Last night I decided to add a new category to this blog called “Sustainable Living.” One of my pet interests is the concept of green living and sustainable communities. In fact, one of the reasons why I got into the community and economic development fields is because I think that there is a large opportunity (especially in New Jersey) to redevelop some of our existing communities in vibrant, sustainable centers.

Sustainable communities are described in different ways, but to break it down into the most simplest of terms - imagine a community where you can walk to work, walk to the grocery store, and then walk to the gym at the end of the day. Imagine a community where you have all of your life’s needs within your reach and in a setting that is earth-friendly: solar energy being used, wheat board instead of sheet rock, little congestion on the roadways (and thus less pollution), renewable energy sources, and renewable organic food sources (also known as local farms).

There is so much more to a sustainable community when you get into the nitty gritty such as appropriate income levels to maintain local businesses, which create jobs for local people, which creates the income that is recycled back into those businesses, etc. I could go on forever…

In any event, since this stuff is catching my eye more and more these days, I added a new category for such entries. Enjoy!