Living

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General

See also Travel

order and format is a mess. to update and sort. mostly scotland and uk centric so far. contributions welcome.

Some notes on the built side of living, including architecture, patterns, social ecology, housing and work co-operatives, with an eventual view to organising locally, seeking land, and using low-cost sustainable building techniques to create somewhere fantastic to live, work, play and grow.

Early inspirations include Homes for Change and Work for Change projects in Hulme, Manchester, and The Forest in Edinburgh, both with working group systems and progressive philosophies.

Community

See also Organisation#Collaboration, Politics#Collectivism

  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_building - a field of practices directed toward the creation or enhancement of community among individuals within a regional area (such as a neighborhood) or with a common interest. It is sometimes encompassed under the field of community development.
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intentional_community - a planned residential community designed from the start to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They typically share responsibilities and resources. Intentional communities include collective households, cohousing communities, ecovillages, communes, survivalist retreats, kibbutzim, ashrams, and housing cooperatives. New members of an intentional community are generally selected by the community's existing membership, rather than by real-estate agents or land owners (if the land is not owned collectively by the community).
  • Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC) is a nonprofit dedicated to promoting cooperative culture. We believe that intentional communities are pioneers in sustainable living, personal and cultural transformation, and peaceful social evolution. “Intentional communities” include ecovillages, cohousing, residential land trusts, income-sharing communes, student co-ops, spiritual communities, and other projects where people live together on the basis of explicit common values.
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commune - (the French word appearing in the 12th century from Medieval Latin communia, meaning a large gathering of people sharing a common life; from Latin communis, things held in common) is an intentional community of people living together, sharing common interests, property, possessions, resources, and, in some communes, work and income. In addition to the communal economy, consensus decision-making, non-hierarchical structures and ecological living have become important core principles for many communes.
  • Experiments in Community: Overview - Since July 2008 I have visited a large number of intentional communities; many of them cohousing schemes, some of them eco-villages, some identified primarily as housing cooperatives, and a smaller number of communes. Small-scale ethnographic studies have been conducted in both urban and accessible rural community settings; in the UK, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, and the USA (states of Washington, Oregon and Virginia). The next leg of my journey of international comparison takes me to Australia (Tasmania, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria).
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homesteading - a lifestyle of self-sufficiency, characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of foodstuffs, and it may or may not also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craftwork for household use or sale. Pursued in different ways around the world — and in different historical eras — homesteading is generally differentiated from rural village or commune living by isolation (either socially or physically) of the homestead. Modern homesteaders often use renewable energy options including solar electricity and wind power and some even invent DIY cars. Many also choose to plant and grow heirloom vegetables and to raise heritage livestock. Homesteading is not defined by where someone lives, such as the city or the country, but by the lifestyle choices they make.

Cooperative

See also Organising#Collaboration - for facilitation and consensus

  • International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) - a non-profit international association established in 1895 to advance the co-operative social enterprise model. The Alliance provides a global voice and forum for knowledge, expertise and coordinated action for and about co-operatives. The Alliance is the apex organisation for co-operatives worldwide, representing 272 co-operative federations and organisations across 100 countries (figures of January 2014). Operating from a global office in Brussels, Belgium, the Alliance is organised with four Regional Offices (Europe, Africa, Americas, and Asia-Pacific), and eight Sectoral Organisations (Banking, Agriculture, Fisheries, Insurance, Health, Housing, Consumer Co-operatives, and Worker Co-operatives).
  • Cultivate.Coop is an online hub for pooling knowledge and resources on cooperatives. It is a space to collect free information for those interested in cooperatives and where people can build useful educational tools for the co-op community.
  • Radical Routes - a network of housing and worker co-ops and Social centres whose members are actively working for social change in the UK
  • CDS Co-operatives - the largest co-operative housing service agency in England dedicated to promoting, developing, and servicing housing co-operatives controlled by the people who live in them.
  • Community Shares refers to the sale of shares in enterprises serving a community purpose. This type of investment has been used to finance shops, pubs, community buildings, renewable energy initiatives, local food schemes, along with a host of other community based ventures.

Cohousing

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cohousing - a type of intentional community composed of private homes supplemented by shared facilities. The community is planned, owned and managed by the residents – who also share activities which may include cooking, dining, child care, gardening, and governance of the community. Common facilities may include a kitchen, dining room, laundry, child care facilities, offices, internet access, guest rooms, and recreational features.
  • The UK Cohousing Network is the UK’s umbrella organisation for established and forming cohousing groups. The Network was established following the UK’s first Cohousing conference held in Lancaster in 2007. The aims of the Network are to; Develop as a resource point for new and forming cohousing groups, Provide an advice point for planners, registered social landlords, and other professionals, Seek ways of making cohousing as financially accessible as possible, Develop and maintain the cohousing website

Promote & signpost workshops for individuals and forming cohousing groups, Promote cohousing via the media, Raise awareness of cohousing, Undertake lobbying & policy development with government ministers and alongside other housing professionals

Coworking

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coworking - a style of work that involves a shared working environment, often an office, and independent activity. Unlike in a typical office environment, those coworking are usually not employed by the same organization. Typically it is attractive to work-at-home professionals, independent contractors, or people who travel frequently who end up working in relative isolation. Coworking is also the social gathering of a group of people who are still working independently, but who share values, and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with like-minded talented people in the same space.

Office and workshop spaces available for hire by resident and local entrepreneurs wishing to run a cooperative business. Public market style fronts for some, shared and private spaces also on offer.

Land management

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_trust - There are two distinct definitions of a land trust: a private, nonprofit organization that, as all or part of its mission, actively works to conserve land by undertaking or assisting in land or conservation easement acquisition, or by its stewardship of such land or easements; or an agreement whereby one party (the trustee) agrees to hold ownership of a piece of real property for the benefit of another party (the beneficiary).
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_land_trust - is a nonprofit corporation that develops and stewards affordable housing, community gardens, civic buildings, commercial spaces and other community assets on behalf of a community. “CLTs” balance the needs of individuals to access land and maintain security of tenure with a community’s need to maintain affordability, economic diversity and local access to essential services.
  • Community Land Scotland was established in 2010 as a response to the need for a collective voice for community landowners in Scotland. It is a company limited by guarantee with charitable status. Our current membership includes Scottish community landowners – owning and managing approx. 500,000 acres between them – and aspiring community landowners of varying shapes and sizes throughout Scotland. We represent these existing and aspiring community landowners to reflect their views in promoting changes to legislation to empower communities, while acting as a point of contact for any communities in Scotland who wish to find out more about community land ownership.
  • The National CLT Network promotes and supports the work of CLTs and its Members across England and Wales. The National CLT Network is the official charity for Community Land Trusts in England and Wales. We work to provide resources, training and advice for CLTs, and advocate on behalf of the CLT movement to Government, local authorities, funders, lenders and others to create the right conditions for CLTs to grow and flourish.

