Modern living requires enormous amounts of energy. New houses in the West are designed to sell, just like any other consumer product, not to save energy. If everyone in the world were to consume natural resources at the same rate as people in the UK, we would need three planets. Therefore, we need to learn fast how to live with the one planet that we have. But can we expect to live sustainably and comfortably without overspending our planet's capital resources?

This week's Earth Report looks at sustainable living in and around London. At the Millennium Eco Village and the Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED), eco-friendly living meets innovative design and architecture, proving that an environmentally sound lifestyle is no longer the preserve of the "beards and sandals brigade".
 

Here Comes the Sun...

In the 1950s and 1960s using masses of energy was positively encouraged. Nuclear power was the future and many believed energy would become too cheap to meter. Nobody knew about the environmental costs or the damage that power stations, toxic materials and heat generation were causing.

This all changed with the energy crisis and global warming.

Solar energy has been a dream of environmentalists and architects for years. Solar cells convert energy from the sun into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. Exactly how much of this energy can be converted into heat and electricity depends on the quality of the solar capturing equipment and the climate in question. But even in cold climates, using solar energy can drastically reduce consumption of fossil fuels like gas, coal and oil. However, in the past, high costs, imperfect solutions and a lack of understanding of the need for them held the development of solar energy back. Now, with improved technology and an increase in environmental consciousness, there are signs that solar energy is becoming more mainstream.
 

Saving A Planet...

For the Millennium, the biggest sustainable housing project in Britain hit the building site in Greenwich in southeast London. Built as a showcase neighbourhood for the future of city living, the 1,400 homes of the eco-village aim to massively cut energy use, water consumption and construction waste to save resources and reduce CO₂ emissions. The Greenwich Millennium Village comes with sustainable fixtures and fittings like water-efficient taps and low-flush toilets, and an on-site combined heat and power generator.

However, some are critical of the eco-village: targets are not being reached, sustainable public transit isn't built, and not all homes face south to maximise on solar energy absorption. Residents, who were initially told that electricity and heating would be very cost-effective, are finding prices higher than expected.

People living in the eco-village are responsible for only half of the average UK overspend on natural resources. Is it possible to take sustainability one step further and live within the limits of our resources?
 

...Or Two?

The Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) aims to achieve complete sustainability and save those two other planets. This 82 unit eco-home and workspace is a carbon-neutral development, meaning it contributes nothing to global warming. Every single aspect of BedZED has been designed to conserve finite natural resources and to have minimal impact on the environment. However, it does not rely on complicated technology. Instead it puts into practice the latest thinking on protecting the environment, bringing together in one project many ideas tried out on a small scale elsewhere. BedZED architect Bill Dunster originally refined the basic ideas at his solar home not far from BedZED. To achieve real sustainability, BedZED has rigorous, integrated plans for green transport, energy efficiency and conserving water.
 

Driving on Sunshine

The strategy to reduce the dependence on gas-guzzling cars and offer the residents less noise, less pollution, and a safer environment for their children include reducing the need to travel, through encouraging work on site to cut down on commuting, and providing on-site facilities like shops and cafes and co-ordinated supermarket deliveries. BedZED also aims to promote public transport and the use of electric cars, both private and shared. Electric cars are powered by solar cells. On a full battery you can drive 50 miles, it takes 8 hours to fully recharge it, and it costs 40 pence. Photovoltaic solar panels are set up on south-facing walls and roofs, converting the sun's energy into electricity which is mainly used to charge these electric cars.

Keeping Warm, For Less

BedZED is a "zero energy" development, meaning it will not use more energy than it produces. Everything about the scheme from the layout and the building materials to the heating supply has been designed to cut energy consumption. Because it will avoid fossil fuels, BedZED will have zero carbon emissions.

First of all, the houses all face south to maximise on solar energy. The buildings have been designed to conserve energy: heat loss is dramatically reduced by heavily insulated roofs, walls and floors. This means heat from sunshine, lights, appliances, hot water, and everyday activities like cooking, helps keep the house warm. The thick walls prevent overheating in the summer and store warmth in the winter. The windows are triple-glazed, and a heat exchanger in the wind-driven ventilation system recovers 50-70% of the warmth from the outgoing stale air. Kitchens are fitted with the latest in energy-saving appliances. It is estimated that residents will see a 60% reduction in total energy demand and a 90% reduction in heat demand, compared to a typical suburban home.

All BedZED's heat and electricity can come from a combined heat and power unit, or CHP. This is fuelled by waste timber from local waste woodchip. As this is biomass fuel, there are no carbon emissions. The CHP unit will generate electricity and distribute hot water around the site via insulated pipes.
 

Down the Drain

In an average UK household, one person uses more than 150 litres of water per day, a third of which is for flushing the toilet. BedZED aims to make it easy for residents to conserve water by cutting mains water usage through installing water-efficient appliances, fitting taps with water-saving flow restrictions, installing "dual flush" toilets which alone could save 55,500 litres of water per household per year. It is estimated BedZED saves about 40% on mains water usage. Rainwater and recycled water from the on-site small-scale sewage treatment system will provide for nearly a fifth of daily water consumption, and will be used for flushing the toilet.
 

Look Locally

Bioregional Development Group is an independent environmental organisation whose main goal is to "bring local sustainability into the mainstream". Bioregional directors Pooran Desai and Sue Riddlestone teamed up with the housing charity Peabody Trust and architect Bill Dunster to make BedZED happen. Local and national Bioregional initiatives include "Local Paper", a sustainable local paper cycle scheme where offices can buy back their recycled paper; "Food Networks", a cost-effective supply of local food to supermarkets; and "Local Lavender", reviving London's historic lavender industry by planting on disused allotments and involving a local prison, showing how urban land can be used in an enterprising and effective way.
 

The Will to Change

There is no doubt the technology to live sustainably is ready. The above housing developments, where sustainable principles are incorporated from scratch, prove that environmentally considerate living can be both attractive and affordable, with one-bedroom flats starting at £102,000 compared to a local market average of £90-120,000, and with savings on fuel and water bills. However, sustainable housing developments aren't going to change the world unless there are a lot more of them.

And for sustainable living to become truly mainstream, political will to change is key. In their "One Million Sustainable Homes - Turning Words into Action" initiative, WWF-UK is calling on the UK government to publicly commit, at the Earth Summit in Johannesburg next month, to build one million sustainable homes in the UK by 2007. In another initiative, WWF is working with the BedZED team and local partners to develop an eco-village along the lines of BedZED in Johannesburg.