Ecological Building

Ecological building treats the house and residents as a part of the living system that surrounds them. The emphasis is on health. It urges to allow each citizen to live independently from centralized systems, to save on energy and resources, and to achieve a higher quality of life. An ecological house may include many systems: water harvesting and storage, gray water recycling, dry toilets, organic waste composter, energy saving lighting system that does not produce heat, passive air cooling, and more. Natural elements such as wind and sun direction are taken into consideration for maximum effectiveness. When choosing building materials, select local, non-toxic, materials that allow thermal insulation for the structure which is called thermal mass.

Wise Consumption

The products we purchase have a great impact on the environment during each of their life stages: harvesting, manufacturing, marketing, time of use, and end of product life. Preferable are products that contain local regenerating material, are reusable (or at least recyclable), contain no petro-chemicals or detergents, are minimally packaged or come in a reusable package, and save energy in manufacturing and use. One-time use disposables should be out of the market in my opinion. Non-toxic, bio-degradable products that contain no heavy metals provide the same services as their hazardous look-a-likes; it is a matter of choice for us. One example is heavy duty cleaning detergents which can be replaced with vinegar or lemon. The quality of a product is revealed when you read the ingredients. If you don't recognize an ingredient, you probably don't want it. In addition, many cyber communities offer free trade and allow products a second life. Furthermore, monthly free markets where people bring what they don't need and take what they want are easy to organize and probably already operate near your place of residence.

Recycling of Dry Materials

Solid waste causes many environmental problems. Solid waste treatment is costly, and the value of wasted materials damages Israel's economy by the billions each year. That cost will rise as materials become scarce. Number one and two plastics can be placed in the designated cages after washing them thoroughly of any food scrap. Paper and cardboard can also be easily recycled. Glass bottles are under the deposit law and can be returned to any shop selling them. Glass jars and containers can be very useful in the house. City halls and municipalities are responsible for clearing the waste - encouraging them to allow easy separation of waste at source is possible and recommended.

Recycling Organic Matter

Approximately forty percent of household waste is organic matter that grew from the soil. Since soil is one of the basic resources for our existence it is not only appropriate but necessary to return the organic mater to the soil. Even if there is no garden or animals, it is easy to make a valuable compost pile. Whoever has no compost pile can purchase one that is subsidized by municipalities. That leads me to one of the most important subjects in developing an ecologically healthy city area.

Community Gardens

There is an alternative to mass amounts of energy invested in bringing food supplies into the city, to the amounts of packages, and to the neon light in supermarkets. Cities in the world have already internalized and implemented methods for growing food inside the city, for example in Cube, Canada, and many other places. Look for unused land patches that are at least twelve meters away from crowded roads. Look into simple growing methods that require minimum investment and little area such as the bio intensive approach [permaculture is also recommended as a sound approach]. Any fruit, grain, vegetable, spice and green that is naturally grown prevents pesticides and chemical fertilizers from polluting our ground water. Quality of life has never tasted better. It is possible to cooperate with more neighbors, and in that way, produce even more with less effort. Share seeds, enjoy the soil, and eat healthy.

Community Growth and Sharing the Knowledge

Remember that we are communities inside communities, and there is always room for improvement in any community. There are neighbors in the city too. Tips for neighborhoods: small community billboards to facilitate sharing of information, sharing transportation, weekly workshops where everyone is a teacher and a pupil, turning a part of the lawn into a vegetable garden (it's easy and requires less water), and, of course, broadening the discussion here on the ECYI web site.

Some things authorities can encourage and develop are: green labeling for products, promoting infrastructures for recycling, and giving incentives for energy saving and consumption of renewable energy. These are the sort of actions to be done from the top down. However, you should remember that citizens' action set future happenings. Follow your conscience.

I will be pleased to receive your comments, along with other ideas concerning urban ecology. I will be even more pleased if you implement and pass the message onwards. For our quality of life and future generations - thank you