BioRegional Launch a Major New Sustainable Consumption and Production Report
BioRegional, creators of the One Planet concept, have recently launched a major report about Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). The report is a significant NGO contribution to the UN debate on a set of sustainable development goals due to succeed the well-known Millennium Development Goals (to be fulfilled by 2015). BioRegional CEO Sue Riddlestone was recently given the opportunity to present this report to representatives of several dozen governments of countries around the world gathered at the United Nations in New York.
Major new report, authored by BioRegional, on sustainable consumption and production:
- This published paper makes the case for why sustainable consumption and production (SCP) should be integrated into the post-2015 development agenda, as well as setting out practical proposals for what SCP-related targets might be, divided among the likely themes for post-2015 goals.
- It is evidence-based, drawing on the latest literature and evidence to explain why achieving sustainable development demands a decisive, global shift to sustainable consumption and production. The paper aims to increase collaboration within civil society and with other actors on this agenda.
- It calls for nations to adopt 28 different targets related to SCP, organised under five key themes for sustainable development goals and covering the period 2015-2030. One or more indicators is given for each target.
- The report was produced by BioRegional, as they are the Beyond 2015 focal point on Sustainable Production and Consumption, with input from the following organizations: WWF-UK;Christian Aid; Bond; Save the Children; Progressio; Practical Action; Friends of the Earth; Cafod; Tearfund; Population Institute; One Earth; Tellus Institute; Integrative Strategies Forum; Institute for Global Environmental Strategies.
Click here to read the report here.
What to Expect in the Next Grow Neighborhood?
Grow Community will not be complete until all three neighborhoods are constructed. While the first neighborhood is finishing up, the Grow Team has been busy redesigning the next two neighborhoods. These next phases will complete the trail system, add a building for community gathering and even more gardens and open space. A fun fact: out of the 5 acres that make up the next two neighborhoods, 3 acres will be green space. More places to run, play, garden and connect!
We anticipate beginning construction on the second neighborhood this next summer. Stay tuned for more opportunities to participate in the design of open spaces in early 2014.
Click here to read the recent article in the Bainbridge Island Review about this next phase.
Wishing you JOY!
During this season of giving we would like to reach out to everyone that has contributed to the Grow project this year. This has been a big year for us, bringing the concept to reality. While it has been a busy year, full of challenges, we are now seeing the rewards for all of the dedication and hard work of our team, our champions, our volunteers and our new residents. Nothing gives us more joy than to see the smiling faces of happy families moving into their new homes.
We hope that the New Year brings all of you health, happiness and new opportunities to connect with friends and neighbors and loved ones.
From all of us on the Grow Team, Happy Holidays.
Grow Community enters Phase II of design with community center and childcare facility – BI Review
by CECILIA GARZA, Bainbridge Island Review Staff Writer
Dec 19, 2013 at 10:00AM updated at 1:42PM
Bainbridge Island’s Design Review Board received a preview into Phase II of Grow Community this month, which will include a community center and potentially an early childcare school.
In a three-hour meeting, Grow Community planners presented additions to the development that span from townhouses to an alder forest to a multi-faceted community center.
“I think it went well,” said Jean Stolzman of Cutler Anderson Architects.
“I think it’s a great Design Review Board, and we’re always welcoming their comments. All in all, it was very helpful,” Stolzman said.
The second phase of design will shift focus to the communal living aspect of the development.
On the outer perimeters, extending from Wyatt Way to Shepard Drive, up to seven multi-family buildings will be constructed to accommodate apartment flats and townhouses.
In the center, connecting the homes, will be two sizable courtyards.
A miniature alder forest will spread throughout the northern quad with several footpaths to give visitors and residents access from their homes to the community center.
“The community center is right at the heart of that community,” Stolzman said. “People can meet there for yoga, meetings, cooking, et cetera. The idea is that everyone is taking a part in this.”
Dividing the northern quad in half will be a footpath that extends from Wyatt Way to the community center.
Those walking on this path will pass through the cluster of alders straight onto the rooftop patio of the center.
The center will be constructed partially inset to the ground, so that the rooftop is level with the northern quad.
On the rooftop terrace, residents and visitors will have access to an outdoor fireplace and picnic area.
A 2,500-square-foot, one-story building, the community center itself will contain a large gathering area with a double-sided fireplace, kitchen area, a meeting room and a communal workshop space.
The meeting room, Stolzman explained, can be reserved for pretty much anything, from yoga to group meetings.
Additionally, since most of the residents will not have a private garage, the workshop area will function as a multi-use space for handy work.
As residents exit the building, the center will open up to the southend of the development where on either side of the building will also be a terraced community garden.
“Part of the idea is that you can harvest your vegetables and come down and make your own meal in the kitchen,” Stolzman explained.
The center’s kitchen area, Stolzman added, has been designed with the intention that residents and visitors can cook together, share recipes and eat together in the gathering area.
In addition to the center, at the foot of the south quad will be a bonus building.
“It can either become a residential building or an early childhood center,” said Marja Preston of the Asani Development Team.
