216_The Sustainability Question: Rural vs Urban Living

Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast

Episode 216 

The Sustainability Question: Urban vs Rural Living

How and where we live are some of the biggest and most important choices that we all have to make in our adult lives. When choosing a place to live we have to consider availability of amenities, how far we have to travel for work and school, entertainment options and even the availability of medical care.

While location is important for many reasons we also have to consider the impact of our choices on the environment and the planet. Is it better to live in the city or in a more rural area. Which lifestyle has the least impact while also providing a satisfying way to live? 

So join me for E216 The Sustainability Question: Rural vs Urban Living

Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E216 The Sustainability Question: Rural vs Urban Living

Where and how we live is one of those things in life that affects almost everything we do. We have to consider available amenities, driving distances to work and school and even the availability of medical. But how and where we live can even becoming a defining factor in our lives if we live in the same place long enough. My life at the cabin and being off grid is a perfectly good example. But when considering these types of questions, especially given the world we live in today, we can no longer ignore the impact that those choices have on the planet and our environment.

One of the most frequent questions that I get is whether or not it is more sustainable to live in an urban area or in a rural environment. I can tell you that my opinion on that has changed over time. In this episode I am going to examine the pros and cons of both and give you some things to consider in finding the best place for you to live while being as sustainable as possible.

But before we get to that, let’s talk about the good news story of the week.

Good News Story of the Week

Scientist Turn Industrial Waste into Batteries for Storing Renewable Energy

Most people may not know that we presently have the technology to run the entire planet on renewable energy. However, there are a number of challenges as to why that is not happening. One of those challenges is energy storage. After all, if homes and businesses are to be supplied with electricity 24 hours a day, energy has to be stored to power homes when the sun is not shining. Energy storage is typically in the form of batteries and the industrial application of such storage has historically been a challenge.

A team at Northwestern University may have found a solution to that. Scientist found a way to transform an industrial waste product into a battery for storing sustainable energy.

The batteries we use for our phones, various other electronic devices, and even our cars rely on metals such as lithium and cobalt. These materials are sources through intensive mining operations. However, thousands of tons of a well-known chemical byproduct called TPPO are produced each year through numerous industrial organic synthetic processes.

But chemists at Northwestern University have found a way to transform this waste into a useful product with the potential of storing large amounts of energy. This discovery opens the door for what is known as “redox flow” batteries.

While redox flow batteries may not be suitable for use in our mobile phones, they can likely be used to store grid-scale renewable energy. Early experiments with theses batteries has shown great promise for the storage of significant amounts of energy. The best part is that the material used are simply an organic waste product that is easily available and it can greatly reduce the further need for mining. 

So, this weeks round of applause goes to the scientist at Northwestern University for getting humanity one step closer to a renewable energy future.

And now lets move forward with this week’s episode.

As most of you know by now I grew up with two working farms in the family. We raised animals for meat and always had a large garden. Years after moving to Colorado I bought the cabin property and have enjoyed a nice comfortable off-grid life since then. Again, in various ways, we manage to provide a great deal of our own food. So, to some degree you can appreciate why I am biased about being sustainable while living a rural life.

But that life has not been without its challenges. When I first purchased the property many years ago I truly had no idea what I was getting myself into. Initially the only thing I focused on was building the cabin and the fact that I finally had the kind of property I had always wanted. I never even considered the environmental impact I had simply because of the commuting that was necessary because of where I lived and the lack of employment in a rural area. 

But as the old saying goes, hind sight is always 20/20. In retrospect, I really should have done things differently. Knowing what I know now, I would still develop the property in the same way. But I would have just taken a much different approach that likely would have saved me a lot of time, money, and hard work. And those experiences over the years has changed my opinion on how to live a life of sustainability not matter where you are.

In my opinion, most people share the same opinion about living sustainably that I had for many years. It  involves living in a rural area, raising your own animals and producing a great deal of your own food. However,  I have learned that is not necessarily the case. There are pros and cons to living in the city versus in a rural area. Each lifestyle choice can be equally sustainable depending on how you choose to live. While location is important, it is not the only consideration. So what I want to accomplish in the episode is to compare urban versus rural sustainability in a very broad sense. Then in the next episode I will get down to the specifics on how to choose a sustainable place to live that best suits you personally. 

In my last episode I spent some time discussing eight lifestyle choices that we can make that substantially reduce our impact on the environment. Most importantly, these are choices that are easily within the ability of each one of us. But these are also choices that will affect how you live and maybe even where you live. 

One of the choices that I mentioned was your mindset. After all, it takes a completely different mindset to live where and how I do versus living in downtown Denver. But it is also your mindset that affects the sustainability of your lifestyle no matter where you live. When it comes to sustainability many times it is not so much about where we live but how we live.

