Want To Live More Eco Friendly? Live In A City!
When we sold our home at the beginning of the summer, many people were interested in what kind of home we would move to next and if we planned to move to a larger property outside of the city.
Truth is—we had been toying with the idea of relocating to the countryside where we could have more land for our animals and a larger homestead, but we soon realized there would be drawbacks to that kind of lifestyle. Country living would mean giving up eco-friendly living.
While living outside the city with more land is an attractive option, the fact is that we would still have to drive to work and meetings. We’d have to drive the kids to school activities and to see their friends. We’d drive further to shop for groceries and visit our farmers market. All that driving would increase our carbon footprint.
While living in the city, we have more options for transportation: carpooling with friends, walking, taking public transit, or biking. In the past ten years, we have intentionally located ourselves within a 15-20 minute drive from school, friends, activities, and grocery stores.
Public transportation is energy-efficient and easier to access in an urban environment. In dense urban areas, people are more likely to ride the train or explore on foot. Cities also have more walkable sidewalks and bicycle paths. Relying on public transportation lowers fossil fuel emissions and combats global warming.
So instead, we have chosen to take a simple, average home in the middle of the city, turn it into an urban homestead, and grow food in our yard. Doing this saves us money, reduces our driving, and increases our quality of life. Turns out we’re not alone in our thinking—it’s estimated that by 2050, 70% of the world population will live in urban environments.
If you’d like to further your research, check out this excellent article on why big cities are more sustainable.
You can read how we bike as a family in a city here and how we grow food for food security while living middle of a city here
If you’re interested in reading more about our eco conscious life check out this post
