Ecomama is Moving!

We've done it. We've put a deposit on a new house. But it seems that our excitement about this move is being met by a few raised eyebrows. "You're moving where?" To a smaller house. "With three kids?" Yes. "Oh, do you need to save money?" Not really (in fact, the house we bought is pretty much the same price as the one we're selling) . "So why then?" Well, because it makes sense, to us anyway. "Huh?"

I have to admit that at first glance it may seem like a completely counterintuitive decision. After all, couples who are at a similar stage in their lives as we are, are usually thinking of moving away from the city, to a larger house, on a larger lot. But ever since we've started greening our ways, this little voice in our heads has been urging us to take a good look at how we live, and where we live. We currently live in the suburbs, in a fairly large house that more than accomodates our family. When we look at our footprint, we realize that even though we're factoring a family of five in our calculation, we still have a large carbon footprint. We commute to work every day (granted it is usually by bus), we heat and light a big house, we have a pool (which completely freaks me out with small children) and two cars (a smaller car - remnant from our life as a DINK couple - which my husbands uses for work when he needs to make business calls, and for when we are running errands, and an SUV crossover to accommodate our growing family when we need to go out together).

So we've done some thinking about how we can reduce our footprint. And that's when moving to a smaller house in the city started making perfect sense. Right now the space we "live" in in our current house - the family room, playroom, kitchen, bedrooms - is equivalent to the space we will be using in the new house. Which means that there is a pretty significant amount of space that we can probably cut out and not be any worse for the wear. And by moving to the city, we'll eliminate our commute (in fact Ecopapa will walk to work, and I will be able to bike or run), we'll get rid of our second car, we'll be reducing the amount of hours in a week when we need childcare (a bonus!) and our caregiver will live nearby and be able to walk to our place everyday (great, we can even "green" our caregiver!). Finally, we'll be reducing our overall energy needs by a ) purchasing a smaller house and b) purchasing a smaller house which is being built to meet the Energy Star rating (you can find out more about this program here: http://www.energystar.gov/).

This wasn't necessarily an easy decision to make and to be honest, we're viewing it as a bit of an experiment. We struggled with concerns about our kids' safety in the city, which schools they would eventually go to and accommodating our (big golden retriever) dog's needs. It took a careful analysis of finances, family needs and location. I have to admit, the decision was easier for me than it was for Ecopapa, although he's getting quite excited now about being so close to the Ottawa river and being able to go canoeing at the drop of a hat (for those of you in Ottawa, the house we've bought is in Edinburgh Common, along the Vanier Parkway, at the edge of Beechwood Avenue). In the end, by trading space we don't currently use, we'll be gaining time, money, and the satisfaction of knowing that we're embracing a lifestyle that truly meshes with our inner convictions.