In yesterday’s Burlington Free Press there was an article written about Vermont’s NRG System’s and their solution to urban sprawl. And when I say urban I mean small scale urban for all of you city slickers… it’s ok, I was once one too! However, this idea could work anywhere.
Interesting stuff. NRG is still in the early stages of planning, however the gist is that they have bought enough land to create a community including housing for employees. This would alleviate commutes for many of their employees, and thus save both the environment and employees money in one fell swoop.
Great idea, right? The only hesitation that you may have is that you don’t want to live next door to your boss… or chatty (read: gossipy) Sally from accounting.
Ken and I were with the super cool people at Olivia’s Croutons yesterday and discussed this and other ideas on sustainable communities. After all, there is a huge amount of time by the media being spent on education of the US population on supporting the local farmer (farmers markets and CSAs are all the rage, and rightfully so!), and buying local first.
Stowe, Vermont circ 1875
When you really sit down to think about it though, this is how most towns in the US were created. There was a business and the people that worked there and those who serviced the business all lived very close by – thus creating more opportunity for stores, gas stations, etc. And creating a true community.
Perhaps we are coming full circle in some ways in our now global community.
Nicole
Tags: community, CSA, farmers market, local, sprawl, sustainable, towns
