A blog about trying to understand if the modern single family suburban dystopia can be sustainable (whatever that really means)…So, let’s get started with some particulars…

Our house was born in 1985, when most of the Phoenix area’s cotton farms were converted into tract home neighborhoods (more on that later). We bought it in early 2021, during a crazy juncture of all-time low interest rates, as well as real estate listings. Basically, the house is 1300 sq. ft of Saltillo tile and neutral tones on 6,500 sq. ft of chunky gravel and one manicured soul patch (concept credit: @mcmansionhell). There are a few trees and shrubs too, as well as ample evidence of herbicide and pesticide use. So, the house and neighborhood appear to be average in every way (which we’ll of course fact check) but we’re here to make it weird. The sustainable kind of weird.

Our initial questions:

• Um, did we just make the biggest sustainability no-no there is? That is, can single-family housing (own yard, own appliances, own everything) ever be sustainable?
• Uggggh, is all this low-water gravel landscaping really the best? Because we love bugs, birds, and homegrown vegetables.
• Oh my, homeownership requires a whole lotta buying and procuring. Furniture, tools, cleaning supplies, food: which choices make the most financial and environmental sense?

Stay tuned for our trials, many errors, and hopefully some lessons!