Sustainability, not just a 'hippie' way of life anymore

Being a ‘greenie’ or adopting a more sustainable way of living is so popular now that even Oprah and Leonardo have jumped on board. But there are those that have been thinking ahead for awhile now, those that have recycled religiously, or cultivated their own compost like a vino lover does his vintage wine.

With new gizmos and gadgets designed to help the environment being released everyday, sustainability has become a top priority to the average Joe. With Hollywood pushing the issue many seem to see sustainability as a recognized and revered movement, no longer the mantra of hippies and nerdy scientists. It is in fact an attempt to provide the best outcomes for both humans and natural environments for the immediate time and the indefinite future. Coupled with permaculture, which integrates landscape design and people in an agriculturally sustainable eco-system and you have yourself an environmentally beneficial design concept that allows both nature and mankind to co-exist with no permanent damage.

Now land developers are realizing that more profit can be made by offering eco-developments that will use environmentally sustainable concepts like grey water and storm water drainage systems and passive and active solar power design. Developers are aware that people wishing to build want to lessen their ecological footprint and save money by saving energy.

Houses are built with recycled or sustainable materials, like bamboo and incorporate as much in green living as possible. Native flora is kept and/or replanted in order to increase and maintain local bio-diversity and create natural habitats for children to explore and learn from. Some new developments incorporate onsite water treatment plants and recycling facilities which encourage community involvement regardless of location. Both inner-city dwellers and those in the outlying suburbs are anxious to actively make a difference and take responsibility for their impact on the environment.

The benefits of creating or re-establishing eco-housing are numerous. It allows children to be raised in an environmentally aware community where landscapes and streetscapes are naturally beautified and cared for by the collective whole. Tailored infrastructure means that the environment is significantly less impacted on by the neighborhood and most eco-developments will have extremely lowered CO2 emissions, use less energy and create less waste. Ethical minded developers are now creating environmentally focused communities with more cycle and walk routes and space for local stores so less drive time is needed to get that liter of milk and Sunday paper.

The concept of working with nature and not against it can bring about an environmentally beneficial design and create a healthier way of living for all involved. Some recent developments like Stringybark Grove in Lane Cove show that comfort needn’t be compromised for the environment. Permaculture design, (which is now a degree course), incorporates both beauty with bio-diversity. Homes and surrounding landscapes are carefully constructed to save as much natural habitat as possible, and that which is damaged is appropriately replaced and regenerated. Which means your little cottage in the woods can have all the gadgets and gizmos, without stripping the sweetness from the scene.