Author: Paul

There are three R’s often mentioned in relation to sustainability: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

I would argue that the best of the three is Reuse.

Better than recycling a plastic grocery bag is using the same one over and over until it completely wears out.

We lived in the south of England from 1995-1998. I purchased the grocery bag shown during that time from a Co-op supermarket – and used it until a few months ago.

Sadly, it did finally wear out. The top completely tore off the bag.

So I decided to Recycle it.

If you use something way past its normal life, you are:

• buying fewer things;
• causing fewer things to be made from natural (or unnatural) resources;
• using less energy and producing less pollution by transporting fewer things to retail outlets;
• saving money you can give to your charity of choice; and
• causing less waste to enter landfills or be processed at recycling facilities.

What can you reuse today?

Something is wrong when it’s 105 degrees outside and you must bring a sweater to be comfortable at work.

My daughter and son-in-law live in Dallas. When I visit them during the warm times of year, it’s mandatory to bring a second layer to spend time in an office or restaurant.

It’s always too cold inside!

I did a little research and discovered that “each degree above 72 equates to about 3 percent savings on your total cooling costs” (source).

Think of the impact a large city could have if all thermostats were raised to 73 degrees from their current 65 or 70.

The South Platte River Railway runs close to our neighborhood in suburban Denver. Often, I see long strings of coal cars heading from Wyoming’s coal mines to Texas. During a recent drive to Dallas, I saw a very long line of coal cars heading southeast in the Texas panhandle.

Lower coal power consumption in southern states would result in tangible environmental gains through decreased coal mining activities and reduced diesel fuel burning and exhaust emissions from railways.

Let’s do it, Dallas! And Atlanta. And Houston. And Nashville. And (add your favorite southern city here).

I generated the image of the cold lady using ChatGPT. And coal-fired energy may have been used in the generation of that image.

I love walking through fancy neighborhoods.

During those walks, I often think, what if that couple shared their oversized house with other people? Do two people really need seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms?

So I came up with a solution to a question that was not asked.

Large houses could be shared.

Dividing up a house into three separate dwellings would have so many benefits:

1. The most significant benefit could be increased mental health and social wellness. Three empty-nest couples who were good friends could band together to create one of these multiple-family homes. For their entire shared time in that building, they would have built-in friends for dinner parties, happy hours, morning coffee or just borrowing some Grey Poupon.
2. Shared dwellings have a smaller environmental footprint than single-family dwellings. For example, one driveway in snow country takes less energy to plow than three separate driveways.
3. Choosing such a dwelling would make a statement among your peers about the value you place on community and sharing.

Challenges:

1. Zoning for a multiple-family building in many fancy neighborhoods is not currently possible. That would require a major cultural shift. “Influencer marketing” could make this possible… a famous person who catches this vision could wield enough influence to change local laws.
2. Selling individual homes within a larger building could take longer than traditional single-family dwellings. This would also require a significant cultural shift.
3. Scheduling a party would necessitate communicating with your neighbors about when the hot tub and swimming pool would be booked. But there are apps for that.

Solutions:

1. After zoning is in place, an accomplished architect could design appropriate buildings that would ensure privacy for all occupants and good access for all to mountain or ocean views.
2. Existing buildings could be converted. Heavy sound insulation could be added between each home. Additional three-car garages could be added and creative driveway solutions to provide access to each. Below, I grabbed a big house floor plan (top) and created a three-family building (bottom). I did a quick mockup by adding two additional garages and divided the footprint into three homes. (It’s a crude mockup – obviously, the front porch would be converted to a closet. The rear porch would become a master bedroom, etc.) And each home would have its own kitchen, porch, bathrooms, laundry rooms, wine cellars, etc.

I realize this is not a new idea. It’s happening in different ways all over the world. But I have not seen this in very many posh neighborhoods.