But, instead, it's a way of making social change, in small steps, while keeping a larger goal in mind.
The family has decided that we want to be more socially, economically, and ecologically responsible. We came up with a large goal(Or, Goals):
- Produce more of our own food.
- Spend more money locally.
- Create less waste, and burden on the environment.
- Be an example to others, to show it can be done.
These are very large goals, with the following "end state" being:
A small-ish urban farm, that is reducing it's utilization of utility electricity and petroleum products; while not sacrificing the fruits of technological progress (Internet, air conditioning, etc).
Basically, while we want to produce our own food and power, we don't want to live like hermits, and we don't want to have to go without the things that make life enjoyable. We like watching movies. I like a nice cool home. I don't want my kids to go without Bionicles or Minecraft. We all like computers, Facebook, Google+, and the internet in general.
So, we have our "Big Plan". It's a huge plan, and we realized this will take years to accomplish. And, we decided to start on this path with a huge life decision: We decided to purchase a home.
We took our "Big Plan", and equated that to what we needed in a home. The home could not be overly large for us, but it couldn't be a shoe box either (No, no 70 square foot home). We figured 1500 square feet was plenty for a family of 4.
Now, to reduce reliance on petroleum. Well, there is only one place in WNY where you can accomplish this: City of Buffalo, proper. Living in the first ring suburbs requires a car to get anywhere. Even to the grocery store. And, outside of Williamsville's Main St. corridor, and Lewiston's Downtown; there is very little, if any, possible walk-to destinations from home. The stupid cul-de-sac --> Traffic Sewer layout in the suburbs makes pedestrian traffic damned near impossible.
What else would one need to fit the big plan? A 1500 sq/ft home is fine, and easy enough to power using solar (Even in Buffalo), but we also needed green space. So, we also realized we needed at least a double lot (Or, a large single lot). Amazingly enough, there are quite a few homes on double (And, on triple lots) here in Buffalo. If you get creative, you can also work out deals to buy a home that adjacent to an empty lot (Or several), and get them bundled.
So, we have a small-ish building, and plenty of open area to work with. I think the open area is a key factor in "The Big Plan". It enables being able to grow food (A double lot gives you 3000 sq ft for living, and 3000 sq ft for growing food). The smallish home makes it quite feasible to be able to even run central air from renewable power sources such as wind and solar. And, the additional working areas of the lot make composting (Or, vermicomposting) feasible. Even owning a chicken or two (Up to 4 actually, within city limits). And, with all this work, we'll be able to cut costs on groceries and transportation, while also supporting our local economy (Our home is quite near the Clinton-Bailey Farmer's Market, and not too far from the Bidwell Market).
So, our home choice fits into "Our Big Plan". Albeit, it's not a "small thing" when buying a home, but the key here is whatever choices you make that move your life in a new direction, examine if it fits into your "Big Plan". Want to reduce yard waste? Start small, start composting it. Want to reduce your grocery bill? Start an edible garden! All of the small moves you make add up into an ever-growing impact!
--EDIT--
As a side note, our Realtor's name is Kelli McKowan (http://www.realestatewithkelli.com/), and she is a fantastic agent who will look to put you in a home that works for YOU, and not for her commission. Don't let her Web Page title mislead you: She does real estate in all of WNY, not just Lancaster. We are nothing but happy with the services she has been providing, and I can recommend her highly as a buyer's agent. If her skills and services as a seller's agent is on par, she'd be excellent in that regard as well.
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