This is ## Avenue. The street on the left is 99th street. The green arrow is pointing at the future location (tearing down in May) of the Mill Creek NetZero Home.

I have been learning about ecohouses for years now. One thing you discover early is that a great deal of them are built in the country. The people who value energy efficiency and green building often have an affinity for a more natural setting than a city like Edmonton provides.

The thing is, most often these people work elsewhere. In fact, I've never heard of a green home in the country that was within walking distance to any jobs (I guess it could exist on a farm).

So you build green, but you commute two hours a day in your dinosaur burner?

Walkable

So I concluded early on that a true ecohouse needs to be in a location that allows for the jettisonning of the car from one's life.

Enter the Mill Creek NetZero Home (MCNZH). It will be in the community informally referred to as Mill Creek (it's actually in Old Strathcona, north of Whyte and East of 99th). And Mill Creek is the most walkable neighborhood in Edmonton.

Off the top of my head, I can count 20 restaurants and six cafes with walking distance of the MCNZH. Two grocery stores, a Crystal Glass, the best movie rental store in the city, a few barber shops, the best bread bakery in the city, and most every festival worth attending are all within distance of the humble foot. Never mind the amazing bus service and the access to the River Valley.

My family of four can and does live comfortably without a car in this neighborhood. And our quality of life is way higher than that of the mobs of minivan owners who flock to my part of town to bring their kids to all the great festivals that their sprawl-burbs don't have. If your neighborhood is worth living in, why are you constantly driving to (and through) and talking about mine?

Where you live is the most important factor in how green (and how happy) your life is. This NetZero home starts with its location.

(cross posted at raisingspaces.com)