An Evolving Exploration into the Head, Heart and Hands of Energy Descent
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Two Titles from Hockerton Housing Project
**The Sustainable Community – A Practical Guide and Sustainable Housing Schemes in the UK, both by The Hockerton Housing Project. (Review 2003)**
While ‘Eco Village Living’ (a different title on EcoVillage development) explores the wider issues of eco-village development worldwide, these two publications examine the practical nitty-gritty of creating community. Although UK based, both have great relevance to projects here. They are produced by the Hockerton Housing Project near Nottingham, the UK’s first earth-sheltered, self-sufficient ecological housing development. The residents generate their own energy, harvest their own water and recycle waste materials causing no pollution or CO2 emissions. Their houses require no space heating at all.
‘The Sustainable Community’ is based on their experience of taking such a project all the way through, from the initial inspiration, through planning and construction, to living together once it is all built. Packed with useful contacts and further reading, this really is absolutely essential reading for anyone wanting to set up such a project. It could be criticised for not containing really detailed information and for just giving tasters of all the issues, but that is really its strength. It identifies all the issues, what are the key things to think about, what Hockerton’s experience is of it, and places to find out more. We have made great use of it when developing The Hollies, it is an excellent resource.
‘Sustainable Housing Schemes in the UK’ moves on from the previous book to look at 31 buildings around the UK with a claim to being ‘green’ buildings. Each one has a page to itself, looking at in what sense they are green buildings, contact details and pictures. There is also a longer list of other schemes, as well as an excellent resources section of organisations, publications and contacts. Although you’ll need to take a trip across the water to see any of these, there is still a lot to learn from them. As a guide to what is possible, it is extremely useful.