Did you know that 60 million Americans live in neighborhoods that are governed by homeowner’s associations and have to abide by architectural control covenants?  These covenants typically contain specifics about the the exterior look of your home, may allow only a certain color palette, a particular roof color, only a certain material and size in fencing, and even exact numbers of inches of mulch you need around your bushes.  Before doing any renovations, people in these neighborhoods typically have to submit their plans for approval, especially if it is deviating from what they currently have.

Emerging eco-realities, however, have muddied the waters a bit, so to speak, and HOAs nationwide are being faced with questions about everything from pervious pavement instead of solid concrete for replacement driveways, to solar panels or  “Cool Roofs” (which are more energy efficient but may be lighter in color than what’s allowed), to “solar dryers”–yep, good ole-fashioned clothes lines.  Oh, and let’s not forget backyard chickens, using recycled materials for fences and play equipment, saying no to drugs on the lawn, and adding visible rain barrels at downspouts. Want to help your HOA “get with the times”?  Here are some hints for helping them see the light regarding solar (this is where I found this photo) Not in an HOA?  No problem.  Choices abound for what’s possible to make your home more eco-savvy.  Here are some ideas:

* Pervious pavement (also called permeable and porous) lets rainwater infiltrate the ground, rather than pour off as runoff, picking up oil and toxins along the way.  Here are some more ways to keep rainwater from becoming runoff.

* Native landscaping reduces the need for pesticides and herbicides and is more drought-tolerant.  And, by the way, “native landscaping” doesn’t mean rocks and cacti!  It’s what’s native where you live.  Here is a photo from a landscaper in Michigan that features plants native to that part of the country.

* Fence materials have come a long way.  I particularly like fences made out of recycled milk jugs (and, FYI, so does Ed Begley, Jr.–that’s what he has in front of his house in Los Angeles).  What’s wrong with this?  Well, if your HOA currently requires fences to be made of wood, then everything.

* And finally, let’s just let it all hang out here.  The laundry, that is.  If you live somewhere with cooperative weather, then it seems awfully silly and downright wasteful to be running that clothes dryer.  I’ve looked at dozens of clothes line options but the one that knocks my socks off and makes me feel hopeful about the ingenuity of humanity (okay, fine, maybe I’m overstating this a bit) is this artistic wonder:

Want something more affordable, and more like you remember from when you were a kid?  Check out the “outdoor clothes dryers” here.  Don’t you have an immediate memory when you look at the photo below?  My friend Mary’s family had one of these. Gosh, I wonder how Mary is doing . . .

Check out Kudzu for service professionals to install solar panels, a new driveway, or a fence.  Legal trouble with the HOA over that new cistern you installed?  Yes, Kudzu even has lawyers.