A Greener Greensburg, A Solar Marburg

There's no place like a green demo home

Greensburg GreenTown, a nonprofit organization charged with leading the town's green initiatives, has announced a major step in the effort toward making Greensburg an ecotourism destination: the building of a dozen "green" demonstration homes that will double as a living science museum and lodging for residents and visitors.

The homes - the first of which are slated to be completed by spring - will be constructed using a variety of "green" methods, such as insulated concrete forms, solar energy, wind-generated power and more.

"This is a unique project," said GreenTown executive director Daniel Wallach. "Nothing like this exists in the world that we are aware of. This has peaked a lot of interest all over the world - and that's what we were hoping for."

...A few months ago, Greensburg made history by being the first city to require all city buildings to be built to LEED Platinum standards - the highest level of certification available from the U.S. Green Building Council...

The first of the 12 homes will be built by Topeka-based Ogden Publications, which publishes Mother Earth News and Natural Home magazines. It will feature cutting-edge solar panels and will use a super energy-efficient wall and roof system of structural insulated panels, or SIPs.

The home will be built on a lot donated by residents Ki and Kim Gamble and will serve as the offices, library and resource center for Greensburg GreenTown....

Germany’s First “Solar-Powered City”

Marburg in Hessen has become the first city in Germany to require all new buildings to install a solar energy heating system.
House owners in Marburg, with a total population of 78,000, must install a solar energy facility when they build new houses or renovate existing ones. The cost of installation begins at 5,000 euros (6.9 million won) at the minimum and the facility must be replaced once every 10 to 15 years.

Anyone who fails to fulfill the city’s new requirement has to pay a penalty of 15,000 euros (20.9 million won). House builders have the obligation to report their installation to relevant authorities after it is complete.

Currently, Marburg’s municipal assembly and government are dominated by the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party, whose combined number of seats accounts for 30 out of 59. The latest legislation came as a strong reflection of the Green Party’s emphasis on protecting the environment.

House builders are required to put in place a solar energy facility not only when they expand existing buildings or replace roofs but also when they replace old heating systems. Since the requirement applies to a broad range of construction activities, it would only be a matter of time before all Marburg’s buildings are equipped with solar energy facilities.

The solar energy facility here would mean a system which can heat the building and provide hot water. This requires a solar energy panel at least one square meter wide per every 20 square meters of the building. Residential house needs a solar panel at least four square meters wide.