Crofting

  • Scottish Crofting Federation is the only member-led organisation dedicated to promoting crofting and it is the largest association of small scale food producers in the UK. Our mission is to safeguard and promote the rights, livelihoods and culture of crofters and their communities.

Hutting

Government

See also Politics

  • Scottish Land Action Movement - We plan to provide a cohesive network for activists and campaign groups from all over the country to come together and learn from each other. We have a library of resources of all varieties so people can educate themselves on the topic of land reform, reaching far beyond just lairds in their castles. Land reform is just as important to communities in central Glasgow as it is to communities in the Western Isles, and the more knowledge we have about these issues, the more power we can wield in affecting change.
  • Community Planning in Scotland - "Community Planning is … a process ... whereby public services in the area of the local authority are planned and provided after consultation and (on-going) co-operation … among all public bodies ... and with community bodies" -Local Government in Scotland Act 2003
  • Creating Places is the Scottish Government's policy statement on architecture and place. This website is an important element of the policy and it is designed to be a resource for everyone with an interest in the built and natural environment. The site contains resources from across Scotland and beyond, intended to stimulate discussion, share good practice and inspire excellence. We are interested in sharing a wide range of knowledge and lessons and this site will be updated regularly to help develop a comprehensive resource on built and natural environment issues.


  • Self Build Guide for Scotland - This guide is for anyone who is thinking of getting involved in 'self build', but has never built their own home before. We use the term ' self build' in this guide to cover anyone not buying their home second-hand or from a housebuilder in the standard way. But in most cases taking on a self build does not mean you have to do all, or even any, of the building work yourself so you do not have to have construction skills in order to self build. The process for most self builders can be more accurately described as procuring your own home because the household is involved in the design of their home and engaging contractors, but if they employ someone to project manage the build themselves then they may not need to have much involvement in the build project.

Legal

Ecology

See also Organising#Collaboration, Politics#Collectivism

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Built_environment - refers to the human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from buildings and parks or green space to neighborhoods and cities that can often include their supporting infrastructure, such as water supply, or energy networks. The built environment is a material, spatial and cultural product of human labor that combines physical elements and energy in forms for living, working and playing. It has been defined as “the human-made space in which people live, work, and recreate on a day-to-day basis”.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_environment - refers to the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops. It includes the culture that the individual was educated or lives in, and the people and institutions with whom they interact.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_of_place - a community of people who are bound together because of where they reside, work, visit or otherwise spend a continuous portion of their time. Such a community can be a neighborhood, town, coffeehouse, workplace, gathering place, public space or any other geographically specific place that a number of people share, have in common or visit frequently.
  • Appropedia is for collaborative solutions in sustainability, appropriate technology and poverty reduction.

Design

Thoughts;

  • Use of patterns and open architecture
  • Access to public transport routes.
  • Community and social centre space.
  • Core and additional facilities maintained by and for the use of individuals and groups involved
    • Communal support, education, art, craft and DIY, tech) workshop/skillshare areas.
  • Chill-out and event areas also.


Patterns

See also Organisation#Patterns, Computing#Patterns

  • The Structure of Pattern Languages - Abstract. Pattern languages help us to tackle the complexity of a wide variety of systems ranging from computer software, to buildings and cities. Each "pattern" represents a rule governing one working piece of a complex system, and the application of pattern languages can be done systematically. Design that wishes to connect to human beings needs the information contained in a pattern language. This paper describes how to validate existing pattern languages, how to develop them, and how they evolve. The connective geometry of urban interfaces is derived from the architectural patterns of Christopher Alexander.
  • Manifesto 1991 by Christopher Alexander -- excerpts, reading this is strongly recommended for peeragogues, paragogues, makers, leaders.

Location

  • EcoProperty.ca - green homes for sale, land, organic farms for sale, green businesses for sale

Open Source Ecology

  • Open Source Ecology is accelerating the growth of the next economy - the Open Source Economy - an economy that optimizes both production and distribution - while promoting environmental regeneration and social justice. We are building the Global Village Construction Set. This is a high-performance, modular, do-it-yourself, low-cost platform - that allows for the easy fabrication of the 50 different industrial machines that it takes - to build a small, sustainable civilization with modern comforts.

Architecture

See also Architecture


  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_building - a building designed to be operated independently from infrastructural support services such as the electric power grid, gas grid, municipal water systems, sewage treatment systems, storm drains, communication services, and in some cases, public roads.


Accessibility

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_design - refers to broad-spectrum ideas meant to produce buildings, products and environments that are inherently accessible to older people, people without disabilities, and people with disabilities

Each building including stairs and ramp access to all levels for accessibility.

  • Dementia Villages - The Concept: Around the common and familiar building blocks lifestyles are built from a social approach. Look at day to day life and create conditions for the residents so that they are challenged by recognizable incentives to remain active in daily, precious life. In the nursing home groups residents with shared interests and backgrounds live together in a lifestyle-group. The design and decoration of the homes and surroundings is tailored to the lifestyles.

Open architecture

R. Binnekamp, "Open Design, a Stakeholder-oriented Approach in Architecture, Urban Planning, and Project Management, Vol. 1"

  • "The Open Architecture Network is an online, open source community dedicated to improving living conditions through innovative and sustainable design. Here designers of all persuasions can: Share their ideas, designs and plans, View and review designs posted by others, Collaborate with each other, people in other professions and community leaders to address specific design challenges, Manage design projects from concept to implementation, Communicate easily amongst team members, Protect their intellectual property rights using the Creative Commons "some rights reserved" licensing system and be shielded from unwarranted liability, Build a more sustainable future."
  • domus: Open Source Architecture (OSArc) - A proposition for a different approach to designing space to succeed the single-author model includes tools from disparate sources to create new paradigms for thinking and building.
  • OpenStructures (OS) project initiates a construction system where everyone designs for everyone. It is an ongoing experiment that wants to find out what happens if people design objects according to a shared modular grid, a common open standard that stimulates the exchange of parts, components, experiences and ideas and aspires to build things together.
  • Urban Versioning System 1.0 - a pamphlet written in the form of a quasi-license by Matthew Fuller and Usman Haque, published by the Architectural League of New York as part of the Situated Technologies Pamphlet Series edited by Omar Khan, Trebor Scholz and Mark Shepard on what lessons can architecture learn from software development, and more specifically, from the Free, Libre, and Open Source Software (FLOSS) movement.
  • Ross Chapin Architects - Plans - a collection of small cottage plans, cabin plans, small house plans, garages, live-aboves, toolsheds, and commons buildings