“We’ve been thinking about a couple uses that could become an amenity for the residents there.”
An early childhood center would further foster the intergenerational quality of living at Grow Community, Preston said.
Through volunteering, it would also give residents and citizens an opportunity to be involved in the community.
The idea began when the Madrona School was considering moving their program to a downtown area and potentially into the Grow Community building.
Despite the school deciding to stay in its current location, the idea stuck.
“We think it would be a really interesting amenity, because there are so many families moving into the Grow Community,” she said.
Click here to read the article on the Bainbridge Island Review website.
Visual notes on building a healthy community at Grow
President, Marja Preston was speaking on a panel at the recent ULI (Urban Land Institute) conference on how we are building a healthy community at Grow. Here are the visual notes taken by an attendee at that discussion.
Data-Driven Design Forum | AIA Seattle
Tuesday December 10th – 8am-5pm
University of Washington, Alder Commons, 1310 NE 40th St, Seattle, WA 98105
Grow president, Marja Preston will be speaking on a panel discussion at the Data-Driven Design Forum put on by AIA Seattle. The forum will look at why firms are investing in research, and how is it improving the performance of their buildings and their practices.
Wishing you health and abundance
The Grow team would like to express our gratitude for the amazing community of Grow Bainbridge. On this day of giving thanks we want to let you know that we are truly grateful for all we have learned from everyone who has touched our lives through this community over the last year.
We want to extend a special thank you to all of the new and soon to be residents at Grow. We are excited, amazed, and humbled by the patience and dedication of the residents who have moved in to this community. Excited to meet each and every amazing personality, humbled by the commitment to sustainable living, and most grateful for the patience of all who waited so long to move in to their homes.
We wish for all of you a joyful holiday, a day of health and abundance.
All the best,
The Grow Team
Is This The Most Sustainable Neighborhood In The U.S.? – Fast Company
Fast Company | November 13, 2013 | Adele Peters
A new neighborhood on Bainbridge Island, Washington, has all the aspects of a resilient community–like net zero homes, community gardens, and car sharing–built in from the beginning.
A new urban neighborhood on Bainbridge Island, Washington, is arguably the most resilient–and healthiest–in the entire United States. Grow Community is not the first place to have net zero energy homes, community gardens, carsharing, or any of its other features, but it’s the first community to have all of those features, by design, from its inception.
Each home in the new development, from apartments to single-family homes, can run entirely on solar power. The ultra-efficient buildings are insulated to save energy, and include heat pumps and heat recovery ventilators. Wood siding comes from local, sustainably managed forests. But green buildings are only a small part of the community’s design.
“The average footprint for food and transportation is three times the footprint of a home,” says Jonathan Davis, the architect who led the project. Both were considered as integral parts of the development. The location was carefully chosen to be a short walk or bike ride from the ferry to Seattle or nearby shops. Residents will have access to community bikes and a shared fleet of cars–the first car being a Nissan Leaf that plugs into its own dedicated solar panel. Those moving to the area bringing their own vehicles may want to consider getting a car or motorcycle shipping quote to help them figure out the cost of transporting their vehicles during their busy move.
The homes are bordered by community vegetable gardens and fruit trees, and residents will also have the chance to participate in a working farm within walking distance.
The design also aims to help neighbors actually meet each other. The site is divided up into “microhoods” that are grouped around a common yard, and each of the grouping is connected by a series of pathways. No one can drive home; the parking lot is deliberately remote so that people have to walk home, and have the chance to run into each other. Each home has a front porch, and the common yards have community gardens and other shared spaces for people to interact.
Right now, the development is partially completed–22 out of 24 single-family homes are underway or finished, and construction will begin shortly on two small apartment buildings. Eight homes are occupied. The new residents include the architect and his own family. “Someone recently said it must be like my own personal Sim City, and it is,” Davis says, as he watches his creation unfold.
The development is the first in the U.S. to meet the stringent requirements of the One Planet Living program. “It’s a really big-picture look at sustainability,” Davis says. “In a way, Grow Community provides an easy basis for everyone living there to reduce their environmental footprint.”
Grow Solar
This month A&R Solar is installing solar arrays on more homes at Grow. Our community is on its way to being the largest solar neighborhood in Washington State, proving that solar really does work in our cloudy state!
As a One Planet Community, Grow is intended to achieve Net Zero Carbon from buildings by 2020. We have been monitoring one of the occupied homes in the community since January of this year and it looks like the numbers are coming out positive – the solar is providing more than enough energy to power the house over the year! This not only reduces the owners’ carbon footprint, it also saves them a whole lot in power bills.
Here are a few reasons why you might also want to consider solar for your home:
- Receive Washington State renewable energy incentives
- Get a 30% federal tax credit
- Reduce your electric bills forever
- Support your local economy
- Increase your homes resale value
- Reduce your carbon footprint
ABOUT GROW COMMUNITY
Grow Community is an urban Net Zero neighborhood on Bainbridge Island, just a 35-minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle. With beautifully designed solar-powered homes, shared community gardens and clean transportation options, Grow allows all generations to enjoy a high-quality and healthy lifestyle.
