In the quest to implement more sustainable lifestyles, ASU students could soon be joining Phoenix resident Greg Peterson in a new trend: urban farming.

If values were roads, Peterson would live on the corner of Green Boulevard and Extreme Avenue. His work blends an unshakable determination with a love for the environment and personal health that could be described as unhealthy.

“It’s a grassroots movement,” Peterson said. “What I do is extreme — that’s who I am.”

Peterson hosts the TV show “Smart Spaces, Inside and Out,” a green-oriented home building show and founded the Phoenix Permaculture Guild, an educational organization that focuses on sustainable living.

He said he began gardening as a child and now lives on a small farm in north-central Phoenix.

Surrounded by Birkenstocks and ponytails, Peterson gave a two-hour green discussion at Changing Hands Bookstore at Guadalupe Road and McClintock Drive Monday night.

At the forefront of the conversation was urban farming, a new trend picking up speed in green circles. Urban farming involves growing food inside a city to supplement or even replace the need to shop at grocery stores.

Thousands of acres of farmland must be cultivated to feed a city, creating a huge environmental footprint, Peterson said.

“Micro gardeners” reduce their city’s environmental footprint, he said. Eating locally eliminates the need to truck in food, saving gasoline and reducing carbon emissions.

Crops on rooftops could cool a city, an important consideration here in the Phoenix heat island, he said.

Peterson, who received his bachelor’s degree from ASU in 2004 and his master’s in 2006, praised ASU’s progress in sustainability and President Michael Crow for his School of Sustainability — a comment that drew some groans from the anti-establishment crowd.

In addition to the publicity surrounding the School of Sustainability, ASU Barrett Honors College residence hall, Irish C, contains a student sustainability community.

Students living there monitor their energy consumption and work to reduce their environmental impact.

Mark Reineke, a psychology sophomore, signed up for the sustainable community last semester and now lives in Irish C.

“It’s more about being aware,” he said. “A lot of it has to do with saving energy.”

Foremost for Reineke, the community is a chance to gather like-minded students together for a common goal.

Flyers for vegetarianism and veganism line the walls and clothing hangs on lines to save energy on dryers. Some of the residents have expressed interest in building a garden.

Peterson said helping the planet is about choices. “Simple choices like ‘Do I want to take a bag to the store or use a plastic bag?’” he said.

However, these small choices become more complicated.

Peterson spent more than 30 minutes explaining the intricacies of water-bottle use. Plastic bottles that leach into potable water are a big concern for Peterson. He chooses to drink from only glass and stainless-steel water containers.

Other choices Peterson talked about involve saving and storing rainwater or even shelling out cash for a hybrid car. According to Peterson, it boils down to commitment.

No green activity should be taken on grudgingly, he said.

“The main rule for my living green is there’s no suffering,” Peterson said. “It’s all about incremental changes. I stepped into it slowly.”

Reach the reporter at channing.turner@asu.edu