Thoughts of Sustainable Living

I've been thinking more and more lately about sustainable living.  By "sustainable", I mean existing on this planet in ways that do not waste precious resources like water, electricity, and basically anything that comes from the earth.

For now, I take a bunch of items such as plastic bottles, glass, and plastic bags to be recycled once a week.  Anything I don't use I donate to Goodwill for someone else to utilize.  I've quit driving to the gym in favor of walking and riding my bike in my neighborhood.  I take quick showers, and I'm thinking of planting a small vegetable garden.  These are tiny baby steps in my life that I take to live more harmoniously and less selfishly in this world. 

I've been thinking more and more about other teeny, tiny steps I can take. 

The other day, I found this .  .  .

Jay Shafer is a visionary.  His adorable Tumbleweed home is the antithesis of the large, spacious buildings that are more highly favored here in America and most other places.  It makes me think of folks who live in sprawling mansions and with multiple bathrooms and a good bit of unused space.  It seems like a colossal waste of space, energy, and time.  The effort applied towards maintenance alone must be quite taxing.

His small homes may be on the extreme end, but at the very least, it brings up a good point about not using up more space than you need.  Is a huge house for only one or two people really necessary?  I would understand a need for more space with a family of five or if you run a business out of your home, but otherwise, why use up and consume more than you need?  It would open up the opportunity for smaller mortgage and utility payments.  Jay's designs also show how a smaller home can still be quite beautiful. 

Since I am a tiny Asian person, I can envision myself living in one of these, though I'd want to fit a little, itty, bitty piano in there somehow. 

So cute .  .  .

They're really quite gorgeous. 

Here's a tour by Jay Shafer himself .  .  .

All of this gives me much to think about.  I salute you Mr. Shafer .  .  .

If I could ever create a vision for our future, one that involves sustainable living that is harmonious with our natural environment, I don't think it could get better than this .  .  .

 

Sigh.