Materials

  • ESI.info has been helping busy professionals create better environments for 25 years. We believe that whether it happens to be outdoors, indoors, commercial, industrial, public or residential, every great environment is based on sound decisions about who to work with and what materials to use. We’re here to support that decision-making process.
Natural building
  • Natural Building Network is a not-for-profit membership association promoting natural building principles, materials and practitioners worldwide. We support ecological regeneration,

social justice, the building of community and economic opportunity, and the recognition of indigenous wisdom as essential in creating healthy, beautiful, and spiritually-uplifting habitation for everyone.

  • Cal-Earth - the California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture, is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to providing solutions to the human need for shelter through research, development, and education in earth architecture. We envision a world in which every person is empowered to build a safe and sustainable home with their own hands, using the earth under their feet.
  • School of Natural Building (SNaB) - provides training in the use of these materials, both in design and in practice, and to provide a pool of natural builders who are recognised as having professional levels of skill, knowledge and experience.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cob_(material) - a natural building material made from subsoil, water, some kind of fibrous organic material (typically straw), and sometimes lime. The contents of subsoil naturally varies and if it does not contain the right mixture is can be modified with sand or clay. Cob is fireproof, resistant to seismic activity, and inexpensive. It can be used to create artistic, sculptural forms.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_block - Compressed earth block (CEB) or pressed earth block is a building material made primarily from damp soil compressed at high pressure to form blocks. If the blocks are stabilized with a chemical binder such as Portland cement they are called compressed stabilized earth block (CSEB) or stabilized earth block (SEB).
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe - the Spanish word for mud brick, and known as clay-lump and clay bat in Britain, is both a natural building material made from sand, clay, water and some kind of fibrous or organic material (sticks, straw or manure) and the bricks made with adobe material using molds and dried in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and rammed earth buildings, but cob and rammed earth are directly made into walls rather than bricks. These bricks were used to make pueblos in New Mexico. The Anasazi, Hopi and Zuni peoples used this.
  • Superadobe (sandbag and barbed wire) technology is a large, long adobe. It is a simple adobe, an instant and flexible line generator. It uses the materials of war for peaceful ends, integrating traditional earth architecture with contemporary global safety requirements. Long or short sandbags are filled with on-site earth and arranged in layers or long coils (compression) with strands of barbed wire placed between them to act as both mortar and reinforcement (tension). Stabilizers such as cement, lime, or asphalt emulsion may be added.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_roof - or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems. Container gardens on roofs, where plants are maintained in pots, are not generally considered to be true green roofs, although this is debated. Rooftop ponds are another form of green roofs which are used to treat greywater.


Elements

See also Making

Foundations

Tents





  • Shelter Systems offers a wide range of lightweight, portable, and waterproof yurts, domes, tents, and shelters with a wide range of uses, including: family living spaces, guest rooms and temporary housing, disaster relief shelters, art studios and art installations, circus, fair and exhibition pavilions, camping and expeditions tents, archeological excavation coverings, research tents, ski huts, party and wedding pavilions, storage, bike, and car sheds, pool and jacuzzi covers, and more. Shelter Systems makes all of its structures with a superstrong, tough, UV-resistant, ripstop fabric and its own non-puncturing tarp fastener, the Grip Clip.






Shelters









Pods


Yurts

Domes

Tiny houses


  • $300 House was first described in a Harvard Business Review blog post by Vijay Govindarajan and Christian Sarkar. Initially, we just wanted to put the concept out there, but now, due to the tremendous response, we've decided to see how far we can go toward making this idea a reality.
  • Hermit Houses - a unique building method and software package that allows us to design small houses in numerous varieties and quickly make them into reality. With this 'mass-customization' way of producing we can suit local constraints and serve the specific needs of clients without a lot of extra costs.
  • Cabin Porn - Inspiration for your quiet place somewhere.

Shipping container

Earth house

Earthship

  • YouTube: Earthships: self-sustaining homes for a post-apocalyptic US? - The Greater World Earthship Community, about 70 passive solar homes built from earth and trash on 633 acres, had a rough start; they were shut down as an illegal subdivision in 1997 and it took them 7 years to come to compliance. Though today, the county fully cooperates with Reynolds and his Earthship Biotecture operation to turn trash (tires, cans, glass bottles) into shelters and has even given them 2 acres to experiment with housing in anyway they like (they also provide their recycling). n this video, Tom takes us on a tour of his home, his original “Earthship survival pod”, the “nest” ($50,000 studio apartment), the “Simple Survival Earthship” (aimed mainly at the developing world), a custom home designed to feed a family of four (including a tilapia pond in the greenhouse) and the “BMW of Earthships”, the “Global" (aimed at the typical American family).

Fire

Facilities

  • Housing
    • Bunk house
    • Camping
    • Treehouse
    • Etc.
  • Diverse food sources

Kitchens

  • Social kitchens


Utility space

Workshops

See also Making

Social areas

  • Meeting space
  • Event space
  • Library
  • Free shop
  • Chill

Office

  • Office

Gardens

See also Horticulture

Storage

  • Storage


Food

  • Alt milk

Energy

  • Coppice

...

  • Stream/river

Fittings

  • - Grid Beam - Open source building system in wood and metal for creating a post carbon future.

Furniture

Security

  • Informal security pattern - block inward facing green area. See Homes for Change.

