The first step in our green masterplan for St Elmo was one we take very deliberately in all our projects:
It is to carefully analyze the existing conditions and identify ALL opportunities for improvement - making it a point to look beyond the requests immediately put in front of us by the client.
In this case, we knew there was more to this project than the call for a solar system. The underlying, far more complex desire of the Village was to become a model for a sustainable community.
Consequently, our analysis included all the ways in which we humans affect our environment, and determine how sustainable our existence really is:
- Water Use (domestic and landscaping),
- Energy Use (for machinery and daily use),
- Material Use (resources),
- Climate (heating+cooling),
- Food (production and surplus),
- Waste (treated as a resource),
- Community Dynamics (teaching, learning and sharing)
“You can’t just look at one aspect of anything and really get a true understanding of it. You need to look at all aspects.”
Scott Pittman, Founder of the Permaculture Institute
[ to be continued ]
