User:LiveGreenorDie

Sustainable Design: Going Green

Some of the problems facing our future, as a civilization, revolve around our ability to move from a culture of tremendous energy usage, to a low impact level of use. Our priorities may differ, but we all must make a conscientious decision to live lifestyles that reflect a return to a more natural way of living that are new and imaginative.

Aesthetically speaking, our homes, buildings, cities and towns can be designed to incorporate a feeling of warmth, beauty, and openness. 'Going Green', by meaning, is the transferal of consumerism to that of living lightly on the earth in terms of how we manage our energy usage.

Returning to eating foods that are grown locally and with minimal pesticides preserve the environment and change the ways that we consume and also address the amount of transportation necessary to maintain our needs. As a society we have somewhat changed our attitude about climate change and global warming and how it may affect our lives in the future.

Therefore, we see a need to help the earth heal and embrace the notion of enhancing our lives in ways that are harmonious with the environment. Some intend  on creating green communities that will be beneficial to future generations. We now face obstacles in the bridge to build sustainable communities which now rely upon fossil fuels for transportation of products and to meet our needs. We must now find a way to curb our dependence on fossil fuels to meet the needs of our communities by actively engaging in cooperative measures that allow us to become independent. Cheap energy is a thing of the past and clean energy options are becoming more available. Our needs are not being met socially and the disconnection has helped create an uncaring aspect of community involvement.

The process that must take place is finding local solutions to meet our needs and develop more opportunities to use our unique resources and talents, and to expand environmental opportunities. In our separateness we have allowed consumer-driven lifestyles to dictate our participation with our families, friends, and activities.

Community based programs have been replaced by large farming operations, who have little care about how land is used and what types/amounts of pesticides are applied. Ideally, shifting efforts to communities allows citizens to control a locality and can also help us to create eco-communities that use materials and objects in organic design planning, building, and architecture.

Eco-friendly and convenient lifestyles are both cost effective and satisfying. Technology certainly plays a role as we become socially linked by networks of blogs and websites that embrace green living. We are learning how to make the human-nature connection as we develop our relationship with living systems and placing a higher value upon them. My advice is to look at the world around you.

Are there things that you can do differently, and if so, are you doing everything possible to make these changes? What do you need and what do you have? What are the examples of what other communities are doing? What is working and what is not?

Elaborate on your talents, experiment, and find practical solutions. Start a community blog and create a social network that embraces environment and culture. This can be the glue that holds a community together exchanging ideas, information, suggestions and common interests.

Start a guild of local citizens with their crafts and products. Recycle, reuse, and renew your resources. Support local organizations that can perpetuate the use of new technology, while minimizing the impact and involves your community.

Know your ecological footprint and understand land issues in your area. Rethink solutions using green development and create cleaner cities based on cleaner transportation, renewable energy and smart growth. Enlist companies and politicians to invoke policies that promote the practice of environmentally friendly choices.

Support local standards in operations of programs in agricultural practice, energy savings, and the preservation of natural resources. These are just a few ideas that can start a green revolution, one household at a time. If we all work together, we can lead the world to a place that is more secure and self-sustaining. Go to my website for book ideas, video, audio, links and other helpful information with an invitation to start your own blog for your community. ~Live Green

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