Sustainable Living in Mexico

The need for long-term sustainability is one of the most important concepts emerging as people begin to reflect upon their life situations and consider lifestyle changes they could embark upon.

Simplification of lifestyle is a pre-requisite of sustainability.  Complexity is expensive and it also serves to encourage barriers to long-term sustainability by creating over-dependencies, in addition to an excessive – and ultimately unsustainable – drain on limited resources.

The generations who have lived through times of plenty (and arguably, excess) appear the first to be awakening to the notion that perhaps a simpler life may proffer a more fulfilled way to live, and that less really can offer more.

Americans, Canadians and Europeans are considering living in Mexico as an integral element of a change in their lifestyles; this is already demonstrated with the significant (and growing) influx of foreign residents, and particularly those of ‘baby boomer’ age, living here full or part-time.

Places off-the-beaten-track in Mexico, which were unheard of just a decade or two ago, are beginning to emerge as desirable destinations for people seeking an alternative to the constant go-go living styles apparent in their home countries.  The middle-aged, those in their early fifties and, particularly, those who have the flexibility to move now, are actively considering their options; while younger generations are wisely making plans for their future retirement with Mexico a key short-listed destination.

Locations in Mexico which are promising to be potential hot-spots for retirees seeking simplified, sustainable living choices in the years and decades ahead include: Morelia and Pátzcuaro in the state of Michoacán; San Cristobal de las Casas in Chiapas, Merida in Yucatan, Veracruz and Campeche on the Gulf Coast, Mazatlan and Manzanillo on the shores of the Pacific, and San Felipe and La Paz on the Baja peninsula.

All these places offer rural or semi-rural settings with excellent road and/or air connections. Although they are away from the urban sprawl of big cities, they still offer key services expats seek, like healthcare, hospitals, and communications infrastructure; as well as proffering easy access to modern amenities.

A showcase example of a community development which has transformed a desert village into a thriving community is San Felipe, on the shores of the Sea of Cortes, and just a two-hour drive from US border.   El Dorado Ranch offers modern homes built to high standards as well as a ‘solar community’ land lots, offering very low cost land in Mexico which may be used for building sustainable eco-homes.  Most settled residents claim they can live off their social security checks alone, excluding housing costs.  Home sites are currently selling for sums under US$13,000.  Coupled with construction costs of c.US$70 per square foot, sustainable living is also a financially viable option.

‘Voluntary simplicity’, as sustainable living is sometimes referred to, is not about moving back into caves.  It is not about giving up innovation or technology; nor is it about living in poverty.  It is about living materially simply and taking a sincere responsibility for how we lead our lives and implement our lifestyles, taking into account our consumption and recycling practises; and how we may best plough back into our local communities and into the environments which sustain our existence.

We predict that Mexico will become one of the world’s top destinations for people seeking ways and means to simplify their lives and lifestyles, moving here to live well, but live simply.  El Dorado Ranch is the ‘tip of the iceberg’; developers are already starting to build more ‘green’ homes which re-use and recycle water and which require less electricity and gas to power them.  You can read more about the techniques being employed to accomplish this, and how you too can build or transform your home in Mexico into a more energy-efficient one, by reading our extensive guide to Eco Homes in Mexico.