Are you on board the tiny home bandwagon? Over the weekend there was a tiny home show on the north end of the city. We were curious to see what these little domiciles are really like, so we spent Sunday afternoon checking it out. I personally am very committed to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, growing at least a small part of my own food (which I am sometimes quite a failure at!), and overall keeping my carbon footprint as small as I reasonably can, which is one of the main reasons why I became a vegetarian several years ago. I should also mention that we have lived in a smaller than average home for many years, so we're not actually thinking of going smaller still! We like our little house. It forces us to live small and have less stuff.
I think that some people are tickled by the idea of tiny homes because they're so cute and trendy, but the overarching philosophy of small living is to consume less, which means reducing your impact on the planet in every way. And these homes really ARE tiny. Most of the people who inhabit the part of town where this show took place live in 3,000-5,000 square feet homes, with several bedrooms and bathrooms, and three-car garages in which very large vehicles reside. One of these tiny homes would fit into the living room of practically any north end Colorado Springs house. It would take an ENORMOUS change in lifestyle to switch from a house like that to a tiny home, living off the grid and growing your own food.
I read some very interesting statistics recently that reveal exactly how consumerist our society is (HERE, if you dare confront the sobering facts). The very first one on the list really jumps out at you: "There are 300,000 items in the average American home." THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND. What do you think about that? I think it's madness. We are basically conditioned to consume and consume and consume without thinking about it at all, and we pass that mindset on to our children and their children. It's such a part of our culture that we don't even question it. Do we really need more stuff? Can we not be happier with less? That's the question that the tiny home movement asks. It's worth thinking about!
This was my favorite booth in the entire show. These people had a fantastic message! Check them out HERE.
Yes! They even have a free app for your phone, if you live around here and want to be part of a small farm cooperative: localfoodcs. Search for it!
Wind and solar power, yes! If you're going to live off the grid you've got to have electricity and heat somehow!
A tiny chapel to go with all those tiny houses.
There were long lines for every home on display.
Fancy a yurt?
How about a repurposed shipping container to call home?
My second-favorite booth: small art for small homes. I love it!
I'll leave you with this thought:
I'll leave you with this thought:
3 comments:
Food for thought. The chapel particularly stands out.
I would love to attend this event.
I like the tiny homes, but I really can't see myself living in one.
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