For years, decades the common wisdom has been that an environmental lifestyle is difficult, even painful--minimalistic at best and bereft of things we might consider necessities today.  Not a very inspiring picture.  And yet some people seemed to thrive on the idea, and for them environmentalism was often at a confluence of other interests--anti-corporatism, for instance, or socialism, or a Malthusian belief that the Earth cannot handle the population it has, much less continued growth.  They have created a sort of unattractive sheen to the notion of being environmentally responsible, where it can be equated to living a subsistence lifestyle in primitive conditions.

Bruce Sullivan of non-profit Earth Advantage challenges that notion in an interview with David Fisher of The Bulletin this week.  '“You don’t have to live in a yurt or a tepee,”' Fisher quotes Sullivan as saying.  The article and interview goes on to discuss Sullivan's work with Earth Advantage, advising builders and certifying homes in Oregon.

Using a homegrown system of certification, rather than the currently available US Green Building Council LEED ratings or the new National Association of Home Builders Green Building Program, Sullivan helps builders pick sustainable materials, more energy efficient systems, and cleaner designs and techniques.  They then inspect for use of the different suggestions and offer a rating to the home depending on what is demonstrably used in the construction.

And in reality, none of this requires any special technology.  While smart homes and smart grids and microgeneration systems can provide many of these advantages as well, right now contractors could be building green just by recognizing what is available out there and adjusting their practices and techniques.  The difference possible is that between staring down a crisis and providing significant breathing room for the high-tech end to catch up and provide solid alternative energy solutions.

We don't have to live in the woods off what we can forage in order to be sensible and sustainable; the time is well past to get that word out.