EcoVillages

EcoVillages use the latest and best practices related to sustainable development and land planning principles, including dwelling units typically clustered to reduce development footprint, various forms of shared common facilities, low vehicle use, and emphasis on neighborhood. Projects (typically) include recycling of construction waste materials, green building techniques and use of sustainable materials, preservation of open space for perpetuity.

Sawyer Hill EcoVillage:

  • Preserves 28.5 acres via permanent conservation restriction (abutting 90 acres of existing conservation land)
  • Clusters our buildings with smaller, attached homes, to reduce building footprint and keep most of the remaining 37 acres as open space.
  • Encourages sharing of resources (cars, lawnmowers, tools, etc.)
  • Encourages spending time within the community, lessening trips needed for social activities
  • A future "Home Office" building will facilitate working close to home, reducing commuting needs for some residents
  • Maintains organic gardens
  • Meets LEED requirements in many of the designs.
  • "Super-insulates" walls and roofs of buildings to allow for reduced heating loads
  • Uses a fresh air ventilation system and low-toxicity building materials to provide a healthy indoor environment
  • Reduces the use of asphalt by clustering parking
  • Includes neighborhood lighting systems that minimize light pollution
  • Designed with enough properly-oriented roof space for a future photovoltaic system
 snowy sitetrees

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