Sustainable Community/RNN

How often have you thought about the best way to site renewables?  It would seem the answer would be self-explanatory:  Put turbines and panels where the wind blows and the sun shines.

Of course life if much more complicated than that.  Permitting, neighbors, natural vegetation and forest, grid access all play major roles in siting projects.  So many major sites go undeveloped, including Cape Wind off of MA's Cape Cod, because of bad politics.

Fortunately, we just did a special, in conjunction with the Environment Council of RI, that simplifies and offers great insight into this issue.  Here's some base in and the link to the shows:

LINK TO SHOWS:  http://www.renewablenownetwork.com/category/building/sustainable-community/

Sustainable Community is where we recognize communities that are planned, built, or modified to promote sustainable living.

This includes sustainability aspects relating to equality, water, transportation, energy, and waste and materials. We focus on environmental sustainability and economic sustainability, which also includes the development of agriculture, culture, and arts. Sustainable communities focus on sustainable urban infrastructure, social equity, and sustainable municipal infrastructure, and each of these focuses benefits the public dramatically. The impact is clear when speaking to the residents of these sustainable communities, which have been popping up across the globe in the last few decades. Today, thousands of these communities exist, and worldwide millions of people reside in communities that are considered sustainable. We already have important government agencies working towards this goal. The U.S. Department of Transportation and Center for Housing and Urban Development, for example, are working with communities to establish energy-efficient communities with sustainable transportation systems and green infrastructure throughout the country.

The complement of all three areas of sustainability, economy, environment, and equity are essential to the creations of a sustainable community. Here on RNN, we celebrate those communities and showcase the people behind them that are making a difference so that future generations may grow, and enjoy.