The Beginnings: Part deux

Up until yesterday afternoon I had only seen the tiny house in pictures and drawings. Cedric and I went to the warehouse and I stood on the 2ftx2ft space that will eventually be our doorstep. Reality really hit me and I stood facing a space that surprised me with it's size. When we said tiny house, boy did we mean tiny! I had a moment of apprehension which was promptly flooded with excitement. Cedric showed me the windows and the wood he's found for the house and we discussed several details, including the layout of the kitchen and the dimensions of the bathroom. We plan to have workdays on the weekends when I am available to help so that I gain some understanding of the construction and what is going in to the house. Standing on the threshold of that soon to be doorstep, and my imagination, I recalled all the reasons for my choice in this venture with Cedric.

For some years now I have been coming in to an expanded awareness of my complete abhorrence of the environmentally damaging living patterns of my society. I am most interested in living off the land in a way that poses the least possible damage to the planet. A tiny house greatly reduces the footprint I make upon the world. With our goal of 90% reclaimed lumber and materials (windows, doors, fixtures, ect.) we hope to further diminish our impact by reusing materials that would otherwise go to the landfill. Our friend Rebecca is vital to this goal. We also envision the majority of the house powered with solar and wind energy, a composting toilet that requires no plumbing and the application of water catchment methods to provide a water supply. I can not imagine a better way to live up to my ideals. A smaller space is not only less of a burden environmentally but economically it is extremely frugal. No rent, hardly any bills and minimal maintenance are among other tantalizing reasons to choose this style of living.

After living and working on organic farms and realizing the impact my living makes on the land, I knew that the American style of suburban living and use of excessive resources was not what I wished for my life. I can not in good conscience continue to live in a way that destroys mother nature and my life goals include educating the next generations on the importance of changing our lifestyles. The population of the earth only continues to grow along with serious environmental impacts accompanied by resource conflicts and disastrous effects upon land and sea. I don't want to be a part of this cycle any longer. I want to wane my dependency on oil and the energy grid in this country. I find mining to be a deep offence to the earth and nuclear could be a viable and efficient option if disposal methods were properly conducted, however, we know that not to be the case. Why not use what is naturally given to us? Why not become more independent and less destructive? I can't find a reason not to so here we go, Cedric and I, on a journey to try and live a new consciousness, one that provides us with a deep sense of contentment that what we do in this lifetime reflects what we hope future generations will come to find enriching and rewarding lifestyles that respect the earth as well as provide rich experiences to the human race.