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"The general idea is that our actions cannot jeopardize the ability of future generations to meet their needs. A down-to-earth definition is offered in the Native American advice that we must always take into account the affects of our actions on the next seven generations.

The images of homes traditionally depicted in children's storybooks are often a romanticized picture of what we imagine would be the ideal dwelling. Quite often the appearance is cottage-like. It's no wonder that children have a fascination with tree-houses, forts, and small scale play houses. Consider the following sampling of literature:

• Dr. Seuss Stories. Homes depicted in Dr. Seuss stories are quite often simple in nature.
• The Hobbit. The homes described in The Hobbit are typically built underground.
• Laura Ingalls Wilder series of "Little House" books. Perhaps the most famous of her writings was "Little House on the Prairie" which went on to become a popular television show.
• Little Red Riding Hood. The woodland homes depicted in Little Red Riding Hood are quite small.
• Sleeping Beauty. Quaint and appealing cottages make an appearance in this story.
• Swiss Family Robinson. In this story, a family gets stranded on an island and needs to build a practical and functional home out of basic available resources. Through ingenuity and cooperation, they build a tree-house of sorts.
• The Three Bears. The cottage home of the three bears is another example of simple living.
• The Three Little Pigs. The homes depicted in this storybook are of various materials (straw, wood, and brick) yet they all have a simple single floor one-room construction.
• Winnie the Pooh. The community presented in the Hundred Acre Wood is a cooperative village of neighbors who live in simple dwellings. Owl lives in a one-room tree house, rabbit has an underground home, piglet lives in the bottom of a beech tree, others live in equally simple homes.

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