The future

I spend a lot of time thinking about how I am perceived. Being an American probably means I am using more energy, eating more food, and buying more stuff than my European counterpart. It's not exactly my fault, I am trying to cut back. Admitting you have a problem is the first part of therapy. As a country we need to step back and examine our priorities. Americans need to buy less and stop referring to themselves as consumers. Buying less plastic junk will also mean that people will have to rethink their work: does my job have a place in a sustainable future economy? I believe we are going to move back to agriculture eventually, organic agriculture to be precise. I also believe people are going to be driving a lot less than they are now. This concept should be embraced. People should relocate close to their workplaces, library, grocery store. The new model will be central cities as well as small villages surrounded by farmland. The new cities will be walkable as well as cycling friendly.

About being seen on a bicycle.

My mom keeps nagging me about putting more lights on my bicycle so I finally put down for another xenon strobe light and LED light strips on my bicycle. It was my aunts complaining that drove my mom to tell me to put more lights on my bicycle. I am partly pissed off because I feel as if my aunt doesn't believe in the cycling cause. She believes it is too dangerous to ride on the road and therefore they do not belong there. I believe that the continued habit of driving everywhere is dangerous for our society, but that's a different topic. I will put the extra lights on my bicycle begrudgingly, but they are necessary to keep me from getting killed. Cars suck.

Living in a unit, instead of a house.

I am always looking at ways to become more efficient and from my last post I talked about choosing a place to live. This post is about what type of living I hope to accomplish. My whole life I have spent living in single family homes (except for a duplex) and am now investigating whether it would be worth my while to live in a unit rather than a house. The main reason is efficiency. I don't really do anything with a lawn, so it doesn't make sense to have one. I especially don't need a driveway or garage, because I don't own a car. I like the idea of having shared walls to reduce heating and cooling costs and would like a building that isn't too high up to access my room with a flight of stairs (not a fan of elevators). The building must have secure bicycle parking in their garage and should be close to a grocery store, my workplace and a library. I am a big fan of ownership and have no interest in renting. I am looking for a permanent place. I would like to have a flexible association willing to investigate conservation measures such as adding extra insulation, having solar hot water panels on the roof, as well as allowing rooftop gardening. This is my American dream.