In this extreme, information overload age, it's often difficult to separate the truths from the non-truths. This is prevalent in many aspects of everyday life and sustainable living is no exception. We are sometimes left with many unanswered and debatable questions like, paper or plastic? cloth diapers or disposable diapers? new Prius vs. old reliable vehicle? local food or organic food? Wine in a box or wine in a glass bottle?* I hear from people regularly that say they just don't know what to believe, or what to do to live lighter on the planet.

These decisions are often compounded by financial anxiety. Won't this gadget or life style cost more? This is a popular counter tool for any organization that has an interest in discounting the merits of any individual or group adopting more sustainable behaviors.

Recently, the New York Times published an article about green building that read as a short discussion to end the discussion on pursuing better building practices...end of discussion. Upon further investigation, we discover that the article was based on a report by the Commercial Real Estate Development Association or NAIOP. According to Architecture 2030, "This disinformation campaign is obviously meant to stall, confuse and distort."

More from Architecture 2030...

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I'm going to jump right in, so follow along.

Fighting to maintain status quo planning regulations, for fear of losing one's personal property rights, often results in the rights of others being suppressed. When one group clamors to maintain the current planning regulations, they essentially reduce everyone's choices for housing, employment, transportation, and sustainable living. With the proposed EAR amendments, Walton County has found itself at a crossroads; it has the opportunity to explore other ways of doing things, or stay the path for fear of the unknown. The Planning Commission is open to and needs community suggestions. The Planning Department is doing the best they can with the tools they have available to them, and the NIMBY's and 's abound. Now, there's a new acronym to chew on.

So what does all this mean? What it means is that the current Comprehensive Development Plan and Land Use Development Code are written in favor of planning elements that encourage people to spread out across the land, removed from essential services with very little rhyme or reason. What's wrong with that? What's wrong with that is that not everyone favors this type of living arrangement and it greatly reduces the opportunity for other living arrangements. This type of regulation was fine when very few people actually lived here, though with higher population and more need for employment and services, spreading everyone across the land like peanut butter eats...

James Howard Kunstler, author of The Long Emergency, recently visited Seaside to participate in a Seaside Institute forum on the economic impact on New Urbanism. He was also the recipient of the 2009 Seaside Prize for his written contributions toward furthering the New Urbanism movement.

As a follow up, he dedicates one of his weekly podcasts to his visit to the South, including Seaside and other New Urbanist communities. Listen in for Jim's perspective of how these communities came to be and how they are functioning now. KunstlerCast Podcast #51.

Jim explains how the South has developed to the level we see today, due to inexpensive fuel and as a result the car is the unit of design. Inexpensive fuel encouraged sprawl by providing massive highway projects and the ability to cheaply condition living space (air conditioning), making the South more hospitable to human habitation. He looks at how this building engine caused the New Urbanists to became hostages of massive scale projects and how those projects are waning in the new economy.

New Urbanism was a counter to the increasingly popular suburban developments and an effort to recreate communities that capture the spirit of a place. Seaside was the original iconic New Urbanist project that has often been criticized for being elitist. The owner and designers, Robert Davis & DPZ, never dreamed it to be so hugely successful, and in fact, envisioned a bohemian beach town that would be...

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has recently formed a branch in our region. The official title is the Emerald Coast Branch of the Northern Gulf Coast Chapter of the USGBC. This branch includes the tri-county area of Okaloosa, Walton, and Bay. The USGBC is a 501(c)(3) non profit composed of leaders from every sector of the building industry working to promote buildings and communities that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work.

This is a great organization to get involved with if you are concerned with the future of the built and natural environments. No need to be connected to the building industry, the branch is hoping to have members from differing fields and diverse backgrounds. The group will be meeting monthly and opening membership opportunities in the months to come. Dedicated to education, the Emerald Coast Branch will be conducting monthly forums for members, and other programs for public participation.

I'll be sure to post updates, as the group becomes more organized. In the meantime, check out the official website of the USGBC.

The Casa de Mariposa is a wonderful example of how we can live lightly at the beach. The design was inspired by the atomic ranch style of architecture popular in the 1950's and was driven by the desire to use the buildable footprint to maximize living space, while emphasizing eco-friendly features.

The1,000 square foot home is constructed of SIP's or structurally insulated panels by Transcon Steel. The butterfly roof is designed to collect water and store in an underground cistern. Appliances are Energy Star, all doors and windows meet the 140 mph wind load, CFL's are used throughout, furnishings and floor coverings are simple in order to minimize dust and pollutants, costs were reduced by outfitting the kitchen and bath cabinets from IKEA, and other features, too numerous to list were added to achieve the owners goal of creating a beautiful, yet eco-friendly home.

To see more photos visit: CFH Design Studio - project gallery