To ensure efficiency within my "own" home, I would of course take in consideration its location, source of energy, and the environmental effects it has on the environment. Firstly, I would rely mostly on solar panels as an energy resource for my home. Solar panels not only use a renewable energy source, it also provides an opportunity to obtain a sustainable source of energy as well. According to Rob Callahan, both an author and scientists, solar panels use natural resources such as the the sun to produce energy for electronically use products; both decreasing my households footprints and economically. The ideal location for my home would be within a local community in order to decrease levels of combustion used when driving. This may include buying from local grown stored or living within close proximity to one. That being said, school/work would be different. Local transportation is one of the most efficient ways to travel, so it would be optimal for the houses  position to coincide with environmentally friendly methods of transit. Overall, my ideal family home would lower thre amount of carbon dioxide needed to survive, helping the environment in the process.

I think that if I had my own home, it would be similar to the one that you described. I think that solar energy is a great source of energy even though solar panels can be expensive. I would live in a community that is smaller than a city but still easy to travel through. I would also have my own garden to grow things like fruits and vegetables. Instead of using public transportation, I would probably bike or walk to school or work. I think that more towns and cities should be bike friendly. If more people used bikes for transportation instead of cars, the amount of pollution on our planet would dramatically decrease. However I design my home, I would do it in a way so that I am helping, instead of harming, the environment.