Place-based efforts play a key role in improving communities’ sustainability and resilience to climate change. EcoBlock intern Amit Cohen writes about Oakland's environmental journey and highlights how community groups have driven progress on climate and public health issues in the City.
The Aardehuizen Project is a community microgrid serving 23 homes in Olst, Netherlands. Few other ecovillages around the globe have been built at a scale as successful as the Aardehuizen. In this blog, Erin Yu highlights why Olst became the ideal location for a sustainable community and highlights several factors critical to the community’s success.
In 2009, a forward-thinking campaign in Portland, Oregon sought to speed up the transition towards clean energy by streamlining the installation process and reducing costs. The grassroots Solarize movement was able to foster a community invested in solar energy that could achieve cost savings through bulk purchasing. Read on to learn more about the innovative program and other more recent Solarize campaigns across the United States.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) describes the quality of the air that circulates inside a building and how it affects people’s comfort and safety. With the average American spending 90 percent of their time indoors, it is important that our built environment supports our health and well-being. Read on to learn more how you can improve indoor air quality and stay safe during wildfire season.
Urban beautification and community gardening are making the City of Oakland cleaner, greener, and more beautiful. While planting trees, flowers, and other greenery help provide shade, improve air quality, and increase access to local food, it can also bring people together to share knowledge and build meaningful relationships. Read on to learn about some of Oakland's exciting urban beautification and gardening projects.
California has been a leader in improving residential water use efficiency since the 1970s. The EcoBlock team is planning to install Flume Smart Home Water Monitor systems, which can help detect if a leak happens and help preserve critical water resources.
The Water team has been developing ways to implement water conservation and stormwater management strategies for the Oakland EcoBlock. Some of the strategies include installing water-efficient appliances, rainwater harvesting systems, and modifying landscaping strips for stormwater management and filtration.
Resilience Hubs are community spaces that provide critical services and resources to meet residents' needs in both everyday situations and during emergencies. Through the NorCal Resilience Network’s Resilience Hubs Leadership Training Program, the EcoBlock team is learning from communities throughout the Bay Area how to better support each other and the planet, and help build a more resilient EcoBlock.
Scaling up community microgrids while ensuring equitable access to renewable power will require a range of new policies and financial mechanisms. In this blog, Kate Ringness and Miriam Aczel highlight novel legislative initiatives in CA and at the federal level that support community energy resilience and expansion of microgrids.