Portrait of a Sustainable Home

Inside our houses are dozens of worthwhile projects. You don’t need to install solar panels or wind turbines on your roof to make a difference. Small projects can make a big difference (and result in big savings): Have you had your home tested for its energy efficiency? Have you changed your light bulbs to CFLs? Do you know how to fight “vampire energy” (it doesn’t take a string of garlic to stop it, but try power strips!). Sustain Dane provides suggestions and links to make your home more sustainable.

The land outside our homes is fertile ground for change. Did you know that the average food item - whether it is a chicken egg or a tomato - moves 1500 miles from production to your dinner plate? That consumes an unnecessary amount of oil, and leaves a giant carbon footprint. You can provide many of the same food products just 15 steps from your backdoor to your dinner table. Simple projects like rain harvesting and composting are important. And, plant native species like apple trees can be an important way to reduce water runoff into our lakes and rivers.

Whether it is a nip and tuck to our lifestyle habits, or a dramatic overhaul, we each can change the way that we go about our daily lives to make them more sustainable. For decades, “green lifestyles” were considered the domain for the Birkenstock and hippie crowd, but that is no longer true. New York City has added 250 miles of bicycle lanes for its commuting attorneys and CEOs. Closer to home, Middleton recently added a bike-share program for families. Commuting by bicycle has never been easier or safer. Why not switch over now?

Of course, it is important to recognize that your home and your lifestyle is just one puzzle piece in the larger picture of your neighborhood and community. Find out more about how you can work with your neighbors to discover ways to get involved with local, political leadership to bring about public policy aimed at creating ecological and economic sustainability in our cities and towns.