Learning From Europeans: Green Home Plans

In Europe, EnviroCitizen.org has found that the Europeans have made green living a widely-practiced way of life. In their cities, homes are placed near businesses and transit systems. In the less populated areas, homes are often created from better home plans that use the sun for passive lighting. As America is beginning to make this same shift, we are looking to Europe as an example of how to take the next step.

One of the concepts that the Europeans use is mixed-use development. Mixed-use development is the practice of allowing more than one type of use in a building or set of buildings. In planning zone terms, this can mean some combinations of residential, commercial, industrial, office, institutional or other land uses. In Europe this can be seen by having apartments placed over a business such as a dentist’s office. Modern American developments are starting to use this approach more as time goes on. Many housing projects for those in a certain income area have clinics and stores beneath the living quarters. Though many were skeptical about this sort of development when it first began making its appearance for fear of the land value or safety, it has been proven over and over again to be a success. In fact, it is now becoming a desirable development in cities and towns as space is becoming scarcer. Part of green living means only using necessary space and mixed-use development does this well.

In Germany, a country that has a culture similar to America, homes are planned to use the sun and other resources very efficiently. Passive Solar technologies are means of using sunlight for useful energy without the use of actual solar panels. These technologies convert sunlight into usable heat and promote air movement for ventilation all while using as little additional energy as possible. A common example is a solarium on the equator-side of a building. Passive cooling is the use of the same design principles to reduce summer cooling requirements. The homes commonly have trees planted strategically to protect the home from the wind during cooler seasons and the sun in warmer seasons. The German government also endorses the use of alternative energy sources. It is not uncommon to find homes that use solar panels or have wind turbines on top.

EnviroCitizen.org has noticed that the new American home is gradually becoming a green one. We are starting to get more urbanized as time goes by and therefore need to find ways to support our lifestyles. This is why we are looking at European countries for ideas on how to live green and live well.