How big does your house NEED to be?

It is my hope to help introduce people into a new way of living. The way we do things now will not sustain our planet. The good news is there are better ways of doing things. I hope to touch on more of these areas soon.

Today I want to talk about size of residence.
How much space do you really need?

The average American house size has more than doubled since the 1950s; it now stands at 2,349 square feet. Whether it's a McMansion or a bigger, cheaper house in the exurbs, the move toward ever large homes has been accelerating for years. Unfortunately so has the population- of the earth!


Are there spaces in your home that never get used? Places just for "show" or because your house is supposed to have a family room, great room, game room, whatever the case may be?
I would like to propose a different viewpoint. That part of your home you aren't using is costing you energy to heat, cool, power, and clean, not to mention furnish.


So much less space is actually required for us to function. I, for one, am a big fan of multi-purpose spaces. Your "living room" can easily be an office, den, bar, guest bedroom, and center of the home.

Kitchens? Lets just say I'm not much of a cook. There are a few things I can make but I have realized that there are many other people out there, just like me, who are running a full size old fridge to house 1 pitcher of tea, mustard, and one empty ice tray in the freezer. Appliances and kitchens for people that barely use them can be very small.



There are even more appliances available to furnish homes like these, and power them for a lot less!

It is the smallest priority for me personally in a home. I see a lot of space that could be used for
other things.





Need a huge bedroom?

Why? As long as you have sufficient storage space, you really need a space for your bed and a few comforts. Face it, your bedroom is for the BED. Why not create spaces that you really love elsewhere in the home, or outside of the home, for that matter to enjoy and relax in? Remember the family on Little House and the Prairie? The kids slept in a loft above the main rooms. It worked fine for them and many other families as well. I really love this idea for a kid's room.

There is an entire movement of people who believe in living in smaller homes, and sustainable movements as well. I hope to help merge the two.


www.tinyhouseblog.com

www.thistinyhouse.com

www.greenandsustainablehomes.org

Living in this way- I hope to show that a community center, that houses many of the not often used elements of the home, will reduce the size and footprint of each individual home and create a sense of community.


Questions? Comments?

Back to the Blog!

Your Sustainable Station blogger is back, and short one faithful reader-(my mother Cecilia Price), but the time to move forward has come. She supported my dreams and hopes for making sustainable communities become reality, so the work must begin.

There are several key topics when it comes to the sustainable housing I want to build.

The community will:

• Use planet friendly building products
• Be affordable
  
• Handicap accessible plans
  
• Renewable energy utilized
• Rainwater collection and gray water systems used
• Garden and greenhouse space available
  
• Community center for multiple use spaces
  
• Bike friendly
• On-site recycling and composting for minimal waste.

I will address each item in turn and keep you updated on our community as it forms.

Thanks for your patience!

A car that runs on Air?

I Stumble!(d) across this article on the AIRpod car today. It was too cool not to share! Imagine the possibilities of having transportation that runs on Air?! If they incorporated solar energy to run the heating and cooling like the new Prius will, these could be the wave of the future. The article is worth a browse.

Also, since I mentioned it, if you haven't tried StumbleUpon yet, try it! It is a way to channel surf the internet for things that you are specifically interested in. It also allows you a place to save the pages and share with other people. I've really enjoyed it so far! It even has a handy toolbar to access its features. Happy browsing to you! If you want to see what I've been checking out add Tawanda19.

Station Break

We interrupt this blog to bring you an important message.

Robin is currently unavailable to write due to a sudden serious illness in the family. Please stay tuned for sustainable news updates as she will be writing when she gets a chance.

Flat roof options?

Lately I have been pondering how to work the roofs on my sustainable home designs. Originally I had just planned on the standard slanted roof model but am now considering the benefits of flat roofs. You can just do so much more with them.



Aside from adding usable space to the interior of a small space, you can use the space above as well. A deck can be built on top of the structure, or if you have it in a stationary location- a green roof is a wonderful option!


With appropriate waterproofing and gutters in place for run-off this roof will absorb the sun and keep temperatures low in the home, help digest excess co2 floating around, and can even provide you with a spice and/or vegetable garden for home-grown flavors! As for the grass? I think I'd rather have a roof I didn't have to mow. But if I did-I'd use one of these

If you would like, you could also opt for a solar panel roof covering that would allow in light through the day for interior day-lighting as well as power production! Like the Sanyo Hit Double panels that absorb light from both sides of the panel! They also allow 15% sunlight to shine through. What a wonderful product. You can find out more about it at Tiger Green Power, LLC under the featured product!

There are just so many options...I can't wait to start putting the designs into practice!

Windmills that produce water

Dr. Max Whisson has found a way to extract vapor from the air to turn it into water, while powering the operation by wind. This could be invaluable to developing nations that trudge untold miles just to bring water to their homes for use. I'm excited to see what comes next with so many people putting ideas into action!

Plastic Bag Fallout

Ever wonder what happens to those plastic bags after they float out of our lives? They float into the lives of the sea creatures.


Take a moment to look at this short slide show to learn more about the dangers they produce.


Have you tried to use cloth bags instead? Many stores offer them for just $1.oo

We can make a difference. One person at a time!