Reuse and recycling

to resort








Waste

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greywater - wastewater generated from wash hand basins, showers and baths, which can be recycled on-site for uses such as toilet flushing, landscape irrigation and constructed wetlands. Greywater often includes discharge from laundry, dishwashers and kitchen sinks.
  • Showerloop - a shower that collects, cleans and reuses the water in real time while you are showering.


to sort


  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermediate_bulk_container - IBC tote or pallet tank, is a reusable industrial container designed for the transport and storage of bulk liquid and granulate substances (e.g. chemicals, food ingredients, solvents, pharmaceuticals, etc.). Intermediate bulk containers are stackable containers mounted on a pallet that are designed to be moved using a forklift or a pallet jack. IBCs have a volume range that is situated between drums and tanks, hence the term "intermediate“. The most common sizes are 1,040 liters or 275 U.S. gallons or 229 imperial gallons and 1,250 liters or 330 U.S. gallons or 275 imperial gallons (the 1040 liter IBCs are often listed as being 1000 liters). Cube shaped IBCs give a particularly good utilization of storage capacity compared to palletized drums - one 275 gallon IBC is equivalent to five 55-US-gallon (208 L; 46 imp gal) drums, and a 330 gallon IBC is equivalent to six 55 gallon drums.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flexible_intermediate_bulk_container - or bulk bag, or big bag, is an industrial container made of flexible fabric that is designed for storing and transporting dry, flowable products, such as sand, fertilizer, and granules of plastic. FIBCs are most often made of thick woven polyethylene or polypropylene, either coated or uncoated, and normally measure around 110 cm or 45-48 inches in diameter and varies in height from 100 cm up to 200 cm or 35 to 80 inches. Its capacity is normally around 1000 kg or 2000 lbs, but the larger units can store even more. A bulk bag designed to transport one metric ton of material, will itself only weigh 5-7 lbs.




Urban homesteading

Agriculture

See also Horticulture

thoughts;

  • Organic farming, permaculture, greenhouses.
  • Veg, fruit and herbs produced, optionally produce can be sold.
  • Rain water collection.
  • Site wide composting and recycling scheme.
  • WWOOF, etc. connections.
  • Potential for a managed/wild woodland area depending on area size.



  • Plants For A Future - researching and providing information on ecologically sustainable horticulture, as an integral part of designs involving high species diversity and permaculture principles. Approaches such as woodland/forest gardening use a minimal input of resources and energy, create a harmonious eco-system and cause the least possible damage to the environment, while still having the potential to achieve high productivity.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silviculture - the practice of controlling the establishment, growth, composition, health, and quality of forests to meet diverse needs and values. The name comes from the Latin silvi- (forest) + culture (as in growing). The study of forests and woods is termed silvology. Silviculture also focuses on making sure that the treatment(s) of forest stands are used to preserve and to better their productivity.
  • Forest Gardening is another name for mixed agroforestry, i.e. growing herbaceous, shrubs and trees together to form mutually beneficial relationships. This model provides for human needs within an ecosystem that supports wildlife and biodiversity, in other words it is resilient and high yielding.. Robert Hart brought the idea of forest gardens from the tropics years ago, where he saw abundant food, fibre and medicine growing in a semi wild forest. He compared the efficiency and ecological value of this compared to deserts of monoculture crops needing constant work and fertility inputs and sought to emulate this in a temperate climate in England. Nowadays the leading example of this is Martin Crawford’s 2 acre site at Dartington College in Devon and he has captured the imagination of a generation of permaculture gardeners with the promise of a low energy, highly designed food forest.

Key principles that inform forest gardening in the UK:

  • Layers
  • Perennials
  • Shade and spacing
  • Guilds
  • Diversity
  • Fertility self sufficient
  • Windbreaks




  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xeriscaping - landscaping and gardening that reduces or eliminates the need for supplemental water from irrigation. It is promoted in regions that do not have easily accessible, plentiful, or reliable supplies of fresh water, and is gaining acceptance in other areas as access to water becomes more limited. Xeriscaping may be an alternative to various types of traditional gardening. In some areas, terms such as water-conserving landscapes, drought-tolerant landscaping, and smart scaping are used instead.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecoscaping - integrates the disciplines of landscape architecture and spatial planning with environmental science and provides an innovative approach in creating a sustainable and nature friendly design and/or construction. Every piece of land is unique and offers different materials and micro-environments, ecoscaping aims to design in harmony with the land and create an environmentally healthy and sustainable landscape. Ecoscaping also strives to take an existing structures and areas (backyards, cities, campuses, etc.) and add ecological balance and greenery. Ecoscaping prides itself on taking a holistic approach to sustainable land use management.


  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agronomy - the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, fibre, and land reclamation. Agronomy encompasses work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. Agronomy is the application of a combination of sciences like biology, chemistry, economics, ecology, earth science, and genetics. Agronomists today are involved with many issues including producing food, creating healthier food, managing environmental impact of agriculture, and extracting energy from plants. Agronomists often specialize in areas such as crop rotation, irrigation and drainage, plant breeding, plant physiology, soil classification, soil fertility, weed control, and insect and pest control.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agroecosystem - the basic unit of study in agroecology, and is somewhat arbitrarily defined as a spatially and functionally coherent unit of agricultural activity, and includes the living and nonliving components involved in that unit as well as their interactions.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agroecosystem_analysis - a thorough analysis of an agricultural environment which considers aspects from ecology, sociology, economics, and politics with equal weight. There are many aspects to consider; however, it is literally impossible to account for all of them. This is one of the issues when trying to conduct an analysis of an agricultural environment. In the past, an agroecosystem analysis approach might be used to determine the sustainability of an agricultural system. It has become apparent, however, that the "sustainability" of the system depends heavily on the definition of sustainability chosen by the observer. Therefore, agroecosystem analysis is used to bring the richness of the true complexity of agricultural systems to an analysis to identify reconfigurations of the system (or holon) that will best suit individual situations.

Agroecosystem analysis is a tool of the multidisciplinary subject known as Agroecology. Agroecology and agroecosystem analysis are not the same as sustainable agriculture, though the use of agroecosystem analysis may help a farming system ensure its viability. Agroecosystem analysis is not a new practice, agriculturalists and farmers have been doing it since societies switched from hunting and gathering (hunter-gatherer) for food to settling in one area. Every time a person involved in agriculture evaluates their situation to identify methods to make the system function in a way that better suits their interests, they are performing an agroecosystem analysis.

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arboriculture - the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants. It is both a practice and a science. The science of arboriculture studies how these plants grow and respond to cultural practices and to their environment. The practice of arboriculture includes cultural techniques such as selection, planting, training, fertilization, pest and pathogen control, pruning, shaping, and removal.




