Topic: Community
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.
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.
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.
For nearly 50 years, the United Nations’ World Environment Day has been celebrated each June 5th. This year the event is being hosted by Pakistan and the theme is ‘Ecosystem Restoration’. Take a look at the history of this event and some of the most significant achievements from the past decades.
Spending time outside can be a fantastic way to improve your family’s wellbeing! Here are a few suggestions for helping increase your family’s time in nature while maintaining social distancing.