RUSS

We now have a new website for RUSS.

http://www.theruss.org

This site contains a lot more information. Please have a look.

R.U.S.S stands for Rural Urban Synthesis Society. RUSS is a community land trust (CLT) set up to build sustainable housing in London. During 2008, 12tone raised enough money to pay for our incorporation. We are registered with the FSA as an Industrial Provident Society of benefit to the Community (an IPS Ben Com) reg No.30624R. Our model rules were provided by Land For People, another CLT based in Wales.

It is our aim to build housing that harnesses natural, renewable energy sources to produce food, heating and electricity, using integrated systems within the infrastructure of the buildings. We believe through innovative design, it is not only possible to build zero-carbon emission housing, but negative carbon emitting housing.

We are in our infancy and are currently looking for plots of land or derelict buildings in London to develop. One idea, is to have our buildings twinned with a piece of rural land, where, through agro-forestry techniques, we can grow food to supplement our inner-city allotments.

It also our aim to build a community space within this project so that members of the community can get involved and receive education and advice on effective, environmentally abundant housing.

Our Chair and Trustee is featured in the video above, discussing the self-build project he was involved with in the 80's. He has since gone on to make is home Energy Plus through the installation of photo-voltaic cells and a ground source heat pump.

Here is a short list of a few organisations already successful in building structures and systems as described above, check them out! :

http://www.mcdonough.com/full.htm
http://vegetalcity.net/
http://www.agroforestry.co.uk/
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/green-living/meet-the-people-behind-britains-first-selfsufficient-village-458241.html

Aims of R.U.S.S

RUSS aims to:

-secure land or derelict property to develop new housing projects for the community.

- integrate living space with growing space to create/build a diverse, mutually beneficial, abundant environment.

- re-connect people with their local land and create a stronger sense of community.

- create stronger social and economic links between the urban and rural communities in and around London.

- create flagship, self-sufficient* housing, that demonstrates and encourages sustainable urban living.

- improve the quality of the environment and develop eco-effective** ways of living.

- combine cutting edge architecture with the self-build model to educate and empower individuals and the community.

- dispel the myth that environmentally sustainable living is synonymous with a low tech, un-developed lifestyle.

- demonstrate that people with a readiness to act on environmental concerns come from all backgrounds and political perspectives, and not only those traditionally associated with the eco-movement.

- encourage intergenerational responsibility and interaction.

- provide a platform to educate and facilitate skills exchange within the local and international community.

*Total self-sufficiency is impossible. We want our buildings and communities to be as self-sufficient as possible, utilizing renewable sources of energy, such as solar and geo-thermal energy.
** Term taken from "cradle to cradle".