| An eco-housing community in Calgary’s northwest that aims to produce zero greenhouse gas emissions from its buildings and to reduce water usage by up to 80 per cent will likely be completed this summer.
The project, called Echo Haven, has been spearheaded by six families who wanted to live in a more environmentally sustainable manner.
For Echo Haven development manager Dave Spencer, who was one of the organizers of the first Earth Day in Toronto in 1970, the project is a dream come true. He says the six families involved in the project first met 15 years ago and now their vision is finally becoming a reality.
"We wanted to prove that this can be done in Calgary," he says, adding that Echo Haven has already attracted a lot of interest from people wanting to move in. "This community is for everybody. We’re getting interest from young families right through to retirees, the whole range of age groups."
Echo Haven will rely on on-site solar power and purchased wind power for its electricity and heating. Any excess power generated through solar power will go back into the Alberta power grid. Rainwater will be collected and used for gardening and laundry and all houses will have low-flush toilets and energy efficient appliances to reduce water use. The community will also recycle grey water and use it to irrigate the 2.4 hectare property. Echo Haven will have 25 houses, a greenhouse and a community building and over half of the property will be left in its natural state, preserving stands of aspen and ponds.
Echo Haven houses will also emphasize high indoor air quality. Only non-toxic materials will be used in construction. For example, none of the materials used will contain formaldehyde. Spencer says there will also be an emphasis on using locally produced materials and materials with high recycled content and none of the wood used will come from old growth forests. The houses will cost between 15 to 20 per cent more than an average Calgary home, but Spencer says people will quickly save money on utilities due to the high energy efficiency of their homes.
Echo Haven has run into its share of challenges along the way because of its uniqueness, says Spencer. For example, the community had to give up the idea of putting up its own wind turbine due to opposition from neighbours who were concerned about what a wind turbine would do to their property values.
"For four and a half years it was a tough slog. We had endless meetings with the city and the community association. As far as the city administration this is the first time they’ve seen anything like this so they really didn’t know what to do with it. We had to work at this very hard to get our approvals. In the end they were very supportive because now it’s the thing to do," says Spencer.
Echo Haven faces one major challenge in its quest for environmental sustainability due to its location in Rocky Ridge in Calgary’s northwest, far from downtown where many people work. Spencer says the community may consider becoming involved in car sharing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions produced through commuting.
Echo Haven is one of 12 Canadian projects selected by the Calgary Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) as part of its Equilibrium program to showcase environmentally friendly, energy efficient homes. Echo Haven will have a demonstration home that will be open to the public for six months. After that, Spencer and his family will move in and CMHC will monitor how much energy and water they use during the course of a year. The data will then become available to the public.
Spencer is optimistic that the project will inspire others. He says Canada is far behind other parts of the world such as Europe or Australia where sustainable housing projects have been around for years, but he’s hoping that will change. |
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