Could Sustainable Architecture Design End Homelessness?

sustainablelivingreport | May 3, 2017 | Environmental News, Sustainable Living

Here’s how sustainable architecture design can actually help improve our world – not just the health of the planet…

We hear a lot these days about climate change and the problems it will cause for the planet – from species extinction, to extreme weather patterns, famine, disease, and more. There are many solutions that we can pursue both as a society and as individuals, but to turn the tide for real will take a concerted group effort on many different fronts.

Sustainable architecture design and technology are at the forefront of the creation of a sustainable future and a healthy planet. You may just think of sustainable architecture or green building initiatives as something that can save on energy usage and reduce fossil fuel emissions, but in reality, the impact of sustainable design can go much deeper.

Here is a helpful definition from HealEstate.com:

Sustainable design is the principle of creating a man-made environment that fulfills the values of social, economic, and eco-friendly sustainability. Ideally, sustainable design completely eliminates negative environmental impacts.

Besides simply addressing climate change and energy usage, sustainable architecture and technology design can truly help to alleviate some of societies most pressing problems. Here are a few examples:

Now that most of the world’s population lives in urban areas, feeding these billions is generating carbon pollution from the fuel used to cart food in from rural areas where it is grown. VertiCrops can diminish these greenhouse gases by growing food naturally in urban areas, through high-tech hydroponic gardening. Instead of going to the market to pick up tomatoes bred to withstand the rigors of transport, imagine reaching out your window to pluck a vine ripened tomato from a vertical garden growing on the side of your apartment building… Therefore, this type of design could lead to improved health in areas known as “food deserts,” typically inner cities where fresh produce has become hard to come by in recent decades.

Green roofs are another great example of sustainable design. They can help cool a building while drawing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere… If more of them were mounted in urban areas, they can favorably impact storm water management. Green rooftops can ease global warming by cooling the hot city environment…

…An individual’s housing usually has a greater impact on the environment than one’s work, transportation or recreation. Homes that are green certified use less water and power, incorporate recycled construction material, and are more valuable than comparable structures.

At the other end of the spectrum, sustainable design is used by American Family Housing, a nonprofit organization dedicated to ending homelessness in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Bernardino Counties, to produce energy-efficient and sustainable housing for veterans by recycling steel shipping containers. These micro units are small but designed to be strong and very energy efficient…