
(buried on this blog, is a whole item on Chelsea Green books!!)

Ecovillage Living is a full-color guide to everything you've always wanted to know about ecovillages, from the people behind them to the tools to make them happen. If you have ever dreamed of natural housing, to know your neighbors, and a more harmonious lifestyle then this is the book for you. This is an unprecedented how-to and why account of ecovillage living, and a vibrant story of people spearheading a lifestyle that is rapidly becoming a new global culture. Here, you will find articles and interviews with ecological builders, water treatment experts, ecovillage designers, mediators, permaculturists, spiritual thinkers, localization activists, and other ecovillage pioneers from around the world. Ecovillage Living is built around the ecological, social, and cultural-spiritual dimensions of ecovillages, each of which is subdivided into five core elements. It displays inspiring, colorful pictures and full-page photo galleries of ecovillages around the globe, visual testimonies to their richness and diversity. The book also provides an extensive list of related resources and contacts.

Links to Internet Resources
http://www.sustainableabc.com/internet_resources.html
Information for the sustainable development, eco-village, green building, healthy home and environmental health communities.

Home Power Magazine
http://www.homepower.com/index.cfm
Since 1987, we've dedicated more than 100 issues to home-scale renewable energy and sustainable living solutions. That means comprehensive coverage of solar, wind, and microhydro electricity, home energy efficiency, solar hot water systems, space heating and cooling, green building materials and home design, efficient transportation, and much, much more. Whether you're a do-it-yourselfer or not, off-grid or on-grid, Home Power is here to help you make informed decisions about your home energy use. We provide extensive product information, homeowner testimonials, buyer advice, and "how-to" instructions.
Building Today for Tomorrow
http://www.greenhomebuilding.com/
Greenhomebuilding.com focuses on sustainable architecture, natural building, solar energy, ecology, water and forest conservation, recycling, greenhouses,
The Natural Home building source
http://www.thenaturalhome.com/
Sustainable housing design, passive solar, zero-energy, high thermal mass (HTM) do-it-yourself solar house plans are featured along with septic system parts and consultation; Infiltrator® chamber leach fields; graywater reuse, greywater recycling systems; Clivus Multrum® and Sun-Mar® waterless composting toilets; Servel® non-electric gas refrigerators; drywell kits for storm water, sewage, washer drainage or erosion sediment control; Kobe® stainless steel hoods; and energy saving products like shade cloth, heat storage tubes, battery operated flood alarms, and Vestfrost® ConServ super-efficient refrigerators.
Chinese eco-city heralds revolution in urban living (August 22, 2007)
Story Highlights: Chinese island is first truly environmentally sustainable city; Dongtan is being planned with a community spirit in mind; City will retain a traditional Chinese feel. -- LONDON, England (CNN) -- On an island off the coast of the Chinese city of Shanghai, architects, engineers and contractors are preparing to build a new city later this year. In itself, this is nothing special one would think. With 20 percent of the world population living in China and national population figures set to hit 1.47 billion by 2020, there is always demand for new housing.But the city that is to be built on Chongming Island at the mouth of the Yangtze River is like no other in the world: Dongtan eco-city is planned to be first truly environmentally and economically sustainable city.Situated on a plot of land that is around two-thirds the size of Manhattan, Dongtan is surrounded by wetlands and lies beside a bird sanctuary where hundreds of rare migratory birds seek refuge.It was these unusual natural conditions that sparked the ambitious idea of creating a new urban concept for an entirely sustainable city that would minimally impact the surrounding environment.Planning started in 2005, after the London-based engineering and design firm Arup signed a contract with the Shanghai Industrial Investment Corporation (SIIC)."We were asked to create an 'eco-demonstrator'," explains Roger Wood, Arup's project coordinator for the Dongtan project since 2004, "a project that incorporated a number of ideas and design concepts that would increase the Chinese understanding of sustainability."China has known about sustainability for 20 years, but -- like everyone else -- it has just not been able to apply it as a concept."The project is to be implemented in several phases, starting with a one square-kilometer plot that is expected to be ready in time for Shanghai's 2010 World Expo and that will house around 5,000 people. The 6.5 square kilometer start-up area will be developed to accommodate 80,000 people by 2020 and by 2050, the city is projected to cover an area of 30 square kilometers and have a population of half a million. CLIP

Just Imagine: 2020
http://edition.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/just.imagine/
What will life be like in 2020? Guided by some of the world's leading visionaries, Just Imagine takes a look at the possibilities of tomorrow.
Just Imagine: Living Space
(...) The thick walls also create a feeling of comfort and security, Smedt says, muffling external sounds and providing insulation. But one of the most remarkable aspects of the house is its thermal mass: the straw bales have allowed Smedt to slash his energy bills."I will never need air conditioning in this house," he stated. "Last summer we had temperatures of over 100 degrees for over a week. The house never got above 79, 80 degrees inside." And in winter time, the thick walls keep the house cozy. "All the plaster and stucco in the house absorbs solar heat during the day and then slowly releases it back at night," Smedt explained. Straw bales were first used in construction in the early 20th century in Sandhills, Nebraska, where timber was scarce. The practice was revived in the 1970's and 1980's with the rise of the green movement.Larger straw-bale-constructed buildings are now being designed with an emphasis on environmental sustainability. CLIP

Much more (both in English and French)

through http://www.21esiecle.qc.ca/sites.html

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