  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshelter - a solar greenhouse managed as an indoor ecosystem. The word bioshelter was coined by the New Alchemy Institute and solar designers Sean Wellesley-Miller and Day Chahroudi. The term was created to distinguish their work in greenhouse design and management from twentieth century petro-chemical fuelled monoculture greenhouses. New Alchemy's pioneering work in ecological design is documented in their published Journals and Reports. In 1976 the Alchemists built the Cape Cod Ark bioshelter and her sister The Prince Edward Island Ark. For the next 15 years the New Alchemy Institute studied and reported on the use of these prototype food producing ecosystems.




  • Boskoi is a free, opensource mobile app that helps you explore and map the edible landscape wherever you are. Named after the greek word for grazer or brouwser the app lays out a map of local fruits and herbs and allows users to edit and add their own finds. Made by the foragers at Urban Edibles in Amsterdam Boskoi is an Ushahidi-based app that comes with a few foraging guidelines.




Growing


  • AKER creates simple downloadable kits to help you start growing your own food locally. The kits are open source, and have been designed by a global team of collaborators. Order a kit to your front door or our download files to make your own below.



  • Plant Breeders Rights - article commisioned by The Royal Horticultural Society's magazine The Plantsman in which Michael Wickenden investigates the origins of Plant Breeders' Rights, highlights current problems and suggests a way forward.






Permaculture

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permaculture - a branch of ecological design, ecological engineering, environmental design, construction and integrated water resources management that develops sustainable architecture, regenerative and self-maintained habitat and agricultural systems modeled from natural ecosystems. The term permaculture (as a systematic method) was first coined by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in 1978. The word permaculture originally referred to "permanent agriculture" but was expanded to stand also for "permanent culture," as it was seen that social aspects were integral to a truly sustainable system as inspired by Masanobu Fukuoka's natural farming philosophy.



  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riparian_buffer - a vegetated area (a "buffer strip") near a stream, usually forested, which helps shade and partially protect a stream from the impact of adjacent land uses. It plays a key role in increasing water quality in associated streams, rivers, and lakes, thus providing environmental benefits. With the decline of many aquatic ecosystems due to agricultural production, riparian buffers have become a very common conservation practice aimed at increasing water quality and reducing pollution.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windbreak - a plantation usually made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs planted in such a manner as to provide shelter from the wind and to protect soil from erosion. They are commonly planted around the edges of fields on farms. If designed properly, windbreaks around a home can reduce the cost of heating and cooling and save energy. Windbreaks are also planted to help keep snow from drifting onto roadways and even yards. Other benefits include providing habitat for wildlife and in some regions the trees are harvested for wood products.

The term "windbreak" is also used to describe an article of clothing worn to prevent wind chill. Americans tend to use the term "windbreaker" whereas Europeans favor the term "windbreak". Fences called "windbreaks" are also used. Normally made from cotton, nylon, canvas, and recycled sails, windbreaks tend to have three or more panels held in place with poles that slide into pockets sewn into the panel. The poles are then hammered into the ground and a windbreak is formed. Windbreaks or "wind fences" are used to reduce wind speeds over erodible areas such as open fields, industrial stockpiles, and dusty industrial operations. As erosion is proportional to wind speed cubed a reduction of wind speed of 1/2 (for example) will reduce erosion by over 80%.

Farming

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_farming - recognised as the high-end objective among the proponents of sustainable agriculture. Ecological farming is not same as organic farming, however there are many similarities and they are not necessarily incompatable. Ecological farming includes all methods, including but not limited to organic, which regenerate ecosystem services like: prevention of soil erosion, water infiltration and retention, carbon sequestration in the form of humus, increased biodiversity etc... Many techniques are used including no till, multispecies cover crops, strip cropping, terrace cultivation, shelter belts, pasture cropping etc.


  • openfarm - Learn to farm or garden with community created guides


  • The Farmhouse is located in the heart of Hollywood, California and is home to Farmhouse Publishing, Barn Talks and (formerly) Farmhouse Conf. The Farmhouse and The Friends of the Farmhouse collaborate together or produce separately a slew of projects.




Hydroponics

Mushrooms

Insects

Beekeeping


Fishing

Automation and software

  • Open Ag Toolkit - Precision Farm Management. Android software for agriculture management that improvs the way farmers are able to collect and use information.

Scale

Separate housing, work and play spaces. Some living areas away from the social centre, some nearer, variously interconnected to keep potentially loud-at-times noise flow between the two from getting to others (sound insulation between abodes would also be smart).

Communal space linked to the social hub for events such as gigs, parties and festivals, both inside and out, though located far enough away or sheltered from the residential spaces to avoid disturbances.

Residential units arranged manner inviting social interactions between neighbours. Roof-top gardens well placed to catch sun. Allotment space for all units. Fractal/graph topology? Hexagons? Hubs and related spaces, with various 'districts' around and merging with a social centre] complex. Scalability.

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_community - or planned city, is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are less frequent in planned communities since they are planned carefully. The term new town refers to planned communities of the new towns movement in particular, mainly in the United Kingdom.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_centre - buildings which are used for a range of disparate activities, which can be linked only by being not-for-profit. They might be organizing centers for local activities or they might provide support networks for minority groups such as prisoners and refugees. Often they provide a base for initiatives such as cafes, free shops, public computer labs, graffiti murals, legal collectives and free housing for travellers. The services are determined by both the needs of the community in which the social center is based and the skills which the participants have to offer.




  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecovillage - intentional communities whose goal is to become more socially, economically and ecologically sustainable. Most range from a population of 50 to 150 individuals, although some are smaller, and larger ecovillages of up to 2,000 individuals exist as networks of smaller subcommunities. Certain ecovillages have grown by the addition of individuals, families, or other small groups who are not necessarily members settling on the periphery of the ecovillage and effectively participating in the ecovillage community.


  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibbutz - a collective community in Israel that was traditionally based on agriculture. The first kibbutz, established in 1909, was Degania. Today, farming has been partly supplanted by other economic branches, including industrial plants and high-tech enterprises. Kibbutzim began as utopian communities, a combination of socialism and Zionism. In recent decades, some kibbutzim have been privatized and changes have been made in the communal lifestyle.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phalanstère or Phalanstery was a type of building designed for a utopian community and developed in the early 19th century by Charles Fourier. Fourier named these self-contained communities, ideally consisting of 500-2000 people working together for mutual benefit, after the phalanx, the basic military unit in Ancient Greece.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_condenser - a sociospatial idea practiced in architecture with intention of the social condenser was to influence the design of public spaces, with a goal of breaking down perceived social hierarchies in an effort to create socially equitable spaces.



