Ecosystems are made up of diverse, complementary players, consuming and producing materials and energy in short cycles. They are also quite resilient to abrupt changes, like storms and modifications to the environment, because they have many different species fulfilling the same role and compensating for the decline of any individual actor or species due to disease or environmental stress. Our goal with the Cleantech Playground was to create a system that works similarly to an ecosystem: harvesting ambient energy and water for use on site, cycling nutrients locally, and creating an environment that is supportive of natural biodiversity. Our goal is to create a new blueprint for biobased cities, rooted in the strength of human community. COMMUNITY FOCUS Though much of the focus of this report is on technology, the essential core of this new developmental blueprint is the power of community. Without trusting communities of individuals who hold shared values and are willing to work together to build a greater whole, the kind of urban development we describe is not possible. People make up the most important part of this cleantech ecosystem. They become essentially linked to one another in caring for their local resources, trading energy, producing shared crops of food. This is not a retrograde approach hearkening us back to pre-modern lifestyles. Rather, it is a big step forward, where technology is used to assist in making connections between people, facilitating the transfer of knowledge, easing the burden of work, and increasing the comfort and joy of living. At both sites we have designed for the preservation of modern comforts to as great an extent possible. Fundamentally, however the willingness of individuals to cooperate with one another, work together, share, and trust one another is the cornerstone of the success of these endeavors. PROJECT TARGETS We believe that the Cleantech Playground will be a success if it exceeds the standards of existing eco-communities in at least the following ways: › Achieving the highest goals for renewable resource management (further defined in the “goals” section on pages 24 and 25). › Exemplifying integrated design principles. We recognize that sustainability goes far beyond just physical resource management. The CTP should support a healthy, enjoyable, and beautiful living environment. The technologies included should work with realistic behavioral constraints and contribute to a socially cohesive environment. › Providing room to experiment and to evolve over time. Neighborhoods should not be created in a static vision of what is possible right now: they should be designed to improve and grow over time. It should be possible to upgrade to newer and better functioning technologies as they become available on the market. The site should also be a testing ground for small-scale technology pilots that can become more broadly adopted if they are successful. › Inspiring and educating. The implemented technologies should be made visible and their functionalities explained. The site should be at least partly accessible to parties wishing to learn about this kind of development approach. Data on the system’s performance should be collected via an integrated IT system and used both in user feedback mechanisms as well as recommendations for policy development. › Replicability. Though pioneering projects can sometimes require an extra boost to get off the ground, we want the fundamental approaches used in the CTP to be financially viable within the short- to mid-term, and to be user-friendly enough that they represent a realistic alternative to the status quo. All of the designs and calculations for our work are therefore published under a non-commercial Creative Commons License and distributed broadly to encourage widespread adoption. PROJECT EXECUTION Perhaps the most important measure of success, however, will be to see the Cleantech Playground actually built. As part of our commitment to its realization, Metabolic Lab has joined the de Ceuvel community as a stakeholder; we plan to retrofit a houseboat on the site to serve as our own office. This houseboat can also potentially become a focal point for educational activities, public site visits, and the integration of new technology pilots on the de Ceuvel site. We believe this project offers an opportunity to implement a working system of environmental technologies and community practices that can inspire the rest of the world to imagine what is possible. It shows how inexpensive, beautiful, and comfortable the path of a sustainable lifestyle can be if we choose not to walk it alone. Pagina 12
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