Ecodorp Boekel wants to participate in the European Climate Pact by making a pledge to have a positive impact on climate change. For an ecovillage that is an easy pledge to keep. All ten thousands of ecovillages worldwide are climate positive and all members have an inner motivation to have a positive impact. Ecodorp Boekel does not only have the drive to have a positive impact but wants to help make Europe a sustainabel society by being an inspiring example of sustainable living. This drive to have a positive impact on society is the reason why the chairman of Ecodorp Boekel was selected as Climate Mayor of the municipality of Boekel by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate.
Our pledge:
The members of Ecodorp Boekel pledge to build our houses in a way that stores carbon and makes them climate positive and we are going to live within the boundaries of what the Earth can provide without harming next generations and with a positive impact to our natural surroundings. We also want to share our knowledge and experience as much as we can.
Brief description:
In 2022 we will finish building 36 houses that store 808 tons of carbon in the biobased building materials. The calculation has been made by Climate Cleanup, the organisation that calculates the carbon output of all ASN Bank investments. All the other materials are 100% circular and made from waste of other industries.
The foundation is made from glas foam, waste from the glass recycling industry. Underground the cables and pipes are all circular. On top of that is a alternative to concrete, called Geopolymer. It is made from recycled sand and gravel bound with waste powder from steel recycling industry. Our houses are the first building project this product is used.
The rest of the house is only made from biobased materials like timber, hemp, lime, insulation from recycled jeans and flax.
Our houses will be heated with summer heat stored in an innovative heating system.
We capture and use rainwater in our toilets, washing machines and gardens. We will save more than 50% of drinking water each day. All our waste water is filtered in a constructed wetland and can infiltrate into the soil afterwards.
Motivation to make this pledge
Communities for Future like Ecodorp Boekel want to live within the boundaries of what the earth can provide. We see the need for this, want to take responsibility and act upon that. Ecodorp Boekel wants to be a best practice, an inspiring example and a living lab for innovations. We are going to share all our knowledge and experience on practical solutions to reach all SDGs in our digital platform Global Goals Community in all 24 EU working languages.
Monitoring our impact value with the MAEX Social Handprint
Each year we fill in facts of how we live in an extensive questionnaire designed by the Dutch CBS, the largest statistical organisation in the Netherlands that also generates the Dutch SDG report each year. Based on their statistical knowledge the CBS calculates what it would cost the society if they had to pay us and what we save society. In 2020 that impact value was € 60.000. In 2021 that was € 130.000. In 2022 that is prognosed as € 370.000. This growth is due to our biobased houses getting built and our temporary homes being removed.
The website MAEX is a platform for more than 2.000 citizen led initiatives.