  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geodesign - a set of techniques and enabling technologies for planning built and natural environments in an integrated process, including project conceptualization, analysis, design specification, stakeholder participation and collaboration, design creation, simulation, and evaluation (among other stages). "Geodesign is a design and planning method which tightly couples the creation of design proposals with impact simulations informed by geographic contexts."
  • Urban Land Institute - provides leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide. ULI is an independent global nonprofit supported by members representing the entire spectrum of real estate development and land use disciplines.


Transport

See also Travel

Rewilding

Energy

See also Electronics

With an aim toward zero-energy development and a use of microgeneration via solar, wind and/or hydro power.

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_community_energy_system - an integrated approach to supplying a local community with its energy requirements from renewable energy or high-efficiency co-generation energy sources. The approach can be seen as a development of the distributed generation concept. Such systems are based on a combination of district heating, district cooling, plus 'electricity generation islands' that are interlinked via a private wire electricity system (largely bypassing the normal power grid to cut transmission losses and charges, as well as increasing the robustness of the system). The surplus from one generating island can therefore be used to make up the deficit at another.
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogeneration - the use of a heat engine or power station to simultaneously generate electricity and useful heat. Trigeneration or combined cooling, heat and power (CCHP) refers to the simultaneous generation of electricity and useful heating and cooling from the combustion of a fuel or a solar heat collector. A plant producing electricity, heat and cold is called a trigeneration or polygeneration plant.



  • OpenEnergyMonitor is a project to develop open-source energy monitoring tools to help us relate to our use of energy, our energy systems and the challenge of sustainable energy.


  • CfR is a social enterprise that helps proactive communities harness the value of their renewable energy resources, and retain that value within the local economy.


Wind

DIY VAWTs? are there DIY designs, non-patent encumbered, for later VAWT styles that overcome pulsatory torque issues?

  • Zephyr, named after the greek god of the West-Wind, is the concept of a small-scale and modular DIY Wind-Harvesting-System, designated to work in low-wind areas, keeping sustainability, efficiency, resilience and safety in mind.
  • OpenWind is an open source platform designed to empower scientists and engineers working in the field of technical wind energy consultancy and to provide transparency to those whose job it is to see that the industry remains on a firm financial footing.


Solar

  • Solarflower is an open source solar energy collector which tracks the sun automatically through a simple non-electrical mechanism. It can be made almost anywhere from common recycled and salvaged materials using basic tools and skills, is portable, has no running costs or emissions, and can produce up to kilowatts of power per device.
  • DIY Solar Guide - "esource for Solar Energy products, information, and do-it-yourself guides"

Solar PV

Hydro

Arguably the most consistent form of microgeneration, if you have a river or stream handy that is..

Bioenergy



Gas

  • Helios - The goal of this project is to develop a robust, versatile and resource-effective biomass micro-gasifier by combining a controlled-draft TLUD (Top-Lit Up-Draft) gasifier with an array of TEGs (Thermo Electric Generators) and a microcontroller to optimize the gasification process.


Human

Fuel cell

See also Electronics#Storage








Microgrids

Efficiency

Other

  • Renewable Energy UK - "up to date information about alternative energy generation. ... main focus is on wind power and solar power for the home"
  • Altenergy - "DIY Alternative Energy Projects"


  • Edinburgh Community Energy Co-operative Ltd was formed at the end of 2007 with the support of Co-operative Development Scotland. It is a non-profit, member owned organisation, which was set up to give Edinburgh residents a vehicle to promote and develop renewable and low-carbon energy in the city.
  • blog.cat.org.uk "This week, Jase Kuriakose an engineer at CAT turned on the UK’s first totally renewable micro grid. The systems works by combining all the wind, solar, bio mass and hydro energy we produce at CAT and storing it in a battery bank. When it needs more energy it simply connects to the grid through an intelligent electronic control device to take more, when we are producing too much it gives the energy to the national grid."

to sort

  • Energy Overviews delivers energy industry specific business intelligence that "shows you the money", gives you the tools to turn information into action, and helps you build your business.
  • volkszaehler is a free smart meter (here: smart meters) in DIY. All necessary data will remain under the control of the user.


Examples

  • Global Ecovillage Network
    • GEN db - Database of the Global Ecovillage Network. Behind the scenes a fantastic system is developed which allows you to share information about your project, your events, your resources and much more.

Scotland

Ecovillage Findhorn

  • Ecovillage Findhorn - "The Findhorn ecovillage is a synthesis of the very best of current thinking on sustainable human settlements. It is a constantly evolving model providing solutions to human and social needs, while at the same time working in partnership with the environment to offer an enhanced quality of life for all.

"The Ecovillage Project has developed a unique construction system, environmentally sound and energy efficient. Using natural and non-toxic materials we have developed a breathing wall structure, which allows the fabric of a building to interact beneficially with people to moderate humidity and air quality. We have also experimented with straw bale construction, the Earthship system using recycled car tyres, and remain open to further new and innovative ecological solutions for the built environment."

Talamh

  • Talamh is currently home to 8 adults, and a teenager, some living in our 17th century listed farmhouse, others in caravans and living vehicles in and around the paddock. we share food and cooking, eating together every evening and some lunchtimes. Most of the bread here is homemade, and we also eat lots of cakes and puddings to use up the masses of homegrown fruit. We grow lots of vegetables and keep hens for eggs. Most of our heating is from woodstoves.

Decisions are made by consensus at weekly meetings, but a lot of informal discussion takes place at mealtimes or around the fire. There is always plenty to do here, growing vegetables, processing firewood, working on the buildings. We have recently begun an extensive programme of renovations, working on roofs and floors. Talamh functions in an informal, unstructured way, and plenty of self-motivation is required, combined with a communicative, co-operative approach.

We are into : working towards sustainability and low-impact living, looking after our land and encouraging wildlife and biodiversity, growing our own veg and fruit, trying to keep all our buildings from falling down, opposing Trident, trying to stop opencast coal mining ever extending further across this area, playing music, eating good food, looking out for each other, working to resolve conflict, laughing about stuff round the fire, eating chips, growing willow to make baskets, trying to fix the hydro, and composting our poo.

Carbeth Hutters

  • Carbeth Hutters Community Company was set up in 2008 when the members of Carbeth Hutters Association voted to become a Community Company. The Company was formed to benefit persons entitled to occupy any property within the Carbeth Estate Conservation Area. The Company is run by its directors who are voted in by the company's ordinary members to carry out work on behalf of its members.

