It's also about where you live. I am not saying this about geographic locations like this state or that state. It does make a difference how you build, but the theory is the same, put less energy and resources in, use less resources to operate and reduce or eliminate waste.

What I am talking about is how you structure your life in relationship to your home. How far do you drive to work, to the grocery store, to shopping. How far does someone have to drive to see you, to deliver a package or to provide services.

It may seem idyllic to live out in the country. A supposed green setting, but if you have to drive 60+ miles roundtrip everyday to work and the mail man has to drive extra far (or you take an extra trip to the post office). Do you really have a green home/lifestyle?

A green home and a green life is about far much more than just what you live in, what you eat, the products you use. It is a lifestyle, and for most of us, it is a big adjustment. I for one struggle with it everyday. Its a give and take, compromise at every turn, sacrifice and adaptation.

But I digress.

There are movements across the country to encourage a live close to work and to bring the residence closer to the amenities (and vice versa). There are issues with this approach as often there are high concentrations of jobs in areas that are less appealing to reside in.

Take for example a manufacturing park where there are factories, warehouses, large trucks, shipping corridors and so on. There is a radius around such development where people are opposed to living and the only residential development within that radius is typically low quality and very low cost. This is not ideal for a live close to work arrangement.

Don't get me wrong I agree with your stance, but I don't think that it is a complete answer.

I see what you are saying about the industrial areas and the desire to distance ones family from that environment. I think what I was getting at is that there needs to be a bigger push for the integration of the green home with the green life. Its not enough to just have a "green" home if you then drive 30 miles to get to work each day. You are counteracting your own behaviors for a net loss in some cases. I think that the green home needs to be an integral component in the a complete set of green/sustainable life choices.

I get the whole point of living near work ,but with the current fabric of the american city and the distribution of places of employment and residences, how can this really be feasible. There aren't nearly enough residences where the work is or work where the residences are. It would mean a substantial shift in the american way of life, costing money, resources and energy to create. Shouldn't the solution lie in the means of transportation in concert with a slow modification in the distribution of functions?

I don't know many people, even in my circles who can do the complete life change thing. Its hard to do in today's culture. If you do manage to push yourself out to the fringes of society as it would take to live a truly sustainable life, it becomes extremely hard to support life. Now if you could do it in a larger group, you can have the support systems you need, but on an individual basis a sustainable life is really really hard.

hippie, I think that's the point. We need to stop living as individuals and in small familial groups and once again start living as communities and large units. We need to support ourselves, and out of necessity that means living in larger cooperative groups instead of relying so heavily on the support of corporations, infrastructure and other outside forces.