When thinking about how to make your home more green, one good way to find good opportunities and ideas is to look to your community. Many cities and neighborhoods work to create a green environment, and after all your community is an extension of your home. A quick google search will open up many avenues for you to try. Going green in your home is a lot easier when you live in a community which supports the cause, and looking into whats already happening around you is a good place to start.

Sustainability is a buzzword in the green movement, and there is nothing more important than buying local. Buying food and products from your local area is the best way to develop a sustainable, green local economy by cutting down on transportation costs (in money and carbon), which is a big contributor to your carbon-footprint. It also is important that you are keeping your hard earned dollars in your community and in the hands of farmers and vendors that you can go talk to, enjoy a beer with and learn tricks on how to go green.

In a neighborhood outside Venice, California called Mar Vista, a non-profit organization called the Mar Vista Farmer's Market has been providing the local community with a place to buy fresh, locally grown food and local business products since 2006. Every Sunday on Grandview Blvd between Venice Blvd and Washington Pl from 8:30 AM to 2 PM, the road is turned into a festival of fresh plums, apricots, avocados, carrots, honey and every type of fruit and veggie you could think of.  Dozens of farmers and vendors, great quick meals made right in front of you, and honestly the best hummus I've ever had. On August 1^st, 2010 the Farmer's Market celebrated it's fourth anniversary with music and speeches throughout the day.

"Sunday's are a bustling example of Mar Vistans coming out to shop, eat, and visit with their neighbors while also achieving broader social impacts - from community development, to health and nutrition, to preserving family farms," it says on the Farmer's Market website, www.marvistafarmersmarket.org .

The community specifically tries to educate the public about ways to achieve a more sustainable life style. The Mar Vista Neighborhood Council, sort of like a small city council, manned a tent

explaining the benefits of florescent bulbs over incandescent bulbs and how to find green energy providers. Mar Vista even has its own Green Committee who's sole duty is to educate the community on ways to go green.

Find out more about what your community is trying to do to go green. It's an issue that many local governments have taken upon themselves to push, and chances are close to your home there is a market for locally based farmers and business. Buy local, live sustainably, get involved in your community.

Some great resources to find organic stores and local farmers markets in your area:

OrganicStoreLocator.com

LocalHarvest.com