Insights September 29th, 2015
Where will we live in the future? We could move to the seas, or we could just optimize how we live on the land. Architects over the past couple of decades have been challenging the idea of creating living spaces with large amounts of spaces and using modern building materials. As we run out of land we will need to think about creating places for our families so that we can live together happily and in sustainable communities.
In The Future of Living: Earthships and Tiny Homes we look and Earthships and Tiny Homes, and even find an an amazing home here in British Columbia.
Earthships
On the desert mesa of New Mexico, miles from the nearest town of Taos (pop. 5,700), shelters rise from the earth, half-buried and covered in adobe. These accommodations are called “Earthships” – the brainchild of architect Mike Reynolds in the 1970s- they’re nearly completely self-sufficient homes: no electrical grid, no water lines, no sewer.
The Greater World Earthship Community is about 70 passive solar homes built from earth and trash on 633 acres. In this video, Tom Duke, a former Volleyball pro, takes us on a tour of his home, his original “Earthship survival pod”, the “nest” (USD$50,000 studio apartment), the “Simple Survival Earthship” (aimed mainly at the developing world), a custom home designed to feed a family of four (including a tilapia pond in the greenhouse) and the “BMW of Earthships”, the “Global” (aimed at the typical American family).
You can see more about Earthship Biotecture at earthship.com and and see how they are more optimal living spaces.
Tiny Homes
Many North Americans crave multi-thousand square foot accommodations. It’s a status symbol. It’s perceived comfort. But at what cost?
TV producer and Internet-video personality Kirsten Dirksen took a journey to visit the tiny homes of people searching for simplicity, self-sufficiency, minimalism and happiness by creating shelter in caves, converted garages, trailers, tool sheds, river boats and former pigeon coops. It’s a direct affront to the way we’ve been led to believe is the best way to live life.
She travels to California (Sonoma County, San Francisco, Sausalito); New York City; Hawaii; France (Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, Grezille, Puy-Notre-Dame, Bordeaux); Spain (Barcelona, Ibort, Vall de Laguar) in search of those people that call tiny houses their homes.
And, the Teeny Greeny is the place for Rob Greenfield. Off the grid, tiny house life, in the city! Without a debt or bill to my name! This is an updated tour of my place that covers all of the most frequently asked questions. www.RobGreenfield.tv/TheTeenyGreeny
The Hemloft
The HemLoft is a self-funded secret creation that was built on crown land in Whistler, BC, Canada. It hangs on a precipitous slope, in a towering stand of hemlocks, about a five minute walk from the nearest road. More information about this can be found at thehemloft.com.
***
Nikolas Badminton is a world-respected futurist speaker that researches, speaks, and writes about the future of work, how technology is affecting the workplace, how workers are adapting, the sharing economy, and how the world is evolving. He appears at conferences in Canada, USA, UK, and Europe. Email him to book him for your radio, TV show, or conference.