One Planet Communities

Stockton Preserve Project being evaluated for One Planet endorsement

Stockton. September 1, 2009.

BioRegional North America has been commissioned by developer A.G. Spanos Companies to help architecture firm Gensler develop a comprehensive Sustainability Action Plan for the Preserve - a proposed 8,000-unit mixed-use development in Stockton, California. The draft Sustainability Action Plan has informed the project's recently announced Master Development Plan. BioRegional is expecting a finalized draft of the Sustainability Action Plan to be submitted late this fall to our arms-length Expert Review Board for consideration as an offical endorsed project. The Expert Review Board rigorously assesses a development's ability to deliver on this statement: "If everyone in the world lived in similar communities, we would be truly sustainable." Endorsement is a sign of deep green leadership; for every 3 projects that develop Sustainability Action Plans, only 1 will meet the full criteria for endorsement.

Due to several online articles that have incorrectly identified the Preserve as an official endorsed project, BioRegional has released an official clarification on the status of the project as a candidate One Planet Community.
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New Study on Carbon Footprint of Neighborhoods to be Launched at LF09

Portland. May 7, 2009.

BioRegional and green developer Codding Enterprises have been invited to launch a major new report in a plenary address at the sold-out Living Future conference - easily the most advanced green building gathering in North America. The study compares the total carbon footprint of households in various green building scenarios. The report finds that to reach "truly sustainable" levels, US households must achieve a 75% reduction in total carbon footprint. Households in a LEED-ND Platinum project achieve only an 18% reduction - indicating that green buildings and smart growth planning are an important step but clearly are not enough. To learn more about the study's findings on bridging that gap, drop in on the conference Thursday May 7.
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Kite-skiiers on longest unsupported polar expedition promote "one planet living"

Greenland. May 7, 2009.

A British and two Canadian adventurers will be attempting a unique unsupported traverse of the full length of Greenland, from the Atlantic Ocean on the south coast to the Arctic Ocean on the north coast between May and July 2009 to draw attention to the need for "one planet living". The team will also raise awareness of the effects of global warming on the Greenland ice cap and carry out scientific monitoring. Using the power of the wind to kite ski and haul 150kg sleds for 2 months over a 3500km route that has never been done before, the Emirates NBD Greenland Quest will also likely be the longest unsupported Arctic Polar journey in history. Become a fan of the Greenland Quest Facebook page!
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BioRegional win Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship

Oxford. March 26, 2009.

Labelled "the Davos of social entrepreneurship" by the Observer, the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship is the gathering of the world's leading social entrepreneurs. At this year's Forum, One Planet Communities co-founders Sue Riddlestone and Pooran Desai were presented with the Skoll Award by Ebay founder Jeff Skoll and Dr R K Pachauri, Nobel prize-winning chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). BioRegional was selected as one of seven organizations leading in the areas of tolerance and human rights, health, environmental sustainability, peace and security, and economic and social equity.
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One Brighton construction in full swing

Brighton. March 20, 2009.

Sustainable construction is progressing smoothly at One Brighton in the English seaside resort town of Brighton, according to Daniel Viliesid, the developer's Sustainability Integrator. "The external walls and the clay blocks are all complete. 60% of the wood fibre insulation and 50% of the render is up. 54 of the 172 apartments will be ready for handover this summer. The wood-fired boiler is now on site, ready to be installed and commissioned over the next 2 months. The PV panels are installed and ready to be commissioned. The brown roof is there and ready to be seeded with tailor-made Brighton seed mix. The in-vessel composting equipment known as Big Hanna has been ordered and will be delivered soon". Read more about innovations during construction, such as renewable site electricity and biodiesel generators...
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Worldchanging.com: Is Green Suburbia Possible?

Seattle. February 2009.

We recently gave Adele Peters of e-magazine Worldchanging.com a tour of Sonoma Mountain Village. Adele's article suggests: "The community is a good example of how developers can go far beyond the highest LEED standards by taking an approach to sustainability that considers the full system. "

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Head of UNEP addresses first-ever "One Planet Conference"

London. December 4, 2008.

Today, Achim Steiner, head of the United Nations Environment Programme, addressed a sold-out crowd in London, UK at BioRegional's One Planet One Day convergence. Watch the Youtube video as Achim describes the One Planet program as the vanguard of a global movement towards a green economy, and calls for our partners to work with UNEP to provide the solutions that will drive this transition forward. We invite you to learn more about the conference... Presentations are available here. Photos of the day are available on flickr - here . The Sustainability Action Plan for the event is available - here.

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Governor Schwarzenneger names Sonoma Mountain Village Winner of Environmental Leadership Award

California. December 2, 2008.

Today, Governor Schwarzenegger announced that Sonoma Mountain Village has won the 2008 Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA)for its plans as the first One Planet Community in the United States. GEELA is California's highest and most prestigious environmental honor. Sonoma Mountain Village won the sole award for Comprehensive Land Use Planning. "I'm proud to honor this year's award recipients for their sustained commitment, innovative solutions, and strategic investment to protect our environment and boost our economy," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "Tonight's honorees have shown extraordinary leadership in modeling environmental stewardship with long-term goals in mind."

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One Brighton named “Residential development of the year”

London, UK. 22 November 2008.

One Brighton has been awarded "Estates Gazette Residential Development of the Year". The respected Estates Gazette Green Awards highlight and reward excellence in sustainable development and raise environmental awareness.

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Dwell Magazine declares Sonoma Mountain Village "Best in the US"

California. October 2008.

