Housing

Eco-housing should be the way of the future. Subdivisions are moving in and stripping the countryside of its natural habitats and wildlife. Urban sprawl is leaving many people with no options. Many houses are built close together in one area with no consideration for the pollution or over consumption of the land.

This is where Eco-housing comes in. Eco-housing should be the wave of the future. Groups are getting together and buying up 40, 50 and even 60, acres of land and making their own subdivisions. They use some of the land to build houses, but the housing is built in an environmentally friendly manner. Using solar power and the positioning of trees and shrubs to keep heat down in summer and cold away in winter. The rest of the land is divided up into a natural habitat area, a garden area and a common house where meetings or special occasions are held.

These communities share more of the common chores and day to day needs like gardening, laundry facilities, transportation and childcare. This cuts down on the use of cars and the amount of space needed to house so many. The houses back doors open into a common area courtyard where all neighbors can visit and let children play. The community becomes a closer group of people that watch out and help one another. Here is a link to one such community: http://www.sunward.org/

Our homes have become a symbol of our social standing and are no longer just a place to take shelter from the cold. Family has become less intimate as doors and walls divide us. The payments for the upkeep, and the hours spent on our jobs take us away from one another.

Those of us who live in these subdivisions can start by getting to know our neighbors, make it a point to go next door and knock on the door. Introduce your self and offer a paper with your telephone number and name. Explain that you thought it would be good to exchange numbers in case one of you ever needed the other to keep an eye on things while the other is out of town. Maybe you hear glass break and want to be sure there is some one home. There are many reasons to share your number with the neighbors.

Find out what hobbies your families have in common. Perhaps your husbands work in the same town and can car pool to work. You may find that you both enjoy gardening and want to make plans to get together for canning. There are many ways that neighbors can pitch in and help one another.

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