by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

As I’ve spent the Summer learning to like it hot, commuting by bicycle, traveling less while learning to work and vacation right where I live, I’ve been feeling good. I’ve gotten involved in more things in my community and have enjoyed the peacefulness of Summer. Wait a minute, just why is it so peaceful? Where is everyone?

We Westerners commit a lot of eco-sins in our constant pursuit of pleasure and one high on that list is the second or “Vacation Home”. Somewhere along the rocky road towards wealth, this trend got started and hasn’t looked back. It’s so common that there are websites and magazines dedicated to the business of building, buying and selling this version of the other “American Dream” at the beach, in the mountains and on the lakes.

The idea of environmental footprint gets blown out of the water on this one. A second home which uses resources to build, complete with roads, chemically-laden landscaping and utilities, equipped with boats and/or tennis courts, sitting empty most of the year? Ouch. Add into the equation the time that people spend driving from house #1 to House #2 and you have a lot of energy spent on very, very few, very, very occasionally. Sustainable? Not by a long shot.

Although tourism is an important part of the economy, this permanent influx of “people with money” invites the mega-stores to move in, often transforming comfortable small towns into strip mall-villes. In many cases, these large, excessive homes make beaches, mountain trails or lake fronts inaccessible to the public and pushes out the locals.

Are those with the dollars to spend likely to give up this luxury? Doubtful. Can it be done in a way that respects nature and falls into a sustainable lifestyle? To a large degree, yes. First on the list, second homes don’t need to be big. In fact, they can be very, very small - tiny, in fact. Domes, Yurts, Teepees and other ways to live lightly are now widely available. After all, you’re there to enjoy the great outdoors, right? Lloyd Alter of TreeHugger has a lot to say about that.

Bring back the idea of co-oping with friends or family and you’ve all taken a considerably smaller step. Building green means you could even stay off the grid with water-catchment systems and solar energy. Learn that there is no “away” in trash terms and adopt the attitude of “leave no trace”. Consider the additional miles you will be traveling and commit to acquiring an alternative energy vehicle to make the trips.

One more thing - be part of the community - shop and eat locally. Enjoy what you came for and keep it safe and welcoming for everyone.

Tags: community, culture, home, recreation, travel

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 23rd, 2007 at 4:48 pm and is filed under Green Misc.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.