Have you heard of BedZED? Built in 2002, it was (and remains!) a pioneer of the eco-village concept. In its 100 homes, innovative design reduces energy needs and taps solar power. BedZED has gone down in history as the UK’s first large-scale, mixed-use sustainable community. It has been an inspiration for low-carbon, environmentally friendly housing developments around the world.
BedZED’s biggest and most important success is that it remains an attractive and popular place to live, demonstrating that a large shift towards sustainable living doesn’t need to entail sacrifice and discomfort.
We all need to start thinking a whole lot more about our homes and how we’ve decided to live. A couple of us are from the EU so we’re particularly passionate about seeing the size of standard huge homes decrease (America & Australia, that’s you with the biggest in the world) as that also allows for more sustainable and environmental solutions to be implemented along with increased community – and a lot less stuff to buy to keep in them.
