The GMV has a variety of features available to make it the unique sustainable community that it is. The definition of a sustainable community is that it ‘must meet the needs of present and future inhabitants, and have a minimal ecological footprint.’
The settlement has rain collection facilities that collect water to be used in toilet flushing, which reduces the need for new water to be pumped out every time the toilet is flushed. The water also is used to water plants and waste water from baths, showers and sinks is filtered and used for the same things.
The areas relies heavily on its own wind and solar power for electricity, as this avoids fossil fuel and minimises the ecological footprint by reducing pollution, as stated in the definition. In addition, many buildings in the areas use large skylights and windows to avoid overuse of electricity during the daytime. It also uses artificial earth banks on either side of the settlement to keep the area cool in summer, and warm in winter. This reduces heating costs and electricity usage. Also, to save on heating, the houses are very well insulated and are sheltered from cold winds by the banks. They have south-facing glass walls, facing the sun to use the sun’s heat and light and all appliances in the houses are designed to save energy.
Traffic is also a large cause of pollution, so there are many ways that people are encouraged to use other modes of transport. The village is very close to public transport connections and there are less parking spaces and lots of cycle tracks to discourage driving and encourage cycling.
In addition, there are many other ‘green’ services available. These include regular recycling collections, abundant wildlife, with lakes, ponds and over 12,000 trees, and that all building materials are recyclable.
All of these reasons reduce electricity, heat, landfill, gas and water usage, which in turn means that a minimal ecological impact is created. Because of this, there are more resources available not only for this generation, but also the next one, allowing it to fit well with the United Nations’ definition of a sustainable community.