West Granton Housing Co-operative Ltd

Sprouts Housing Cooperative

  • Sprouts Housing Cooperative - "We are a group of people committed to creating a radical housing cooperative in [Edinburgh], so that we can escape the landlord system which makes us poor and angry."

The Farmhouse

  • The Farmhouse is a building in disrepair in the community garden in Elder Park Govan. The plan is to renovate the building and create an independent resource centre. Involving local people in the planning and using the project as a process of education.

Sustainable Communities Initiatives

  • "Sustainable Communities Initiatives (SCI), an educational charity set up in August 2000 to demonstrate, inspire and support initiatives that build community through waste and don't rely on fossil fuel energy. ... It is the aim of Sustainable Communities Initiatives to demonstrate the Earthship's performance in the Scottish climate, as well as the costs involved and the best route through planning and building control."

Kinghorn Community Centre

  • http://www.kinghorncommunitycentre.org.uk/ Kinghorn Community Centre is run by a voluntary Management Committee on behalf of Fife Council. The Centre is a purpose built facility accommodating various sports groups and social activities. The Centre is the hub of the community as we help out other organisations by advertising forthcoming local events and selling tickets.

The Ecology Centre

  • The Ecology Centre is a community based charity which was established as a non-profit making organisation in August 1998. The organisation came into being through an advisory group set up by people from the local community and residents of Craigencalt Farm. With the help of the Scottish Land Fund, we were able to purchase the land at the east end of Kinghorn Loch, which will house our new centre and grounds. The grounds are currently being developed by staff and volunteers and will be used in the future for our growing projects, Education Visits and outdoor volunteer days, our new site will continue to be a well-managed area of biodiversity and a haven for natural wildlife.

South West Community Woodlands Trust

  • South West Community Woodlands Trust is a registered charity established in 1997 with the aim to; conserve and regenerate woodlands; to reconnect people, especially the young, to local biodiversity by involving them in woodland crafts and woodland management; and foster appreciation and respect for the countryside.

England

Homes for Change

a quick overview of the co-operative (.pdf)

"Homes for Change [in Hulme, Manchester] is a Housing co-operative whose intention is to provide low cost social housing to a diverse range of people in the community. The way Homes for change keeps it's rents low is by managing and running the building themselves. more

"The buildings comprise an introverted block with almost all activity at the back, and while the streets outside are consequently quieter than might be desirable, public spaces inside the block are relaxed since tenants are known to each other and an informal surveillance operates, as specified in the brief. This works well without creating a fortress mentality, resulting in a comfortable but vibrant public area, and inside the block the sense of community is visible in residents' extensive use of the joint outdoor spaces. Recesses in the building fronts create opportunities to personalise the interfaces between shared and private areas, and Phase One is now well lived in with personal ornamentation, gardens, furniture, flower pots, play equipment, seats on balconies and access decks, toys for children and well tended small private and shared gardens in courtyards.

The success of Homes for Change lies partly in the fact that the residents all opted for this life-style through joining a co-operative, but the designers also took care that private outdoor space is available for most units and direct access to front doors is also critically well designed.

Earthworm Housing Co-operative

London Fields Solutions

  • London Fields Solutions [22] - we bought two streets in Hackney (28 properties) and turned it into as a housing co-op housing 58 people. Long term squatters put together a regeneration plan and got loans from various agencies to purchase the properties and put them back together. Rebuilt with ecological and community considerations in urban London. Hard work for sure but it can be done. Still going strong.

LILAC

  • LILAC means Low Impact Living Affordable Community. We are the UK's first affordable ecological cohousing project: a community of 20 households and a common house, based in Bramley, West Leeds.

Beddington Zero Energy Development

"The Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED, in Sutton, Surrey) is the UK’s first and largest carbon neutral eco-community. It is a mixed-use, mixed-tenure development that incorporates innovative approaches to energy conservation and environmental sustainability. The BedZED design concept was driven by the desire to create a net 'zero fossil energy development', one that will produce at least as much energy from renewable sources as it consumes." Wikipedia article.

Hockerton Housing Project

  • "The Hockerton Housing Project, Nottinghamshire, is the UK's first earth sheltered, self-sufficient ecological housing development. Project members live a holistic way of life in harmony with the environment, in which all ecological impacts have been considered and accounted for. The residents of the five houses generate their own clean energy, harvest their own water and recycle waste materials causing no pollution or carbon dioxide emissions. The houses are amongst the most energy efficient, purpose built dwellings in Europe."

Steward Community Woodland

Kew Bridge Ecovillage

Tinker's Bubble

Wales

The Lammas

  • The Lammas project centres around the ecovillage at Tir y Gafel, in North Pembrokeshire, combining a traditional smallholding model with the latest innovations in environmental design, green technology and permaculture. The ecovillage was granted planning permission in 2009 by the Welsh Government and is currently part-way through the construction phase. Sited on 76 acres of mixed pasture and woodland, its heart consists of 9 smallholdings positioned around a Community Hub building, and it is supported by a range of peripheral projects and networks.

Brithdir Mawr

Northern Ireland

Lackan Cottage Farm

Europe

Christiania

  • Christiania covers an area of more than 85 acres and houses almost one thousand inhabitants, but every year, more than a million people visit the Freetown. Some of them use Christiania almost every day, others pay a quick visit to the village in the middle of Copenhagen. Christiania is thus one of the greatest tourist attractions in Copenhagen, and abroad it is a well-known “brand” for the progressive and liberated Danish lifestyle. Many Danish businesses and organizations also use Christiania as a show place for their foreign friends and guests. The purpose is to show something Danish that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Marinaleda

Calafou

Mietshäuser Syndikat

http://www.syndikat.org/en/syndikat_en/joint_venture/

North America

Lasquet Island

  • Lasquet Islandi lies in the Georgia Strait, north of French Creek (on Vancouver Island), and southwest of Texada Island, Canada. It is approximately 8 km wide and 22 km long, with an area of 73.56 km2. About 350 permanent residents call Lasqueti home. It is accessible by foot passenger ferry service only, or by private boat or plane.

Twin Oaks

  • "Twin Oaks is an intentional community in rural central Virginia, made up of around 85 adult members and 15 children. Since the community's beginning in 1967, our way of life has reflected our values of cooperation, sharing, non-violence, equality, and ecology." Wikipedia article.

