How the American Dream Home Spells Doom

September 7, 2012

What symbolizes success? A big home and a nice car? They may look good, but they mean bad news for our future.

Sprawling, two-story, conventionally built homes guzzle more energy than the worst cars on the road—but they don’t grab near as much attention. How much energy will our generation waste?

In the book Building Today’s Green Home: Practical, Cost-Effective, and Eco-Responsible Homebuilding, Art Smith says, “I was told, ‘We don’t build homes THAT WAY around here. Curb appeal only is what sells houses.’ I was advised that homes had to be large to be good…But, what is real now? Our global warming and rising costs situation are not just passing, they are the future reality. Building green should not be just the latest fad–it is a wise thing to do…We can choose to be smart or we can choose to leave a mess for our children.”

I want to clean up that mess. Green home building makes sense now and for the earth’s future.