Una comunidad en el contexto de la microsostenibilidad es un grupo de personas en la misma ubicación geográfica que interactúan entre sí.[23]​ Estos pueden variar desde comunidades rurales con baja densidad de población hasta comunidades urbanas altamente densas.[23]​ Estas comunidades pueden abordar una gama más amplia de iniciativas que varían en escala desde asuntos independientes y no alineados hasta redes organizadas. Si bien las pequeñas iniciativas comunitarias pueden adoptar muchas formas, pueden generalizarse como un conjunto colectivo organizado de acciones que se extienden a lo largo de varios años o décadas, destinadas a transformar una comunidad en un estado sostenible.[24]​.

Rural communities

Although there is no exact population size to define a rural community, they are generally considered areas with lower population density.[23]​ Green rural communities are places where people value a supportive social network and low-impact, ecologically sustainable living.[23]​ These can be defined as transitional communities, low-carbon communities, or ecovillages.

Urban communities

Urban communities do not necessarily mean a larger population than rural communities, but rather they are more densely populated and more influenced by the effects of urbanization.[23]​[25]​.

Especially in the case of transition communities and those with low carbon emissions, the goal is to see if fundamental changes in society in these niches can lead to broader acceptance of innovation.[9]​ This can be achieved by replicating, scaling up and translating successful practices.[24]​ Although the goal is to see if micro-scale changes can ultimately lead to successful macro-level change, 89% of transition communities were created by individual citizens coming together, not by governments or larger organizations.[9]​.

Types of work

Depending on the size, wealth and organization of a community, several sustainable actions can be achieved, which can be divided into the following categories:

Sustainable land use can be achieved when communities reduce greenhouse gas emissions by limiting the development of roads, parking lots, etc., and focus on promoting green building design technologies and green spaces.[26]​.

The amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere due to the number of cars can be minimized by increasing the number of safe cycle and pedestrian paths, and making public transport easily accessible.[26]​.

Green areas within a community protect wildlife habitats in such spaces. These can be gardens, parks, green walks, pocket forests, green roofs and buffer zones.[26]​ They can exist successfully when a community provides resources such as land, equipment, knowledge and standards on the care of the green area, and some form of governance to ensure that the space is well cared for.[24]​.

Communities can educate and promote individual sustainable practices by providing renewable energy information, such as instructions for accessing resources and feedback on household energy performance, performance monitoring such as annual energy use surveys, or initiating community challenges, such as the goal of achieving carbon neutrality.[24]​ Communities can practice sustainable waste management, such as incineration, biological treatment, zero waste, and recycling.[26]​.

Methods for success

The following are themes observed in microsustainable groups that have resulted in greater success:.

Effective sustainable intervention occurs in small communities because these spaces allow for greater learning opportunities. One study showed that socialization encourages learning and innovation, leading to a 20% reduction in energy consumption sustained over four years. It was discovered that community gardens transform an isolated and private task into a social, educational task with a positive impact on the city. They claim that having a group of people in charge of the garden required social interaction and cooperation, and having many members resulted in collective responsibility that promoted skill sharing and cohesion.[24]​.

Another key factor is the community working together around a clear and well-defined objective, since group members are willing to participate when they know that they are contributing to the good of the community. Cities that offered similar goals, such as community gardens, achieved very different levels of success depending on the level of structure, goals and plans that can unite and spark interest in a community.[24]​.

There have been concerns about the effectiveness of microsustainability. Much of the research on individual and small community practices can only analyze a limited amount of data and cannot fully conclude whether changes in small communities will result in changes on a larger scale.[24]​ Furthermore, due to its complex nature, it is almost impossible to model or track all aspects of sustainability, and studies that attempt to model it have found that successful situations at the micro level will not work or will worsen environmental impacts on a larger scale.[27]​.

On the other hand, some raise questions about the magnitude of the change that must occur. In his book Sustainable Energy - No Hot Air, British physicist and mathematician David JC MacKay advocates against small changes regarding sustainability and gives the example that if everyone unplugged their chargers from the socket, this would save enough energy to power 66,000 homes for a year.[28] MacKay warns that such claims can be misleading, as 66,000 homes out of approximately 25 million households Those participating in this action represent a quarter of one percent.[28]​ In other words, each household only saves 0.25% by disconnecting their phones.[28]​.

A study that surveyed transitioning communities across the UK found that 76% of them struggle to grow when initial interest fades. This indicates that scaling beyond committed environmentalists may not be the best approach.[9]​.

Unlike micro-sustainability, the remaining large-scale plans for sustainability are classified under the term macro-sustainability.[11]​[29]​ Macro-sustainability is a systematic and broad approach to sustainability, in most cases by the United Nations, governments, multinational corporations or smaller companies. They discuss global issues, including climate change and dependence on hydrocarbon and fossil fuel-based energy sources. Global organizations such as the United Nations have included the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to set a standard of 17 goals for countries around the world to take action on climate change and other related issues.[30] Companies primarily focus on return on investment in changes such as their energy source, their consumption patterns, or how they transport or manufacture products. Governments address these broader problems by regulating natural resources, improving practices, providing subsidies, and investing directly in new technologies and renewable energy sources.[31]​.

