Fairfield condominium community is ‘going green’

“When people say there’s nothing I can do, there is.” - Heartland Park Resident

Eminent biologist E.O. Wilson has a vision for saving Earth from a cataclysmic extinction event. He proposes that half of the world be completely designated as a natural reserve in order to preserve biodiversity. The problem is, there isn’t half a world left that is not owned or used. We humans are left with the charge of greening what is ours to green: our urban areas.

The Heartland Park Condominiums in Fairfield is a community undergoing innovative changes to improve both the environment and the lives of their residents.

The community values the economic, spiritual, and physical well-being of its members and encourages members to help each other. The goal is to create a safe, healthy, and supportive community of all ages. Including the possibility of residents aging in place.

In addition, the community values sustainability and they are putting these ideals into practice: just small, well-thought-out practices that are doable for local folks.

There is an attractive eight-foot circular herb garden and a twenty-by- fifteen-foot vegetable garden with cold frames for early starters and wooden towers to maximize planting space. Flowers and bushes are interspersed throughout the community with bright, green-leafed root vegetable patches, and tall, green, fruit bearing shrubs now hide the air conditioners.

An innovative composting project was started two years ago by resident and former professor of Sustainability, Thimmaiah Appachanda. This hidden compost system eliminates smell and bugs while still producing rich nutrient soil for their gardens.

The 27-unit community purchased twelve acres of forest behind their homes to buffer from the street and recently planted seven native fruit bearing trees in addition to two apple, chestnut and hazelnut trees. One homeowner plans to grow a small mushroom patch with edible Shiitake and oyster mushrooms.

The research continues for ideas to retrofit solar, locate and acquire a green house, and for different sources of outdoor light to reduce energy usage and minimize the effects of all night lighting on plants and wildlife.

One resident noted that several people have been enticed to move to the community due to these practices.