How Sustainable Communities Can Combat Climate Change.
The global issue of climate change affects us all. As architects we face many challenges however this may be the most significant one, how do we mitigate its impact on our communities? Sustainable communities are a great way to do this and there have been many popping up around the UK. In this blog, I will take a closer look into the ways that sustainable communities have been designed and how they can mitigate the effects of climate change.
Sustainable communities help to mitigate climate change by reducing their carbon footprint. There are many ways that this is achieved:
- Renewable energy – many sustainable communities use wind or solar energy to power all or part of their homes.
- Sourcing local produce – often communities source locally grown produce this helps to reduce the emissions that are produced when transporting goods across the country.
- Energy efficient buildings – this can be achieved by well insulated buildings keeping heating bills low in the winter along with a reduced emissions rate. (McCartney & Doggart, 2004, 2)
All these factors help to reduce the amount of energy consumed, therefore reducing the carbon footprint of the community.
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Sustainable communities also promote waste management practices, such as the well known 3 R’s, reduce, reuse and recycle. (Leason, 2022) This helps the communities reduce that amount of waste that ends up in landfills. Just over 4% of the UK total greenhouse gas emissions came from the waste sector in 2019, which is almost equivalent to 22 megatons of CO2. (Laville, 2021) Sustainable communities help to reduce these emissions by following the 3 R’s. This continues to help mitigate the impacts of climate change.
In addition, sustainable communities promote agriculture practices, such as crop rotation and the use of natural fertilisers. In many of the sustainable communities they have their own allotments in which they can grow and produce their own crops. When agricultural operations are sustainably managed they can preserve and restore critical habitats and improve soil health and water quality. (Sall, 2021) Additionally, sustainable agriculture practices can help to reduce deforestation, which can contribute to climate change.
A key example of a sustainable community is BedZED in Sutton. BedZED was the UK’s first large-scale, mixed-use sustainable community and was completed in 2002. After it was constructed, BedZED was intended to be fossil-fuel free, drastically reducing its residents’ carbon dioxide emissions and providing them with energy security. (Dyer-Williams, 2022)
In addition to this, places such as BedZED promote cultural sustainability which entails preserving and enhancing the world’s cultural heritage. It is about ensuring that the same cultural experiences and traditions that we take for granted today are available to future generations. Cultural sustainability is important as it: (Cultural Sustainability, 2022)
- Helps to preserve world heritage.
- Helps to ensure future generations can enjoy and learn from world traditions
- Is important for the health and wellbeing of the plant
In summary, I believe that sustainable communities can be extremely important in reducing the effects of climate change. Sustainable communities can drastically lower the quantity of greenhouse gases produced by fostering renewable energy sources, sustainable waste management techniques, and sustainable agricultural practices. I feel as though this could help to lessen the effects of climate change and pave the way for a more sustainable future.
References:
Cultural Sustainability. (2022, November 14). Sustainability Success. Retrieved May 4, 2023, from https://sustainability-success.com/cultural-sustainability/?utm_content=cmp-true
Dyer-Williams, K. (2022, April). BedZED. Carbon Copy. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://carboncopy.eco/initiatives/bedzed?gclid=CjwKCAjwo7iiBhAEEiwAsIxQEXN4Zfq6pjtklP5DAGmfw5Ksn2ntWzCp3_HeJ_Jaiwj-QxF_nV-htxoCliIQAvD_BwE
Laville, S. (2021, November 15). Greenhouse gases: waste and recycling rates ‘could stop UK net zero goal’. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/nov/15/greenhouse-gases-waste-and-recycling-rates-could-stop-uk-net-zero-goal Leason, P. (2022, November 22). Low Carbon and Sustainable Communities. Stafford Borough Council. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/Low-Carbon-and-Sustainable-Communities McCartney, D., & Doggart, J. (2004, November). Sustainable Communities. Environmental Design Guide, 1(62), 1-8. McCartney, D., & Doggart, J. (2004). SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES. Environment Design Guide, 1–8. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26149133 Sall, J. (2021, June). Impact of Sustainable Agriculture and Farming Practices. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.worldwildlife.org/industries/sustainable-agriculture
Image References:
Image 1: https://unsplash.com/photos/-s1w1SguZTI
Image 2: https://unsplash.com/photos/dclPEtMVdK8
Image 3: https://unsplash.com/photos/Bbq3H7eGids
