Sustainable Urban Living

• sustainable living = living in a way that lets people meet their needs without reducing the ability of people to meet their needs in the future
• water conservation schemes:

  • only take water from the environment if it can be naturally replaced
  • they reduce the amount of water used (collecting rainwater, installing toilets that flush less water, installing water meters and encouraging people to use less water)
  • in curitiba the government introduces many policies to promote sustainable water use (hosepipe bans, separate systems for non-drinking water)
• energy conservation schemes:

  • reduce the use of fossil fuels
  • promoting renewable energy
  • encourage people to make their homes more energy efficient
  • making sure new homes meet minimum energy requirements
  • encourage people to reduce car usage
• curitiba renovated its ‘green line‘ transport system and it now has dedicated bus lanes for biofuel buses
• green spaces in urban areas ensure:

  • people have naturally cooler areas where they can relax in very hot weather
  • they encourage people to exercise more and use alternative transport
  • they make people feel happier by providing a break from the noise of a city
  • they improve air quality and reduce the risk of flooding
• positives of recycling:

  • fewer resources are used up
  • less waste is produced
  • landfill is unsustainable as it wastes resources that could be recycled - decomposing landfill releases greenhouse gases
• waste recycling schemes include:

  • kerbside collections
  • building recycling facilities
  • websites where items are offered for free
• curitiba collects 100% of its waste and 70% of that is recycled. they have ’the green exchange’ program which allows residents to receive 1kg of food or bus tickets for 4k of recycling