MAIN Society Go Green Guides Green Cities & Communities

As new and advanced housing technologies have become available, the very idea of what a house or a building complex is has begun to change.

Today, a house or building can regulate its own temperature, recycle waste, provide alternative energy, and even produce food and water. This kind of house is not just a roof to live under, it's an entire ecosystem that can support all aspects of human life. The implementation of this ideal is still fairly rare, but there are many housing developments of varying size that are heading in this direction.

Sustaining the world one neighborhood at a time

An excellent example of an environmentally sustainable community is St. Davids in Wales, which plans to be the first carbon neutral city in the world.

Plans include energy efficiency modifications to houses, biodiesel to power vehicles, hydroelectric wave turbines to supply environmentally sustainable electricity, and several other measures, are all ways that St. Davids plans to reduce its environmental impact.

China is also working hard to develop green communities. However, rather than making existing cities and communities more efficient they are building whole new green cities. China has two such projects in development, which stand in stark contrast to other cities in China, many of which are notorious for having poor environmental records.

As architects go green worldwide, other examples of green buildings are the Earthships designed and built by architect Mike Reynolds in New Mexico. The Earthships take environmental sustainability to the extreme, and are virtually self sustaining, requiring little in the way of outside utilities and providing many basics like food, water, and heat year round.

Many innovators are pushing the boundaries with green buildings, but governments are becoming more active too. Several government programs provide incentives and guidelines, such as LEED in North America, for green buildings and green communities, and to encourage builders and architects to build with environmental sustainability in mind.

More information about green communities around the Web:

Green Communities Online - Information on significant projects within the US offering a virtual tour, searchable database, related news and resources, including tips on developing and retrofitting green communities with a criteria checklist and carbon footprint calculator.

Green Communities - EPA guide with an overview of current and future sustainability projects including case studies, sample vision statements and action plans, criteria checklist, student and teacher resources, FAQ, related resources.

5 Amazing Green Cities - A survey of notable green cities around the world with profiles of Malmo, Sweden, Copenhagen, Denmark, Portland, Oregon, Vancouver, Canada and Reykjavik, Iceland.

Rise of the Carbon-Neutral City - Archived BusinessWeek feature with a discussion on how planning and technological advances made by green cities may someday be applied to retrofitting metro areas worldwide.

also see -> Eco-Friendly Products | Your Carbon Footprint

Solar Energy | Wind Energy