Sustainable Neighborhood?

Earlier today, I took a short walk to shoot some pictures for the next blog post. Normally, the walk takes about 5 minutes and I looked forward to getting away from my computer and getting moving, so taking the car was not even considered. Little did I think about all the unshoveled sidewalks along the busy highway. Not only were the sidewalks not shoveled, but they were also used to pile up the snow from the thoroughly cleaned driveways.

The footsteps I followed on the bumpy path told me I wasn’t the only one attempting to walk there.

We often read and hear about the need for building a more sustainable society. This isn’t something that just “others” need to do in big bold moves. Everyone can contribute by adding one little habit at a time. Reuse, reduce, recycle are the obvious pillars, but the connection between shoveled sidewalks and a sustainable society might be less obvious. If you build a house according to the LEED standard, you get quite some bonus points for a location that makes it easy to walk or bike to stores, restaurants, libraries, churches etc. What’s the point of that if the sidewalks are full of snow and ice?
Next time you shovel your driveway, please add a few minutes for a cleaner sidewalk. It would be a very appreciated thank-you gift to the pedestrians who are not polluting the air we all breathe!
Elisabeth