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Raising Our Children, Raising Ourselves by Naomi Aldort

from Natural Life, May/June, 2007
Small is Beautiful
Living in less space can be good for the Planet
as well as for your bank account
by Wendy Priesnitz

I grew up in the 1950s and ’60s living in a small, two-bedroom bungalow where multiple uses of space were common and privacy was minimal. As an adult, some of the happiest years of my life so far were when my husband and I lived and worked in a 500-square-foot apartment with a wall of south-facing windows. Maybe that’s why I’ve never been attracted to those multi-bedroom, multi-bathroom, increasingly large mansions that so many North Americans aspire to – even as the average North American family size is decreasing. 

In most of the world, micro-homes are the norm because land is expensive and scarce and extended families are used to sharing their lives, living spaces and other resources. Even new homes in places like Tokyo are built on lots the size of many Western front yards. And now, there is a rising interest in compact dwellings here in the land of wide open spaces, where building big has been possible, so we have done it...and become used to it, even addicted to it. Like so many other lifestyle addictions, this one has caused us to hit a wall and many people are looking for antidotes in the smaller living spaces with tiny footprints that are popping up amongst the “McMansions.” 

Big houses cost big money and many people of my generation are choosing to downshift, taking early retirement, switching careers in mid-life and generally acting on a desire for simpler, more effective living. As a result, many of us are “right-sizing” our living spaces, redirecting our financial resources away from big mortgages and toward our dreams. At the same time, many young people are having a harder time than their parents did getting established in careers, and are therefore finding that small houses and minuscule condos fit their economic conditions just fine. 

Big houses are also resource-hungry. With the current blossoming of concern about the environment, reducing the energy consumption of our houses is, for many people, a personal step towards reduction of the greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. And, according to many experts, one of the best ways to reduce a house’s energy consumption is by decreasing its size.

Writing in the Journal of Industrial Ecology (Winter/Spring 2005), Environmental Building News editors Jessica Boehland and Alex Wilson note that a small house built to only moderate energy performance standards uses substantially less energy for heating and cooling than a large house built to very high energy performance standards. They also point out that as house size increases, more land is occupied, increased impermeable surfaces result in more storm-water runoff and construction resource use increases. 

Aside from saving resources, there are other ecological advantages to living in a small space. An obvious one is the need to own fewer possessions and therefore to consume less. Another advantage is that if you are...

To read the rest of this article, subscribe to Natural Life's online edition.

Wendy Priesnitz is the Editor of Natural Life Magazine and a journalist with over 30 years of experience. She has also authored nine books. Visit her website.

Tumbleweed Tiny Houses

This 300 square-foot home from California-based Tumbleweed Tiny House Company represents the confluence of luxury and simplicity. The kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and storage are relegated to the ends of the structure, leaving the central area wide open. Stainless steel countertops, fireplace and other details contrast with the pine-ply interior. The exterior is clad in hot-rolled steel.

Tumbleweed Tiny Houses

Tumbleweed Tiny House Company designer (and tiny house dweller) Jay Shafer estimates this building can be built for $20,000 (not including price of lot and using some reclaimed materials.)


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