Sustainable Cities and Communities

Ecological awareness is growing on a daily basis. People are becoming aware of the dangers of our current lifestyles, which is why people are grouping together to form sustainable cities and communities that will reduce pollution and conserve energy.

Thinking Green

The biggest problem people encounter is adjusting to going green. Leaving a comfort zone is never easy but staying in it can create bigger problems. A lot of energy being used nowadays comes from fossil fuels. It can be hard to separate from it, since it’s such a convenient source of energy. However, we are running out of that source, so people need to start thinking about alternatives. Thinking green does not only mean being aware of your environment. It also means looking for new and better energy sources that can replace current ones.

Independent Communities

There are a few places that are completely independent when it comes to energy. These places rely on eco-friendly sources of power and heat. People in these communities are using the maximum of what their environment has to offer. They depend on no-one but themselves, not only for energy, but food as well.

These places are small in size. They usually count between ten to thirty households and can't even be called small towns. People that live in these communities rely on bicycles for transportation. They also grow their own organic food in the backyards. Some are located near rivers, so they're using water to get electricity from minor hydro-plants.

However, moving to green energy is a process that evolves gradually. Some cities are using sustainable energy, but in most cities, there's still high usage of non-renewable energy. Moving towards sustainable energy in a gradual way is good because it gives people time to adjust to it. A good way to start is to utilize green alternatives whenever possible like Central Park Pedicab Tours instead of tour buses or solar street lights.

Electricity Sources

Members of all-green communities are usually using multiple sources to get electricity. An average house needs twelve to eighteen solar panels to be fully supplied with electricity. Therefore, bigger homes would need more solar panels. Solar panels do require some space, which is why it makes sense people are mostly relying on multiple sources of energy. For instance, a mixture of wind turbines and solar panels is not that uncommon in green communities.

Heat Sources

Green communities are relying on more natural sources to provide heat. The most common heat sources are pellet stoves and geothermal pumps. Pellet stoves run on pellet, a biofuel made from organic matter and biomass. Pellet stoves leave less ash, so they're easier to maintain.

Geothermal pumps work by using a small amount of electricity. These pumps supply heating systems with warm underground water. Water then runs through a Freon system, which heats it up more. After hot water is used in radiators, it's released back to the ground. This system is revolutionary, since it returns almost all of the resources back and they can be used again.

Nuclear Energy

The most promising energy source today comes from nuclear plants. Nuclear power plants use fission. Nuclear fuels are being used in a process that creates energy in high quantities. This is why nuclear power plants are a most prosperous way of gathering energy.

However, there is some controversy behind nuclear plants. Most people connect nuclear plants to previous disasters related to them. Nevertheless, it’s important to mention that these disasters usually happened because of workers that made a mistake or because the materials used in their construction was inadequate. There are safety regulations that need to be followed in order to keep the plant running.

The future of supplying cities with energy might lie in nuclear plants. Big cities already require a lot of energy. Covering them with energy supplied from nuclear plants is currently possible. But, with a great source of energy there might be some consequences. Before we all jump into using power plants, we need to make them even safer first.