Self-sufficitent German Towns

Oogs is a sustainable community designed to be self-sufficient in terms of power and water. Farming in Oogs isn’t on land but is towards the sky, in vertical farms. Designers are working on farms that will not only be used to grow crops, but serve as self-reliant communities.



Food is grown in a central greenhouse and all crops that grown on the surrounding fields are for livestock. The farm is equipped with a central windmill, which generates the required amount of energy. For more information:

http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/eco-architecture-oogst-community-100-a-self-sufficient-community-for-farmers/

The Bioenergy Village Jühnde's electricity and heat energy is growing out in the fields. In fact, the village in Lower Saxony that is home to 800 people is actually self-sufficient when it comes to electricity and heat, which it generates from biomass. The whole plants are put into bioreactors together with the liquid manure collected from farmyards. The fermentation process produces biogas, which is then used to generate electricity and heat in a thermal power station.

The energy plants rapeseed, maize and sugar cane form the basis of biofuels. By 2010 the EU intends to meet 5.75 per cent of its diesel fuel needs from biodiesel. Germany has already achieved that goal: more than three million vehicles are licensed to run on biodiesel in Germany; more than 1,900 petrol stations already sell biodiesel.For more information: http://www.bundesregierung.de/Content/EN/Archiv16/Artikel/2008/04/2008-04-01-hightech-serie-pflanzen-energie-vom-acker__en.html

Germany's movie, as part of the Sreen Green! film festival will take place on the 5th, November at 6.30pm in the Goethe Institute.