Una comunidad en el contexto de la microsostenibilidad es un grupo de personas en la misma ubicación geográfica que interactúan entre sí.[23]​ Estos pueden variar desde comunidades rurales con baja densidad de población hasta comunidades urbanas altamente densas.[23]​ Estas comunidades pueden abordar una gama más amplia de iniciativas que varían en escala desde asuntos independientes y no alineados hasta redes organizadas. Si bien las pequeñas iniciativas comunitarias pueden adoptar muchas formas, pueden generalizarse como un conjunto colectivo organizado de acciones que se extienden a lo largo de varios años o décadas, destinadas a transformar una comunidad en un estado sostenible.[24]​.

Rural communities

Although there is no exact population size to define a rural community, they are generally considered areas with lower population density.[23]​ Green rural communities are places where people value a supportive social network and low-impact, ecologically sustainable living.[23]​ These can be defined as transitional communities, low-carbon communities, or ecovillages.

Urban communities

Urban communities do not necessarily mean a larger population than rural communities, but rather they are more densely populated and more influenced by the effects of urbanization.[23]​[25]​.

Especially in the case of transition communities and those with low carbon emissions, the goal is to see if fundamental changes in society in these niches can lead to broader acceptance of innovation.[9]​ This can be achieved by replicating, scaling up and translating successful practices.[24]​ Although the goal is to see if micro-scale changes can ultimately lead to successful macro-level change, 89% of transition communities were created by individual citizens coming together, not by governments or larger organizations.[9]​.

Types of work

Depending on the size, wealth and organization of a community, several sustainable actions can be achieved, which can be divided into the following categories:

Sustainable land use can be achieved when communities reduce greenhouse gas emissions by limiting the development of roads, parking lots, etc., and focus on promoting green building design technologies and green spaces.[26]​.

The amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere due to the number of cars can be minimized by increasing the number of safe cycle and pedestrian paths, and making public transport easily accessible.[26]​.

Green areas within a community protect wildlife habitats in such spaces. These can be gardens, parks, green walks, pocket forests, green roofs and buffer zones.[26]​ They can exist successfully when a community provides resources such as land, equipment, knowledge and standards on the care of the green area, and some form of governance to ensure that the space is well cared for.[24]​.

Communities can educate and promote individual sustainable practices by providing renewable energy information, such as instructions for accessing resources and feedback on household energy performance, performance monitoring such as annual energy use surveys, or initiating community challenges, such as the goal of achieving carbon neutrality.[24]​ Communities can practice sustainable waste management, such as incineration, biological treatment, zero waste, and recycling.[26]​.

Methods for success

The following are themes observed in microsustainable groups that have resulted in greater success:.

Effective sustainable intervention occurs in small communities because these spaces allow for greater learning opportunities. One study showed that socialization encourages learning and innovation, leading to a 20% reduction in energy consumption sustained over four years. It was discovered that community gardens transform an isolated and private task into a social, educational task with a positive impact on the city. They claim that having a group of people in charge of the garden required social interaction and cooperation, and having many members resulted in collective responsibility that promoted skill sharing and cohesion.[24]​.

Another key factor is the community working together around a clear and well-defined objective, since group members are willing to participate when they know that they are contributing to the good of the community. Cities that offered similar goals, such as community gardens, achieved very different levels of success depending on the level of structure, goals and plans that can unite and spark interest in a community.[24]​.

There have been concerns about the effectiveness of microsustainability. Much of the research on individual and small community practices can only analyze a limited amount of data and cannot fully conclude whether changes in small communities will result in changes on a larger scale.[24]​ Furthermore, due to its complex nature, it is almost impossible to model or track all aspects of sustainability, and studies that attempt to model it have found that successful situations at the micro level will not work or will worsen environmental impacts on a larger scale.[27]​.

On the other hand, some raise questions about the magnitude of the change that must occur. In his book Sustainable Energy - No Hot Air, British physicist and mathematician David JC MacKay advocates against small changes regarding sustainability and gives the example that if everyone unplugged their chargers from the socket, this would save enough energy to power 66,000 homes for a year.[28] MacKay warns that such claims can be misleading, as 66,000 homes out of approximately 25 million households Those participating in this action represent a quarter of one percent.[28]​ In other words, each household only saves 0.25% by disconnecting their phones.[28]​.

A study that surveyed transitioning communities across the UK found that 76% of them struggle to grow when initial interest fades. This indicates that scaling beyond committed environmentalists may not be the best approach.[9]​.

Unlike micro-sustainability, the remaining large-scale plans for sustainability are classified under the term macro-sustainability.[11]​[29]​ Macro-sustainability is a systematic and broad approach to sustainability, in most cases by the United Nations, governments, multinational corporations or smaller companies. They discuss global issues, including climate change and dependence on hydrocarbon and fossil fuel-based energy sources. Global organizations such as the United Nations have included the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to set a standard of 17 goals for countries around the world to take action on climate change and other related issues.[30] Companies primarily focus on return on investment in changes such as their energy source, their consumption patterns, or how they transport or manufacture products. Governments address these broader problems by regulating natural resources, improving practices, providing subsidies, and investing directly in new technologies and renewable energy sources.[31]​.