While our environmentally conscious actions—recycling, composting, conserving water—can make big differences, so can our homes.
A self-sustaining home is cost-saving, self-sufficient and planet-friendly, benefitting both the homeowner and the environment by reducing home bills and leaving behind a smaller carbon footprint.
Each self-sustaining home looks different depending on the location, climate and desires of the homeowner. If you’re wondering which of the biggest U.S. cities are ideal for finding or creating your own environmentally conscious home, Lawn Love ranked 2022’s Best Cities for Self-Sustaining Homes.
Phoenix, Ariz. ranked No. 16 out of 200 U.S. cities with an overall self-sustainability score of 45.61, scoring well for Self-Reliance and Contractor Access and Cost.
Many factors, such as solar power generation, the number of sustainable home-builders, water usage limitation and composting food laws, the number of LEED-Certified homes, solar panel installation cost and more, were taken into consideration to determine each city’s self-sustainability score.
Phoenix and other high-ranking Southwestern cities for Self-Reliance, like Denver and New Mexico, have optimal conditions for solar power generation, which is why the region is a leader in residential solar power, according to Lawn Love.
For aspiring self-sustaining homeowners looking to find inspiration for their home design, Assistant Professor at Arizona State University Scott Cloudier, Ph.D. says that online resources and natural building workshops or classes are great places to start.
“You can also look to indigenous and traditional knowledge local to your area and how they worked with nature to build their homes and structures,” Cloudier says.
Read the full report and more expert responses here.
