It's further than you can see and walk, but it's an easy drive. So why 100 miles?
The 100 mile diet has a critical issue, wherein the ecological benefit of locally produced food can easily be overwhelmed by the inefficiency of a rusty farmer's truck. Only by avoiding this last dirty step can a 100 mile diet be inarguably 'better' than food from a greater distance. There is a reason the phrase is not 'Pollute Local, Think Global'.
Why 100 miles then? Why not 50, or 200? All are hard to 'feel' as a pedestrian while still essentially inconsequential by car.
100 miles though can be experienced by bike, as a Century! It's a good, long day's bike ride, taking most about 8 hours to finish, so a Century is, at its core, the simple result of a good hard day's work.
How can a bike relate to building a house?
A fast bike is one which is strong, durable, and lightweight ? so too should be a house. For a house to 'sit lightly' on the earth, it must not consume disproportionate resources, so it too must be strong and light. A house must also be durable, otherwise its repair and maintenance will create waste. This lightweight/durable house will cost less to build and maintain, allowing the lifestyle of its occupants to be sustainable economically as well as ecologically.
A house, like a meal, cannot be inarguably sustainable if the last miles of its travel are unsustainable. The Century house will be built efficiently only from materials transported to the site by bicycle.
The last miles will therefore be the Century House's best, not its worst.
(Competitor's text)
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