I live in a rural area in the hills.  No stores within five miles.

It IS a good idea… I just wish I lived somewhere I COULD wqlk to the stores!

If you don’t have any/many stores that you can walk to from home, then try this: the next time you need to run errands, combine them all, drive to one central store, and walk to as many stores as you can. Or be a good neighbor, and drive someone else to the commercial area and walk to stores together.

Author here…yes, I know this experiment could be frustrating and unworkable depending on the type of area where one lives. I like Diana and Brian’s strategies for those types of situations. And I’d like to see more urban and suburban communities include a better mix of residential and light commercial uses in their urban planning, so that communities CAN become more walkable.
Still, I see a lot of people in communities like mine hop into a car for errands or entertainment, even though it can be accomplished within walking distance. This experiment is more about not getting stuck in that rut, and gaining greater awareness of what resources are (or aren’t!) available within walking distance of one’s home.
@Brian: my hat’s off to you. I lived in southern California for many years, and I can imagine what kind of uphill battle it is to be car-free/car-lite there. So whenever I encounter someone living that lifestyle in LA, I am in awe!

I have been doing 1.5 mile living for last 5 years. I live in sillicon valley. I live in a area where I have everything(grocery,restaurants,downtown,farmers market,pharmacy,shopping) within 1.5 mile radius. When I tell people that I walk to the grocery store I get crazy looks Walking for errands is still not a norm even in pedestrian friendly valley

@melissaknits: thanks for pointing out that important detail about Walk Score.  My husband told me about a business trip in Denver where he booked a hotel because it seemed to be walking distance from his meeting site, as the crow flies…only to discover that it was nearly impossible for a pedestrian to get across or around the freeways and railroad tracks separating the two locations!  Big box vs. local retail is a consideration for many.  I try to strike an imperfect balance between driving less, patronizing small local retailers, and taming my need to buy things in the first place!
@Vaishali: good to see you here…as you know, we are Silicon Valley “neighbors”.  My friends report that some areas of the valley are definitely less pedestrian-friendly than others, so I feel fortunate that both of us are in neighborhoods that are somewhat more compatible with the walking lifestyle!
@Nancy: thanks for the reminder on bike safety.  I’ve even plastered my bike helmet with reflective tape to make myself extra visible!
Â
Â
Â
 

@Mary: Thanks for the tip - strangely, I hadn’t even considered the idea of one-mile-radius at the workplace, but your suggestion makes perfect sense!

Yes, this concept is about being more conscious and seeing what you CAN do.
Certainly living out in the country means you can’t walk to stores (though some people may be able to cycle during all or part of the year). I had a boyfriend who had a big attitude about car ownership, and he could never understand that a car could be much more of a necessity for a rural family. He also didn’t understand how much more my mother planned her shopping trips into town, so that one didn’t have to go in as often. And yes, we could walk out to the garden in the summer and get some vegetables.
We also:
- conserved water (you only have so much water in your cistern or your well!)
- froze our own food for the winter (very work intensive, and we don’t anymore)
- re-used a ton of things (that’s one thing having more space in your home can do for you — I can’t store things for re-use as much in my smaller urban dwelling)
- had networks for hand-me-downs (clothing, books, toys, furniture)
- used no pesticides or fertilizers on our lawn and did not water our lawn (when there is so much lawn, you just can’t, it would be a losing battle to have a “perfect” lawn to begin with, let alone the environmental impact). We did have so much lawn that you needed a riding mower, which is regrettable…
- knew our neighbours well
- conserved energy by being careful about leaving on lights and appliances, etc (it’s my family’s old farming and survive-the-depression-ere impulses at work)
There are always pros and cons to where you live, and certainly some of these ideas are better sometimes for one kind of living than another.Now that I live in an urban area, I try to adapt what I can from my upbringing and also put into place those things that can work so well in an urban environment!

Just found your blog, I have been living this way for about 8 years or so. Ever since I moved from a remote rural location, 12 miles from anything to a house in a small city that’s a 1 mile walk from downtown and even closer to the gym, my dentist, a mini-mart, health food store, bike store, et al. I have been telling my friends about my “philosophy” for years; about only shopping or giving my business to shops and services within a 1-mile radius of my house. They all think I’m a bit eccentric and give me a bad time about my “regionalist” attitude but started to see the beauty of this idea especially when gas prices went up. I am very committed to living this way forever… it just makes so much sense. I do drive a Prius but try to walk and bike every where that I can.

@Nana: I’m encouraged that you’ve been able to make the one-mile plan work in your situation!  Not only that, but also how you are open about it with your friends, despite their gentle (or not-so-gentle?) skepticism!
@tahoedan: Thanks for sharing this article with your friend - it was really nice of your friend to mention this article on the blog, and I think your friend even lives in the same part of the country as me!  Here’s the blog article: http://greenanyday.blogspot.com/2009/01/one-mile-radius-challenge.html