The Eco House

Since opening in 1990, Leicester's EcoHouse has received over 100,000 visitors. As Britain's first environment city, Leicester is attempting to teach, inform and improve, not only Leicestershire locals, but the environment in which they live.

One of the ways to achieve this was with the introduction of the EcoHouse Project.

Eco Houses are specially designed green alternatives to modern homes. They are built to be environmentally friendly and to maintain themselves with non-toxic materials. Hosting clean renewable energy, EcoHouses employ recycling programmes in all aspects of day to day living.

Leicester's EcoHouse contains many impressive features. Not only can the public view these features but they are encouraged to try them for themselves and to make their own homes more environmentally friendly.

Let's have a look at some of these features.

Features Of The EcoHouse

• The house has wool carpets throughout which rest upon old car tyres! Duralay's Jumbo Crumb is an underlay recycled from the rubber crumb of old car tyres. With 37 million tyres a year being disposed of in the UK, Duralay leads the way with it's recycling policy.

• Photo voltaic solar panels provide nearly all of the houses's electricity needs.

• Rainwater storage facilities provide water for toilets, gardens and a propagation unit.

• An organic garden hosts a variety of vegetables, maintained in ways non harmful to the environment. A wetland area is present and geared towards attracting wildlife.

• A solar powered fountain and a transparent beehive are both available for public viewing.

• Educational wings host workshops, seminars and a touch screen computer system.

• A cafeteria serves organic teas and confectionary. Whilst in the Eco Shop, you can buy environmentally friendly products ranging from cleaning products to children's solar kits.

The EcoHouse was helped into existence by grants from Leicester City Council, the National Lottery Charities Board and the European Development Fund. However, to keep the house a reality, further funds are needed. Therefore, EcoHouse welcomes donations of time, money, products or materials.

The Eco House might just pave the way for a more environmentally friendly earth. Unfortunately, refraining from harming the environment seems to cost far more than preserving it. As long as this is the case, Leicester's scheme to improve the city might not appeal to the public as much as they would like. Hopefully the EcoHouse will be the first step towards unity. We all need to be aware of what we are doing to our world and if people can be shown a more cost effective and convenient way of nurturing the environment, then the role the EcoHouse plays will improve not only our future prospects, but those of our children.

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