“Sustainable” and “sustainability” are terms we often hear these days, but perhaps don’t fully understand the meaning or importance.
Simply put, sustainability focuses on development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the future. It’s a balance.
In fact, as life goes on, the importance of sustainability becomes more and more apparent - not only for the preservation of our earth, but for the health of our future generations too.
Today, protecting our environment is a key factor in everything we do. From the phasing out of plastic bags, to EU emission laws, and the rise of sustainable architecture, is all in effort towards building sustainable communities.
But what does a sustainable community mean to you? Is it one where everyone does their part by recycling? Or perhaps you think of a town powered by renewable energy? Whatever your view, responding and adapting to climate change is an urgent reality that cannot be ignored.
In this article, we explore the concept and importance of sustainable communities in further detail.
What makes a sustainable community?
A sustainable community is more than just an ‘eco-friendly’ one. It can persist over generations, enjoying a healthy environment, as well as vibrant buildings/structures and a prosperous economy. Sustainable communities are often ones that:
- Focus on improving quality of life and community health.
- Encourage resource conservation and pollution prevention.
- Understand and protect both its natural and manmade assets/resources.
- Recognise the effects natural resources can bring to built environments.
Why are sustainable communities important?
Ensuring communities across the globe are sustainable is essential for one simple, but very important reason: we simply cannot maintain our quality of life as humans, as well the diversity of life on earth, unless we embrace it.
There are several reports and statistics to confirm this too. For instance:
NASA highlight the continuous rise in global surface temperature since 1880.
The World Health Organisation details that ambient air pollution accounts for an estimated 4.2 million deaths per year.
While a recent WWF report shows a 68% decline in species population sizes since 1970.
So, what can be done to support the growth of sustainable communities?
Over the past 11 years at Viritopia, we’ve partnered with companies across the world to help create a more sustainable future. Through design, installation, and maintenance of both living wall and green roof projects, we’ve supported, and will continue to support communities through sustainable architecture.
Now, let’s take a look at how sustainable architecture can help to resolve the issues mentioned.
Sustainable architecture
Architecture is a huge part of our growing population. New homes are continuously being developed, as well as office buildings, stores, leisure centres, and let’s not forget about renovations too. With the volume of resources these developments consume, it makes total sense to tackle this head-on with sustainable architecture.
Right from the initial design stage, structures can be placed to maximise sunlight, as well as implement natural ventilation to reduce the need for intensive heating and cooling systems.
Then there’s the choice of sustainable building materials. Rather than exploiting raw supplies with limited resource, recycled or reclaimed materials can help reduce the harmful impacts on our environment.
We can also look at the use of sustainable living walls and green roof systems, which can improve air quality and reduce ambient air pollution.
In short, there are several ways sustainable architecture can make a difference to both our communities and planet as a whole.
At Viritopia, we understand the importance of building sustainable communities. That’s why we we’ve used green infrastructure to boost well-being, improve air quality and increase biodiversity in over 5,000 projects globally.
If you’d like to discuss your project requirements with an expert, contact us today, we’d love to chat.
