Although I’d be mostly unwilling to give up my wireless gadgetry, considering how obnoxious some cellular carriers can be about siting antennas, this post at Treehugger about a cellular-free neighborhood in Israel does have a certain appeal:
In tiny Israel, where cellular relay towers dot the landscape, cellular phone usage rates are among the highest in the world. Lately, however, a backlash has developed, both against the cartel-like behavior of the cellular providers and the possible health effects of non-ionizing radiation.
This week a revolutionary initiative was unveiled: a new neighborhood for 1,500 families who have decided to give up their cell phones. An entire neighborhood with no cellular reception.[...]
In addition to the lack of reception, which will be compensated for by scattering public phones around the neighborhood, city planners have integrated several ecocity concepts into the neighborhood’s planning, making it rather innovative in the Israeli context. The neighborhood will be carfree, with large parking lots on its edges and shuttles taking residents from their homes to their cars. Around 40% of the neighborhood’s power will come from a small solar power plant, the rest from natural gas. Houses will be built from environmentally-friendly materials and outfitted with water and trash recycling mechanisms.
I realize that there are several schools of thought when it comes to the potential health effects of cellular radiation and other EM sources that have emerged in the past several years. However, I can see a potential market for such EM-minimized residences.
