We moved to Clarendon to be close to work, great restaurants, transportation, and all the little daily conveniences. All of that is terrific. And, according to a recent New York Times article, "Don't let the green grass fool you" (02/10/08) we can also congratulate ourselves for becoming cleaner and greener.
According to the story, "In the end, the very things that make suburban life attractive — the lush lawns, spacious houses and three-car garages — also disproportionally contribute to global warming. Suburban life, these environmentalists argue, is simply not sustainable."
Here's a photo of our former single-family house with a two-car garage on 1/3 acre. It's a great house and while I do miss the renovated kitchen and bathrooms (the heated tile floors!), one thing I 100% DO NOT MISS is having to drive anywhere and everywhere. We weren't that far from the grocery store, but the lack of sidewalks made walking treacherous.
Today, in Clarendon, we have so many transit options -- walking, biking, Metro, ART bus, Metro bus, ZipCar, car pooling -- that we sold 2 of our 3 cars. The article makes other interesting observations about how people are commuting farther these days, and living in much larger houses.
We reap other benefits as well -- because we're only exposed on one side, we save on heating costs. What can I say -- it's awesome!
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