Green Ideas Take Time to Go Mainstream- Let's Get Mikey to Try It

Let's get Mikey to Try it! He Likes It! Sometimes a new concept is slow to take hold in business. Even if it makes sense and it might be good for business, no one wants to be the first to try it. Just like the classic Life cereal commercial where the two boys won’t try it because it’s good for them. They want Mikey to try it first, then they change their minds after “He Likes It!!”

Green Ideas Take a Leader To Show The Way

Sometimes, it just takes one organization to show a concept has business value. And if it’s a major corporation putting up money, then it’s not just an ad slogan.

Lennar Next Gen Home Lennar Next Gen Home In this light, it is encouraging that Lennar, one of the largest homebuilders in the country has announced its NextGenSM model – “The Home Within a Home”. The design incorporates separate living quarters – private bedroom, bathroom, sitting room and kitchenette – all within the single family structure.

While extra the space has many uses, it addresses the desire for “in-law” quarters for aging parents, which often involves separate structures, or apartments over a garage. The NextGen SM affords the privacy and independence many families want, with the enormous benefit of keeping the family together.

Floor plan Next Gen Home - A good approach to Mikey's changing family needs

As noted in our earlier article in Gray is The New Green, a green approach to our graying population benefits us all: more efficient use of land, materials, and natural resources for utilities. Plus, there is the incalculable benefit of keeping elderly parents within the family unit and not in a nursing home. Even with the separate entrance, the price tag is more affordable than having a separate structure. With its extended usefulness and flexibility as the family changes and evolves, it also becomes a better investment for the homeowner.

Lennar is to be applauded for their commitment to an innovative idea that provides us all with a payback. Homeowners win with a better investment. The elderly have a place of privacy and independence within the family. The community benefits from the efficient use of land, materials, and energy – and having senior members in our lives. So, just as Mikey tries it and “He Likes It”, more families will be demanding green designs like the NextGenSM.

Written by Debb Janes, EcoBroker/Realtor® & Bernard Stea, JD, Broker

Call today for more information about Green Homes in Clark County, WA. We also offer solution oriented advice for changing family needs in housing.