Sustainability

Three aspects of First Light Neighborhood & Farm are designed to fulfill our goal of developing environmentally and economically sustainable neighborhoods: location, land use, and home design and construction.

Location

Car trips to schools, soccer fields, and other after-school activities have overtaken commuting to work as the largest category of vehicle-miles driven in our suburban society. First Light Neighborhood and Farm is less than a quarter-mile walk through the woods from the Pine Hill School and the Temple-Wilton Community Farm, and only one road crossing is needed to get to High Mowing School. Residents with children at the Waldorf schools will be able to significantly reduce the number of car trips they take. Overlap in membership with Temple-Wilton Community Farm, whose members get fresh milk, yogurt, bread, and vegetables year-round, will also reduce car trips to the supermarket.

Land Use and Site Design

In keeping with the intent of Wilton's cluster subdivision bylaw, concentrating houses on part of the site reduces or eliminates impact on the remainder, leaving it available for wildlife, farm and forest uses, and recreation. Our plan strives to appreciate the contours of the land and to respect the forces of wind, water and gravity to prevent erosion and other damage during and after construction. Finally, the site affords the possibility of locally-grown, organic food for the residents.

Home Design and Construction

The homes will be visible from Isaac Frye Highway and from high ground many miles away to the south and east, so they need to be arranged to complement the natural beauty of the hill. They will incorporate natural materials like wood siding, and care will be given to choices of exterior colors, so that the neighborhood will be beautiful at any distance.

Regardless of style, we want the houses we build to be "native" to this particular hilltop in Wilton. For us, that means they should be heated by sun and wood and cooled by shade and wind - that is, they should require as few non-local resources as possible. These will be superinsulated, passive-solar homes that need only a small amount of firewood for supplemental heat each winter, which can be harvested on-site and burned in super-efficient, clean-burning masonry stoves. We are also exploring photovoltaic (solar electric), geothermal heat exchange, and rainwater collection systems, among others. As many construction materials as possible will be locally-sourced, natural, and free of harmful chemicals.