Implementing a Green Lifestyle

The Aliso Viejo Green City Initiative is entering a new phase with its next workshop, Sept. 1. 

The first group of workshops focused on discussion of specific topics, including energy, water, transportation and land use. Future workshops will focus on implementation strategies discussed as part of the Green City Initiative. As the city has emphasized, a major component of the initiative is public outreach and education. 

The workshop will be held at the Aliso Viejo Community Center and should last two hours at most. The implementation strategies that will be addressed are energy and water conservation and how to incorporate sustainable living practices into our daily lives.

What should implementation look like?  There are many things in our city right now that can easily be worked into the Green City Initiative and expanded. I touched on one of them just last week in my column about City Perk Bakery & Café.

City Perk’s owners, Lane Avery and George Avila, made some difficult choices when deciding where to start their business. A deciding factor was proximity to their home.  They used to live in Laguna Beach and could have brought their business anywhere, but because they could live and work in the same building, they chose City Walk in Aliso Viejo.  It was quite a leap, but to them, it was well worth it.

According to Avery, the only drawback is “the developer sold the units with a written requirement to open a business within four months. However, neither the city nor the developer [Shea Homes] enforced this.  People invested at City Walk believing that a business was required with purchase of a home. It was only later discovered that there was never any intent to enforce that requirement and it was instead 'business optional.' "

Another disadvantage is that many people aren’t even aware of City Walk, due to poor signage on the closest cross streets. Business and property owners in the area have been asking Shea Homes to install the approved monument signs for the live/work community at the Grand/Vantis and Enterprise/Vantis intersections for five years.

The live/work or mixed-use options fall under land use with the Green City Initiative and can have a huge impact on environmental issues. Mostly it can mean less commuting for those who live close enough to walk from home. In the case of Lane and George, it is simply walking downstairs and opening the shop.

It’s a concept that was much more prominent just a few decades ago,  when many people worked above their family stores and many big retailers were not yet in existence.

The return to such a business idea is appealing because it gives people an opportunity to ditch their long commutes and save money on not just gas, but car maintenance too. It saves time and eases the congested freeways of Southern California too.  Such live/work spaces are a great way to knit communities together.  Rethinking the zoning of our cities means more flexibility for how we live and work.

However, if the city cannot support the existing live/work space, why would we want to implement more?  There are many Aliso Viejo residents who have invested a great deal into not only their community by purchasing homes at City Walk, but they’ve also invested in a small business that can mean revenue for the city and jobs for local residents. 

I hope those who support the Green City Initiative will come out and support the live/work philosophy by spending money at the many businesses along City Walk. Even if you don’t support the initiative, spend your money locally! 

I have been meaning to call Yoly’s and make an appointment to get my hair cut for a while now.  Yoly’s is the second business after City Perk to get its license to operate.  We need to do more. We need to pressure the city of Aliso Viejo to enforce zoning that requires residents of City Walk to open a business or at least lease their space to people who want to open a business.