There is no doubt that our lifestyles significantly impact the environment in various ways. For example, our high consumption of resources such as water, energy and materials contributes to environmental degradation. Between 1950 and 2005 the population in the U.S. nearly doubled. But energy consumption almost tripled, petroleum consumption in the transportation sector rose more than 300% and water use increased 127%.

Additionally, our choice to live in large houses and in urban developments also increases our resource consumption. In 1950 the average size of an American home was 983 square feet. By 2004 the square footage increased to 2,349. Fortunately, the average size of our homes has gone down to some degree for various reasons. But, the point being is that living in a bigger house means we consume more resources.

Our urban sprawl maximizes consumption of virtually everything, from energy and water to waste generation.

Moreover, transportation habits, in particular our car culture, are major contributors to our environmental impact. The number of miles we drive annually has increased nearly 7 times since the 1950s despite the fact that our population has only doubled. This of course results in increase fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Even our daily habits such as paper use, electricity consumption, water usage and food waste also have significant environmental impacts contributing to deforestations, habit destruction, biodiversity loss and increased pollution. In summary, the choices we make impact the environment through resource consumption, transportation choices, and our daily habits. All of these things contribute to environmental degradation, additional sustainability challenges and further climate change. That said, the choices we make can either promote or detract from a sustainable lifestyle no matter where and how you live.

Urban versus Rural Sustainability

Many people have the impression that if they live in an urban area, especially in a downtown location,  they cannot have a sustainable lifestyle. But, as you will see, there are pros and cons to both. Living sustainably can be accomplished both in the city and in rural areas. Remember it is not so much where you live but how you live that makes the difference. However, your options for living sustainably depends on several factors that are directly affected by where you live. And this touches on some of the very learning issues for me after a bought a piece of property in such a remote location.

City Living

Believe it or not, have a sustainable lifestyle while living in the city is potentially more feasible. In many ways it is easier relative to living in a rural area.  An important part of a sustainable lifestyle is the efficient use of resources and infrastructure and this is much easier in an urban environment. For example, using public transportation, the ability to install renewable energy sources and be interfaced with the grid, the availability of recycling programs, local farmers markets, use of more fuel efficient vehicles including EVs, and much shorter driving distances to just name a few. 

However, cities and urban areas also face some significant challenges especially when it comes to carbon emissions and high energy consumption. While cities only occupy 3% of the available land on the planet they account for 60 to 80% of energy consumption and 75% of carbon emissions.

Additionally, the availability of green spaces and the presence of natural ecosystems that are so important to society and our mental health can be difficult to find in urban areas. But there is one additional challenge that comes along with urban living that most people never consider.  Due to the high concentration of population in cities and urban areas in the event of an emergency all resources and even available energy are going to be in high demand and will soon become scarce. We are seeing more and more examples of this problem due to the increasing frequency of extreme weather events.

Rural Living

On the other hand living in rural areas can also be sustainable. Depending on your location, providing and managing many of your own resources is possible in many ways that are just not an option when living in an urban environment. My cabin life is a perfect example of this.

Other practices that make rural living sustainable is  growing your own food and raising your own animals. Urban living often comes with restrictions for farm animals including chickens. Rural areas are free of such limitations and often provide much more space for animal husbandry activities and even having a much larger garden.

Rural areas many times offer the same opportunities for renewable energy as those available in urban areas. If a grid connection is not possible, a stand alone solar electric system is easily available given our current technology. 

The downside to rural living is rural is increased carbon emissions due to longer driving distances. This can be seen if you look at states that are more rural and less populated such as Wyoming. People in Wyoming drive more than any other state in the U.S.

Waste management in rural areas can be more challenging. I know of a number of people around where I live that just burn their trash because waste collection is just not available. Recycling programs are almost non-existent in many rural areas. If a grid connection is not possible then your only option is a stand alone solar electric system. While the cost for renewable energy has declined dramatically over the last two decades, it is still not cheap to assemble a stand alone system. Most people would find that financially challenging.

Comparison of the Two Lifestyles

So, just for the sake of comparison, lets look at urban life compared to my cabin life on several points regarding sustainability. Keep in mind that a big part of being sustainable is the efficient use of available resources. But another important factor is personal choices that are made day-to-day.

Driving distance

For me it is 22 miles to get to the nearest supermarket and 37 miles to get to the west side of Denver. If I lived in town, these distances would be cut by 75%.

That said, The Bureau of Transportation did a study in 2021 that concluded 52% of our daily trips are less than 3 miles and 28% of those trips are less than one mile. Consequently, it would be possible for most people to reduce their number of driving trips by 28% because they could walk or ride a bike.

