Eco TownHow are eco-towns green?
Everyday actions, such as heating your home or driving your car, consume energy and produce greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change. Strict environmental building standards and low carbon energy sources will be used to make sure that eco-towns have the minimum impact on the environment.
Setting standards
Rigorous standards are being proposed to make sure eco-towns are greener developments.
These are the toughest environmental standards ever set for new developments in the UK:
- homes and buildings will be specially designed and built so that they need less energy to run – making them cheaper for residents, as well as more environmentally friendly
- net carbon dioxide emissions across all the buildings within an eco-town, measured over a year, should be zero or less than zero. This will be reached by offsetting the carbon dioxide that has been emitted with local green energy production, such as wind or solar power
Using low energy sources
Eco-towns will use a range of low and zero carbon energy sources:
- natural sources within the town such as wind and solar energy
- methods which use energy which could otherwise be wasted such as combined heat and power plants
As well as lowering energy consumption, eco-towns will also use measures to:
- minimise water use
- reduce waste
Green Living
Eco-towns will be planned so the local community lives in a greener environment. There will be lots of spaces where children can play and residents can take a walk and enjoy the open air. 40% of every eco-town must be green space – at least half of which must be open to the public.
In addition:
- each eco-town will have schools, shops, businesses and community facilities that you can walk to – or are just a short ride away by public transport
- there will be a variety of transport and travel options to promote alternatives to car journeys
- a minimum of one job per household should be available which can be reached using public transport, by bicycle or on foot
