Living a gypset lifestyle has given me the ability to see and observe some of what is and isn’t happening around the world to sustain and protect the environment. As we are hit with more and more environmental concerns that pinpoint the dire need to change our global system of resource consumption, many people are hungry for ideas on sustainable practices.
Everyone can appreciate efforts that various countries, cities, and villages all around the globe are making to create quality sustainable living arrangements. Vauban, a German town that is leading the pack, has become one of the most sustainable towns in all of Europe–currently producing more energy than its daily consumption.
This eco-friendly town was created by a small group of vagabonds, who squatted in the town after World War II. In 1993, they formed an alliance, calling themselves the Forum Vauban. The group focused on their mission of creating the revolutionary, cutting-edge town that we see today.
In Vauban most streets are free from parking spaces; in fact, it costs $23,000 USD just to have access to a parking spot. As a result, walking, cycling, and the public tram are the preferred modes of transportation. The town is people-centered, and it is laid out specifically so that pedestrians and cyclists can move around with ease. According to the New York Times, 70 percent of Vauban’s families do not own cars, and 57 percent sold a car to move here.
Residents live primarily in co-op buildings in a solar settlement, where the buildings produce a positive energy balance that is emission-free and carbon dioxide neutral. Additionally, energy for heating these homes is derived from a biomass plant, where it is created from renewable sources. Vauban is an example for every city in the world. They are proving that, with proper planning and a specific vision, groups can create eco-friendly, sustainable living systems that focus on the health and wellness of the land and the people.