For cabin life, my commuting is by far my greatest area of impact on this planet. Once I realized this, I got creative, rearranged my schedule, limited which hospitals I was willing to work for and managed to reduce my commuting by 50%. Additionally, once I am home I stay home. I go to the supermarket and run errands on days that I have to go to work. If I need building materials because I am working on a project I pick them up on my way home. By doing this I almost never make a special trip to go anywhere.

Alternative means of transportation

Urbanites have easy access to public transportation. Additionally, since 28% of our daily trips are less than one mile, urbanites could walk or ride a bike.

For life at the cabin, public transportation is non-existent. Because of travel distances, riding a bike is not an option. My only choice is to get creative with how much I commute

Recycling

Almost every community in the Denver metro area has some sort of recycling program. Where I live such programs are non-existent so I have to get creative. I was able to work around this limitation because I have connections with friends and businesses that allow me to use their recycling services.

Waste management

In urban areas there is curb side pick up for trash. Where I live this is non-existent. But once again I have agreements with other people to use their trash service so that I don’t have to burn trash.

Infrastructure

Urban homes are fully connected to the grid with water, sewer, and electricity. It is easy and convenient. At the cabin we use a composting toilet and have to haul water from a local stream. Electricity is a stand alone off-grid solar electric system.

Typical water usage in urban homes is 3,000 gallons per month per person. Approximately 90% of the fresh water that goes into urban homes goes right down the drain for flushing toilets, showers, laundry and washing dishes. Of course this can be limited by making specific lifestyle changes.

At the cabin, for three people, the greenhouse, the dogs and the chickens, we use about 600 gallons of water per month. I know because I am the one that hauls it in.

The average urban home uses approximately 30 kWh of electricity per day. At the cabin we use about 1.5 kWh per day.

Food

Most urbanites have easy access to plenty of fresh food. But 35% of what people purchase is thrown away. At the cabin we produce a significant amount of our own food and have practically zero food waste.

Most people that live in urban areas throw all organic matter in the trash instead of composting. At the cabin, what organic waste we do produce is put in the worm bin.

Most urbanites can have some sort of garden. Even if you live in an apartment you can have a container garden and at least produce some of your own food.  But, generally speaking, almost no one does this anymore. Additionally, many urban areas typically have restrictions on livestock, even chickens.

At the cabin, we can do whatever we want. We have the greenhouse and do container gardening indoors in the winter. We raise chickens and turkeys. When we do buy meat, it comes from a local ranch in the form of pasture raised organic elk.

Lifestyle Choice

As you can see from the comparison above, being sustainable is possible in both urban and rural areas. It is truly a matter of the type of lifestyle that you choose. After all, more than anything else, the type of lifestyle you want to establish will be the pivotal factor for many other decisions. I strongly recommend that you think very carefully about this one thing before making any other decisions about developing a sustainable life.

Consider the following:

•  What level of self sufficiency do you want to achieve?
•  What percentage of your food do you want to produce?
•  Do you want to live in suburbia or in a rural area?
•  Do you want to be tied to the grid or completely independent?
•  Is commuting going to be a challenge and do you even want to deal with that?
•  What are your employment options? Is is possible for you to work at home even a couple of days per week?

When I first started living at the cabin everything was a challenge. I was commuting to town almost every day. I had no electricity for years. I had to dispose of my trash at work and recycling was unavailable. Life would have been so much easier if I had just lived in the city.

But over time I have managed to change all of that. We now produce a significant amount of our own food. The cabin is run entirely off of solar energy. And I drive to town twice a week and sometimes not even that much. I also have the option of taking my travel trailer and working for months at a time in areas where my commute is 10 miles a day instead of eighty. Despite all the challenges I have managed to produce a lifestyle that has 80% less environmental impact than the average person.

That being said, there are challenges with living at the cabin that will never go away. But this is my choice.

As you can see, you can have a sustainable lifestyle no matter where you choose to live. Cities and urban areas offer sustainable living opportunities through the efficient use of resources and infrastructure. Rural living can be sustainable through the right practices and personal habits.  The sustainability of living in either environment largely depends on the use of available infrastructure, your mindset, your motivation and careful personal choices.

Sustainability Tip of the Week

What does sustainability really mean?

In the simplest of terms sustainability essentially means the ability to maintain or support a process over a long period of time. In reference to humanity, sustainability should be viewed as an approach to life that causes the least amount of damage, preserves the natural world, and leaves plenty of resources for future generations.

Think of sustainability in terms of the Iroquois Seventh Generation Principle, which is deeply rooted in the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy. This is a philosophy that advises making decisions today with the impact on future generations in mind, specifically seven generations into the future. Essentially this means that our current actions should ensure a sustainable world for those who will inherit it.

That is the true essence of sustainability.

Well folks, that is about it for this week. I hope you will join me next week where I am going to get more specific on how to choose a sustainable place to live. Until then, this is your host Patrick signing off. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.