Sustainability
We care about our earth and our future.
Sustainability as a word gets tossed around in so many contexts that defining it is an elusive task.
At Liberty Village, this word encompasses two broad areas.
ONE
Being sustainable means being in balance with the surrounding ecosystem from the immediate vicinity to the entire Earth. Actions that maintain the positive feedback loop in the ecosystem are sustainable. Actions that fracture this circle are not. Combustion of fossil fuels is the most egregious example of an unsustainable practice. It took eons for plant matter to pile up under great pressure to result in the plentiful stores of hydrocarbons we burn up in seconds. Weaning ourselves off such a system is no simple task, but at Liberty Village, we approach that ideal with each passing day.
TWO
Being sustainable means creating a culture that persists for generations to come. If a group of idealistic, financially comfortable adults collaborate and set in motion a wonderful community without the next generation able or willing to sustain that tradition, the vision fizzles out. At Liberty Village, we are conscious of family, beyond the nuclear family to a family of neighbors that constantly renews the vision of the intentional community. Education between young and old is a two-way street with a vigorous exchange of ideas to discover together what works and why. Thus, we maintain traditions of sharing and consensus for countless generations to come. Even when the polar caps melt, we will sustain this culture.
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Liberty Village is the first entire community in Frederick County to be Bay-Wise Certified by the Master Gardeners of the University of Maryland Cooperative Extension. The Master Gardeners spent a day in the community, educating all the homeowners in practices to save the bay by decreasing fertilizer use, controlling storm water runoff, mulching appropriately and controlling pests. Our community also made a commitment to continue good Bay-Wise practices as the next 20 duplex homes are built.
Liberty Village has three rain gardens, a butterfly garden, and a natural meadow, all of which decrease toxins that go to the bay, control runoff, and contribute to the beauty of our neighborhood.
Our Rain Gardens, Warm Season Grass Meadow, and Riparian Buffer were planted in conjunction with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Monocacy & Catoctin Watershed Alliance, and the Maryland Department of the Environment.
Liberty Village has a community garden and orchard that is open for all residents to use. In addition, a group of residents care for a number of chickens that live adjacent to the community garden. Extra eggs are available in the community room refrigerator for a nominal fee which goes back to support the maintenance of the chickens.
A flock of chickens was raised this year to harvest for food. Several of those chicks were hatched from our own hens.
Many of our residents are interested in the study of Permaculture, and we strive to apply these concepts to the landscape of our village, as well as educate the neighbors about the vast advantages of sustainable practices.
Materials around our village are reused where possible and community swap days are arranged for folks to share unwanted items. Compost piles are widely used around LV and leftover food from community meals is shared with the chickens.
Several recycling containers are available for the residents and are picked up by the County on a regular basis.
A number of houses in our village have solar panels installed on their roofs. Residents are encouraged to pursue alternative energy methods.
Our houses in Liberty Village all feature ground-assisted heat pumps, commonly known as geothermal. Each existing unit has its own well, and a closed-loop heat exchange fluid is circulated to tap the earth’s own heat, which is approximately 55 degrees Fahrenheit. It also is very quiet, meaning there is no ugly, noisy box outside the house as with conventional heat pump systems. Coupled with well-insulated construction, Liberty Village houses are extremely efficient to heat and cool.
A few residents have worked to install a plugin station for their electric vehicles with the potential for expansion in the future.