Camphill Village Kimberton Hills was founded in 1972 on a 432-acre farm in Kimberton, Chester County. Its mission is to encourage individuals, especially adults with special needs, to discover and develop their potential in a physically, socially and spiritually therapeutic environment. The expression "it takes a village," comes to mind when discussing Kimberton Hills, for each community member leads a necessary and purposeful life full of work, recreation and celebration, with the knowledge that the village is successful because of each person's contributions. This not only facilitates mutual respect, but also allows all individuals to gain self respect, which in today's society can be challenging, especially for the disabled.

Each community member pursues a vocation; opportunities range from the bakery, cafe, CSA gardens, orchard and dairy farm to craft workshops such as the weavery, pottery and woodshop. Improving the land through sustainable agriculture, biodynamic/organic farming, and raising environmental awareness are central to the work at Kimberton Hills. Kimberton Hills chooses to decrease costs and pollution wherever possible by retro-fitting, building sustainably, and doing and promoting generally ecological practices, such as living and working in close proximity, car and ride sharing, walking and biking, careful structuring of common spaces, laundry lines, etc. Financial support for the sustainable projects was generated from private donations through two capital campaigns and successful fundraising events. Grants from private foundations and trusts provided additional funding.

Kimberton Hills is known for its seamless integration of people with disabilities into a sustainable village. It is a model of ecological living. With this award, it will be an even more visible educational venue for the Philadelphia region. This focus brings visitors into contact with ways to create a cleaner environment through the use of effective design, practices, and technology.

Our newest buildings directly reflect this. The Serena Stevens Merck House (2004), for older residents, the Community Health Center (2004), which benefits people throughout the Village and beyond, and our public Cafe currently undergoing renovations) use natural materials and sustainable technologies.

Examples of Sustainable Materials: The new buildings were constructed with timber from certified forests. In the renovated and new buildings, recycled newspapers provide cellulose insulation. Countertops are made of wood or stone, and there is all natural, biodegradable flooring materials: bamboo, linoleum, wool carpets and tile throughout. The Serena deck is created from bonded timber processing waste. Windows are e-coated. The garage for these buildings, which was placed to best serve the photo voltaic collection, was constructed partially from windfall lumber, milled on the premises, and built by village volunteers. In the Cafe, a former garage has been converted; the old structural elements have been revitalized, the cement floor ground to make a beautiful serviceable floor. E-coated windows and increased insulation have been added.

Renewable Energy Sources, Efficiency:Buildings were designed to take advantage of sunlight and protect from heat in summer. Electricity for these buildings and the constructed wetlands is partially supplied by the 8.3 kilowatt system mounted on the nearby garage and funded through The Sustainable Development Fund and the village's efforts. Areas needing light are equipped with Solatubes: highly reflective tubes that use sunlight to brighten spaces. Metal roofs reflect sunlight and keep rooms cooler throughout the summer months. Fan and ventilation systems for cooling allow for minimal air conditioning, and in the CHC there is none. The CHC features point-of-use water heaters, eliminating the need to keep water hot for hours when not in use. The Cafe has geothermal heating and cooling.

Landscape Design and Water Solutions: Roof catchment systems direct rainwater into a cistern for toilets, laundry, and landscape watering. The driveway is constructed with a planted catchment basin for in-place infiltration. Native species plantings form the landscaping. An innovative constructed wetlands, an ecologically-sound method of waste water disposal, includes a pond with Flowforms, native species wetlands plants, and educational signage for visitors. The effluent is of high quality.

Aesthetic Design: The buildings are not only functional and designed for economy and efficiency, they incorporate beauty. For example, layering color throughout rooms through the lazure technique incorporates non-VOC paints, which do not emit volatile organic compounds. The use of color and original artwork, and the beauty of natural materials make these buildings welcoming and attractive.

Kimberton Hills reaches out to the greater community, welcoming volunteer groups and leading tours for those studying the community as a model. The Philadelphia Sustainable Business Network and Chester County Beekeepers have held their annual picnics here, and a graduate class from the University of Pennsylvania has visited the last two years to experience sustainable land use. Environmental studies students from Bryn Mawr College visited, as have students in landscape architecture from Delaware Valley College. The Delaware Valley Green Building Council and the Radnor Middle School both brought tours to examine the newest buildings and constructed wetlands. The village showcased its photovoltaic array for the American Solar Energy Society's 2007 National Solar Tour.

The community has invited the public to events about global warming and oil dependence, showing films and giving reports on ecological conferences. Members have invited neighbors to 'salons' to discuss local responses to global environmental challenges.

The geothermal system will decrease carbon dioxide emissions by 9.1 tons per year. Also, this site provided a place where an experienced installer could teach those who had not yet installed a geothermal system. This method can be experienced in operation at the Cafe, acclimating visitors to a 'green' alternative in combination with other sustainable practices.

Kimberton Hills' photovoltaic array has so far produced over 35,000 kWh of energy. The photovoltaic array provides one-third of the power needed to run three buildings in the village center. About 4% of the solar power purchased by The Energy Cooperative is from this system. Kimberton Hills offsets emissions of its entire annual electricity usage with renewable energy certificates retired by Carbonfund.org. Carbonfund.org will permanently retire 201,425 kWh of renewable energy certificates (RECs), 100% Green-E certified by the leading renewable energy certification organization, the Center for Resource Solutions. These RECs will offset approximately 253,796 lbs of CO2, the main pollutant responsible for causing climate change. This is the equivalent of taking 22 average American cars off the road for a year.

Rainwater catchment systems reduce the dependency on well water. The collected water is used for low-flush toilets, laundry and landscape watering. It utilizes the water on site, preventing erosion from runoff.

The constructed wetlands treats wastewater from three homes, the CHC, and the Cafe/bakery building. Using aeration, flows, and plants - the way water naturally heals - the water is detoxified. The resulting effluent is well within normal limits for BOD, TSS, Nitrogen, and pH, and fecal coliform is testing at zero! This system was the first in Pennsylvania of its kind when it began operating in 2004.The village commutes to work on bikes, on foot and in solar golf carts. The community owns about one car per five residents. Cars are used for cultural and recreational outings and for medical appointments not provided in the village. The CSA has bio-diesel production utilizing used vegetable oil from local restaurants, and the CSA truck and the tractor run on this biodiesel. The practice of biodynamics is ecologically health giving, and our compost piles sequester carbon!