Dwell Magazine, North America's highly respected industry publication for modern architecture and design, had this to say about Sonoma Mountain Village in the October 2008 edition: "Naturally, sustainability guides the design, from framing made from locally recycled cars to alternative energy for all 1,900 homes. A "five-minute living" layout makes it easy to walk to the daily farmer's markets in the town center, and a local business incubator encourages residents to cut down on car commutes."

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One Gallions planning application submitted

London, UK. 1 August 2008.

Crest Nicholson and BioRegional Quintain today submitted their proposals for the One Gallions sustainable community development for planning permission. The exemplar development will provide 260 new homes and set a benchmark for sustainable zero carbon twenty first century living in London.

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One Planet Communities Lecture @ American Institute of Architects

Boston. May 15 2008.

BioRegional North America Executive Director Greg Searle will be addressing some of the nation's top architects on May 15th at the American Institute of Architects 2008 National Convention, on a panel alongside green building pioneers Bob Berkebile (BNIM) and Pliny Fisk (CMPBS). The continuing education seminar, entitled "Breakthrough Community Design Planning", will discuss Zero Carbon, Zero Waste, and the ambitious objectives of the One Planet Communities program.
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National article on Sonoma Mountain Village

Washington DC. May 3 2008.

Saturday's Washington Post real estate section ran an article entitled "In California, Building a Town With a Gentle Footprint". The article provides a good overview of approaches used at Sonoma Mountain Village, and states that "'The most interesting aspect of this project could be ... creating a sense of community and a consensus for living within a smaller ecological footprint."

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Green Buildings + Green Lifestyles

Vancouver. April 2008.

We were invited to speak this year at our favorite green building conference, the Cascadia Green Building Council's Living Future "Unconference". In addition to co-presenting on the Sonoma Mountain Village One Planet Community project with green building & energy gurus KEMA, Greg Searle was also invited to address the plenary with "15 minutes of brilliance". He used the opportunity to launch the Green Living Manifesto - a call to arms for green building professionals to also focus on green lifestyles. Treehugger says: "yet another affirmation ... that green buildings or sustainable technologies are not enough in themselves - social solutions are just as vital if we are ever going to dig ourselves out of the mess we have created. An initiative well worth supporting."

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BioRegional Behind Reality TV Show

New York. April 2008.

Wa$ted, the reality eco-TV show that BioRegional helped develop and film, debuts April 15 at 7pm on TLC. The show was developed as a flagship for the new Discovery Planet Green channel, which launches in June. BioRegional provided the Wa$ted team with footprint reduction science and tactics to provide "sustainability makeovers" to ordinary American households. Participating families implementing BioRegional's advice have achieved a 30% average reduction in ecological footprint, and created some compelling TV. Check the website for future shows.

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Sustainability Report Released

California. April 2008.

April 2008. Developer Codding Enterprises and BioRegional have published a Sustainability Action Plan Report for Sonoma Mountain Village - America's first official One Planet Community. The report includes a "mini-plan" for each of the Ten One Planet Principles, and details how the suburban neighborhood of almost 1900 homes plans to slash total direct emissions by 83% (down to just 2.6 tons CO2 per year per household). The One Planet Community will meet the targets laid out in California's stringent AB32 emissions reduction law 5 years early, and by 2020 will radically exceed the targets (AB32 requires a 25% GHG reduction state-wide).

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One Planet Community Under Construction in Brighton

Brighton, UK. August 2007.

August 2007. Construction has started on the One Brighton project in Brighton, UK this summer, and homes are now for sale. The 1st official One Planet Community to begin construction, One Brighton is a zero-parking development with renewable energy generated onsite from a waste biomass Combined Heat and Power Plant, and a "green lifestyles concierge" for residents.

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RIBA and BioRegional Host Architecture and Climate Change Dialogues

London. August 2007.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), in partnership with the One Planet program, are hosting "International Dialogues: Architecture and Climate Change". This major programme continues this autumn with a series of talks exploring climate change and the ecology of places and spaces around the world. Bringing together visionary thinkers, practitioners and policy-makers from a range of disciplines to consider new possibilities and partnerships in the global efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, this series focuses on the social, cultural and environmental role of our urban landscape in the transformation towards a low carbon world. Curated by Tamara Horbacka, RIBA Trust.

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British Housing Award for One Gallions

London, UK. 31 May 2007.

One Gallions announced as winner of the BHA Housing Project of the Year award, sponsored by the Mail on Sunday. The judging panel, Chaired by Michael Manser, CBE, one of the most distinguished architects of the recent decades, commented, "The [One Gallions] project shows excellent use of sustainable technology and innovative solutions towards the low and zero-carbon challenge."
Sarah Hartley, Deputy Property Editor, The Mail on Sunday, praised the project saying, "Communal rooftop gardens where residents can grow their own fruit and vegetables are a unique feature of One Gallions, by Crest Nicholson (Eastern) and BioRegional Quintain.

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One Planet Suburbs Report

London. March 2007.

BioRegional has just released a new report entitled ONE PLANET LIVING IN THE SUBURBS. It examines the challenges and opportunities of creating a more sustainable society and identifies some of the real hurdles facing the UK government in its commitment to cut carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2030. This case study focuses on Solihull in the UK, but the lessons learned, and the suggested targets for ecological footprint reduction for other suburbs, are worth a look for a wider international audience.

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BedZED Cover Story in Urban Land

Washington DC. June 2006.

The Urban Land magazine's green issue this month features a cover story by Stella Tarnay on the BedZED urban eco-neighborhood that inspired the One Planet Communities program. BioRegional and architect Bill Dunster began planning BedZED in the mid-1990s, and it was completed in 2002, jam-packed with sustainability features that only now are being considered in cutting edge developments in North America. "BedZED's environmental achievements suggest that neighborhood-scale sustainable development can go much further than has been imagined in the USA."

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