Thread by @TimeOutLondon

BedZED has been setting a precedent for green living for nearly 20 years 🛏️💤

timeout.com/london/news/di…

♻️It could come as a surprise that the UK’s first carbon-neutral community was built way back in 2002. And it’s in Sutton.

BedZED was created by @Bioregional, a charity that works to develop more environmentally friendly ways of living

🏡Co-founders @SueRiddlestone and Pooran Desai were looking for a place to build a sustainable office, but when Sutton Council put up a plot of land for sale, it was so large they thought, 'why not build homes too?'

🏆The award-winning development became the blueprint for environmentally friendly communities across the world, including North West Bicester in Oxfordshire, the UK’s first eco-town

🔥As well as 100 homes, BedZED is made up of office space and community facilities. The founders used local materials and upcycled products, constructed a biomass boiler that uses sustainably sourced wood pellets, and installed solar panels to provide electricity

🍻There's also a community bar on the estate. Roughly once a month, the founders go down to the local breweries to get a couple of kegs of beer and wine to sell at a small margin to the local community

🌳There’s also BedZED pavilion, which hosts yoga and craft classes, and BedZED field.

The community also came together to turn a formerly barren piece of land into a ‘green oasis’ filled with trees and homemade benches