Alpha Farm

  • Alpha Farm is an intentional community of people who have chosen to live and work together to share a more harmonious way of living. At our home in rural western Oregon, we live the largely self-reliant style of a close-knit expanded family; we average 15 to 20 people, including singles, couples and families, and have ranged in age from infants to elderly.

Dancing Rabbit

  • Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage - we understand how difficult it can be to live sustainably and responsibly within modern US culture. We believe that we can work to build a healthy alternative: a social structure that is both non-exploitative and vibrant. As our village grows, we see this ideal take shape more clearly every day: a diverse range of people living ecologically sound lives in a community that truly serves as an example of positive human action within the natural world.

Sirius Community

  • Sirius Community - An educational non-profit and eco-village celebrating over 35 years of educating and role-modelling for planetary healing. Visitors experience the awe & magic of nature, meditation, community, and sacred daily living. Sirius community was founded in September 1978 by former members of Findhorn Community in Scotland wishing to establish a similar community in their American homeland. Its foundation is spiritual, but in a non-sectarian manner that allows for each person to find their own way to the heart of all beingness and reality. The shared expression reflects reverence for all Life and willingness to live in accord with this intention as much as possible. We thus employ ecologically sustainable methods of living and a consensus-style governance process, striving to honor all that is.

Earthaven

  • Earthaven is an aspiring ecovillage in a mountain forest setting near Asheville, North Carolina. We are dedicated to caring for people and the Earth by learning, living, and demonstrating a holistic, sustainable culture.

Work coops

  • http://www.seedsforchange.org.uk/ Seeds for Change] - activists providing support and training to activists, campaigners, community groups and co-operatives. We're a network of activist training co-ops providing training and workshops on group and campaign skills. We support people who want to make our world a better and more sustainable place. Have a look at our guides and briefings which have lots of practical skills and ideas to make your meetings run smoothly and painlessly, not to mention making your campaign or project a success! We cover topics like consensus decision making, facilitating meetings, how to win your campaign, publicity, and taking action. All our materials are free.
  • "Work for Change is a co-operative made up of tenants of the workspace at 41 Old Birley Street, Hulme. It is a company limited by guarantee, with co-operative rules. Work for Change rents space on flexible terms to local, ethical, and cultural businesses. The company aims to create a supportive atmosphere for small businesses to succeed, welcoming both existing and new start businesses. There are offices of a range of sizes, artists areas, workshops and a cafe, as well as a small theatre (The YARD). We are currently developing a second phase of 13 small units and would like to hear from anyone interested in moving in to these.
    • "The workspace was designed by the businesses involved at that time, many of which are still tenants. Some people choose to live and work in the building, while others are involved in only one of the co-operatives. Most people in Work for Change live in the Hulme area and the building remains one of the most important community led initiatives in the country."
    • https://www.facebook.com/pages/Work-for-Change/31928451974
  • "URBED (Urbanism, Environment and Design) does what our name suggests ­ we specialise in urban design and sustainability in an urban context. ... an employee-owned co-operative, we now have 16 staff and associates, comprising planners and architects together with a sustainability expert and highway engineer. ... We believe in the importance of creating and sustaining lively, prosperous towns and cities by focusing new development within existing settlements and creating attractive, mixed-use, walkable and socially mixed urban neighbourhoods.
    • URBED grew out of the redevelopment of Hulme and the Homes for Change Housing Co-operative. A belief in the importance of communities informs all of our work. ... Since 1996 we have been running the SUN (Sustainable Urban Neighbourhood) Initiative, exploring how the principles of environmental sustainability can be applied to urban areas."
  • "The Graphics Company is a workers' co-op. One of the good things about this is that you're always talking to the boss! You're always dealing with someone who cares a lot about your project. This is one of the reasons why many of our clients stay with us for years, here are some more... ... The Graphics Company promotes the use of environmentally-friendly materials and ethical working practices. We also take an ethical approach to our own business that is embodied in our constitution."


Coops and networks

  • GEN-International
    • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Ecovillage_Network
    • "GEN-Europe is the European ecovillage association promoting environmental protection and restoration of nature through the concept of ecovillages as models for sustainable human settlements. We actively support the development of ecovillages and networks in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. GEN-Europe is a membership organisation founded in 1996 and is open to a wide range of projects regardless of their political, religious or cultural backgrounds."
  • "Radical Routes is a network of radical co-ops whose members are committed to working for positive social change. The network is made up mainly of housing co-ops of various sizes (but none have more than 15 members), a few workers co-ops and a couple of social centres." Also worth checking is their quick guide to setting up a housing co-operative (pdf).
  • "CETS (Co-operative Education Trust Scotland) is a new independent not-for-profit charitable education trust. It has the backing of every sector of the Co-operative movement in Scotland, from the large retail co-ops, through to agricultural co-ops, credit unions, housing co-ops, workers co-ops, etc. CETS also promotes all forms of social enterprise.

Other groups, projects & info

  • "BioRegional Development Group is an entrepreneurial, independent environmental organisation. We develop award winning, commercially viable products and services which meet more of our everyday needs from local renewable and waste resources, to help enable One Planet living – living within our fair share of the Earth’s resources."
  • ZEDfactory "As leaders in the field of zero-carbon design and development, we have a unique track record of delivering Zero (fossil) Energy Development (ZED) buildings in the UK"
  • "Earthship Biotecture is a global company offering proven, totally sustainable design and construction services worldwide.
  • Centre for Alternative Technology - Leading by example, we aim to show that living more sustainably is not only easy to attain but can provide a better quality of life."
  • "The Low Carbon Trust is a not-for-profit organisation that was formed in 2001 to set up, manage and promote environmental projects. Our main objective is tackling climate change through highlighting the connection between buildings and the carbon emissions their use produces. We do this by running innovative low-carbon construction projects, and training, outreach and education workshops."
  • Green Building Press "We publish green building information in many mediums to help you to design and build sustainable, healthy and ecological homes offices and factories."

Finance

Various possibilities for this. Grants and loans are also available from certain organisations.

  • Low Carbon Building Programme - "The Low Carbon Building Programme (LCBP) is a Government programme in the United Kingdom administered by BERR (formerly the DTI). It offers grants towards the cost of installing domestic microgeneration technologies and larger scale distributed generation installations for public buildings and businesses, provided energy conservation standards are also met."

Mortgages

Future fiction

  • The Seasteading Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)(3), working to enable seasteading communities - floating cities - which will allow the next generation of pioneers to test new ideas for government. The most successful can then inspire change in governments around the world.
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