Stadt VS Land - Where is it better to live ecologically and sustainably?

Can you live more sustainably in the city or in the country? The Environmental problems of our time are increasing and intensifying! There is no question that we need to change our lifestyle. However, people who want to avoid this change as much as possible often say things like "I live in the village, it's too difficult to live ecologically there" or "everything is paved over and dirty in the city - it's not possible to live sustainably there". So you can't really live sustainably either in the country or in the city. live sustainably?

I'm a village girl who lives in the city! In this article, I would like to compare city vs. country and compare the respective advantages for sustainable living. You will then find out where you can actually live in a more ecological and environmentally conscious way. Let's go!

Advantages of city life and disadvantages of country life for a sustainable everyday life

First, let's take a look at the aspects of sustainable living that are fundamentally easier in the city:

• New developments: New products and offers (e.g. vegan food or vegan restaurants) are often first available in the metropolises before they are then adapted in the countryside.
• Short travel distances: Sustainable offers and services are usually available right on the doorstep or at least without a long and energy-intensive journey by car.
• Availability: We have more sustainable shopping options in the city than in the countryside.
• Carpooling: Carpooling is easier to organize in the city. In the countryside, people don't live so close to each other, so the Travel to work are more difficult to reconcile.
• Öffi's: Public transportation every minute, usually in the immediate vicinity of the home, fewer people have to commute. Therefore greater dependence on the car in rural areas.
• Car-free: One car is usually enough - many people even live car free! Households in the countryside often have more than one carbecause the distances are longer and the connections are not versatile.
• Selection: The choice of leisure activities such as offline shopping and therefore more sustainable consumption options is greater in urban areas.
• Sharing: Sharing objects is also easier in the city with many neighbors than in the countryside.
• Nature awareness: Also in the city there are with parks or Urban Gardening Opportunities to actively do something for your own Environmental awareness and biodiversity.
• Living space: Apartments in cities are usually much smaller than in rural areas and therefore consume less energy per person.

People who live in the city often have a better carbon footprint because they use less space and energy.

Advantages of country life and disadvantages of city life for a sustainable everyday life

The city has done well! But there are also many advantages to living in the countryside when it comes to sustainability:

• Biodiversity: In the countryside, you have more opportunities to create a species-rich and Bird friendly garden to design.
• Homegrown: It's easier to grow your own fruit and vegetables in a small village with more garden space.
• Deceleration: Life in the countryside is slower, consumption tends to slow down a bit. City dwellers live faster, are more stressed and consume more quickly.
• Markets: The regional farmers' market is more accessible in the countryside than in the cities.
• Personal: It is also easier to establish and maintain direct contact with organic farmers in the countryside.
• Tree stand: In the countryside, it is easier to plant a tree due to the larger area.
• Composting: In the countryside with your own garden, it is easier to Create compost pile and organic waste into fertile soil.
• Consumption brake: Urban dwellers have fewer barriers to consuming more than they actually need due to oversupply. In rural areas, the opposite is true.
• Nature awareness: It is easier to maintain an appreciation of and relationship with nature in the countryside. For example, due to the better air and less land sealing.
• Close to nature: It is easier and more targeted to "implant" a love of nature in children. Environmental awareness is promoted more easily right from the start.
• Vacation travel: People from rural areas are also less likely to fly by plane due to the distance to airports - whether for business or pleasure.

Although longer journeys are necessary in the countryside, the advantages here are deceleration, regionality and a generally close proximity to nature.

City VS country - Where is it better to live sustainably now?

Presumably it is in the City easier to live more environmentally friendly. However, this is mainly due to the fact that people tend to live in smaller spaces and have short distances to a variety of leisure activities. These things make a decisive contribution to personal well-being, ecological footprint at.

But many things affect village and city dwellers alike! A vegan diet for example, can be found everywhere - and to do without plastic is not as complicated in urban areas as it is in the countryside. Where you live does play a role in the sustainability of your lifestyle. But it goes without saying that where you live is no excuse for an environmentally destructive lifestyle! Above all, it is important to start by becoming aware of the negative consequences of your own actions and to minimize them in a targeted manner.

It is also important to look to the future! The rural exodus is causing rural regions to suffer from the fact that companies and jobs are also shifting towards the cities. This additional concentration in urban areas means even longer journeys and even less diversity in the countryside. The fewer people living in the countryside, the more likely it is that the last bus line will be cancelled. So if more and more people are moving to the city - for example, because it is simply easier to live more sustainably there - then this will be even more difficult in the countryside! The urban vs. rural comparison therefore shows that it is crucial for our culture that there is a diverse life in both areas. Support measures such as "Stadt-Land-Plus" from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) are sensible measures to bring urban and rural areas closer together again.

Whether urban or rural - your attitude is important for sustainability!

Personally, I think living in a village with a large-scale connection is ideal. Despite the many advantages and disadvantages, whether it's the city or the countryside isn't really that important. It doesn't necessarily matter WHERE you live, but rather HOW you live! It's more important to simply start to engage with and understand a more environmentally friendly way of living, Why you should live sustainably at all should! When it comes to implementation, no one has to do everything perfectly.

It is crucial that people continue to develop, learn and are willing to act not alone, but as part of a larger whole. In this way, city residents can initiate appropriate projects and ensure more green spaces, for example. In cities, there is often little space left for nature, which is why it is all the more important to preserve it and create new projects. Urban trees in particular are an indispensable part of this and contribute significantly to a better climate. However, this should always go hand in hand with the city administration, in order not to create unwanted dangers. But rural dwellers can also support local farmers even more by buying regional and seasonal products or by cycling to the nearest village more often.

I hope I was able to help you a little with this city VS country comparison. Where do you find it easier to live ecologically? I look forward to your comment!

Stay sustainable,

PS.: You want to know how to get your Improve ecological footprint can? Then just take a look at the linked article. Have fun!