Environmentally Sensitive homes are becoming more Mainstream. There were about 50,000 environmentally friendly homes built in the US between 1990 and 2000. Mounting energy costs and concerns about the environment, as well as more and more municipal building code requirements-are transforming what was once a curiosity into a mainstream phenomenon According to the National Association of Home Builders, 88% of those polled said that they are building or planning to build a larger share of smaller homes, and 89% said they're planning on building more lower-priced models. The average size of homes started in the third quarter of 2008 was 2,438 square feet, down from 2,629 square feet in the second quarter. Add to that a Better Homes and Gardens survey in which 90% of those who participated said they're planning to have energy-efficient heating and cooling systems in their next home and 31% plan to have geo-thermal heat. There has also been increased interest in home gardens, with more people wanting to know where their food is grown. This week Rich and Steve spoke with Brad Hyson, Executive Director of The Apeiron Institute For Sustainable Living to talk about their efforts to make Rhode Island the nation's first sustainable State. The Apeiron Institute launched Sustainable RI as the Rhode Island Sustainability Coalition in 2001 to put "sustainable" thinking at the heart of how we grow and develop our state. The Coalition, with more than 50 partners, can point to a number of successes including:
- Launching an energy cooperative, People's Power & Light that now supplies renewable energy to over 3,000 users
- Expanding International Walk to School Day from 1 to 8 school districts
- Establishing the RI School Gardens Coalition, now the Children's Garden Network
- Creating the Sustainable RI Directory - a sustainability clearinghouse with over 1,000 sustainable listings & resources
- Developing the RI Sustainable Living Festival as the premier sustainability event in the region
