The first? Ecological self-sustained village in the world, built in the Netherlands!

[Onalon]

Hi everyone!

Last week i came across some great news. A modern ecological self-sustainable neightbourhood is going to built in the Netherlands!

I think this is a victory for the people. Ofcourse there are many commune's or off grid villages who live in harmony with animal and nature. But this is an initiative which can and most likely will awaken many people to live this way without going off grid or anything.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/3060167/this-new-neighborhood-will-grow-its-own-food-power-itself-and-handle-its-own-waste

I just wanted to share this postive news with you guys. :bigsmile::heart:

[wnlight]

This is really interesting. I was hoping for some good news. Do you suppose that these self-sustaining ideas could be expanded to the size of a modern city? I wonder if people can be convinced to accept a lifestyle necessary for the success of self-sustainable concepts. For instance, Switzerland imposes rigorous trash separation rules upon it's citizens, but I wonder what percentage of the population really comply.

[Deega]

Woua!, if ever this project materialized, it would be great!

[Pam]

Onalon, welcome to PA!!! Thanks for such an uplifting topic. Not only is the community self sustaining, but beautiful as well. This is an example to all of us that we can live in balance on this planet. We don't need to dominate, pillage and destroy , we can live in cooperation.

[Violet]

I saw it on the news too. Sounds really promising! The developer says they're expanding the project (I hope over the borders too).

There's a microproject in Flanders (Belgium), called Ringland, with slightly different goals though. It's concern is improving air quality around the local most dense highway point of Europe by proposing a plan. Splitting highway traffic into clearly separated lanes for local traffic and lanes for distant traffic.
Those lanes would then also be roofed, resulting in tunnels. On top of those tunnels, stretches of green.

Some new road extensions would be needed for the project creating a long trajectory of sideways extra greens and a whole new district, which I think is where Ring"land" comes in.

It's currently still just an idea, supported by many. I found a video, it's Dutch but with the description I gave here, the visuals should speak for themselves:

ECtvymSxbss and more info also on ringland.be)

[Ewan]

I do wish them the best of luck. If it is a runaway success there is a ton of bricks waiting to come down on them in legislative form, (currently being drafted in an EU office in hushed tones).

[Onalon]

Hi there!

First of all i think it will take a good long time before this will really get booming and that people prefer to live in these ecological villages. But i do think this is the future, especially when you see that more and more kids are awakened already (And the kids are the future). The second step i believe to be is there will be more and more of these villages being built. And eventually we might get to the point where complete cities will be built in harmony with nature, symbiotic cities!

Lets hope and pray for the best. At least, this is a great step in the right direction. :D

[Violet]

We have someone here from China who lives in such a culture. I should dig for the thread*. With beautiful pictures of their crops and flowers.


This is really interesting. I was hoping for some good news. Do you suppose that these self-sustaining ideas could be expanded to the size of a modern city? I wonder if people can be convinced to accept a lifestyle necessary for the success of self-sustainable concepts. For instance, Switzerland imposes rigorous trash separation rules upon it's citizens, but I wonder what percentage of the population really comply.

Define rigorous :)

We have 4 obliged categories in which to sort: plastic, paper, food waste, rest.

There are some exceptions for mixing food & rest. And I believe businesses are also exempted, or something, they have different bags.

No comply = fined. Seems to work generally. But it's also become a lucrative business, imo, and I don't like that part. The bags are expensive (between 6 and 10 EUR) and of such a thin make that they always tear. You're obliged to buy these unique expensive bags issued by the government.

You subsequently also pay for waste collection in the form of taxes. So, the entire waste processing cost has been moved to the end-user. Whereas before waste was brought to centers where people where employed to do this work, citizens are now obliged to do this for free and pay additional fees in the process while getting nothing tangible in return (besides Earth being grateful for your service, of course)

I think that a system in which a share of the profit was issued as an incentive would be somewhat fairer. Drastically bringing down the waste bag prices would also be helpful.

Post update:

*Found it: http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?65982-Crazy-China--Forty-People-Broke-into-the-4th-Branch-of-Our-Community-Without-Any-Lawful-Documents-