By Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

It’s a good sign when instruments of change evolve from an idea (generally dismissed) to a trend (reaching selective groups) to a full-blown movement. I think of “movements like waves  - they are powerful, exciting, and hard to stop. And, movements make history.

It appears the housing shift from “Bigger is Better” to Less is More has gained ground and energy. More and more, I hear and read stories from people who are denouncing the life of working too much in order to have what, in the end, is simply, too much, accompanied by the realization that life quality is not related to quantity. With energy costs rising dramatically, some people are being drawn in by finances, but others are simply fascinated by the idea of compact dwellings. Are we cave dwellers by nature after all?

From recent NY Times article, Gregory Paul Johnson, a founder of the Small House Society, says there is more than a muse at work, citing not only a economic slowdown, but a kind of crisis of meaning. People want their lives and their time back and living smaller is one big step towards that end. Some crave “balance” while admitting that their luxury living situation was motivated by “prestige” and now feel a pull to improve their lifestyle while “walking the walk.”

Though the demand for the smallest of small (Tumbleweed Tiny House Company sells prefab homes of less than 200 square ft) is increasing significantly, most people can acheive their downsizing goals by living in a reasonable 1000 square feet of space or less.

For more information, visit my previous post here. (The above is a photo of my future home!)

LIVE SMALLER. THINK BIGGER.

Tags: lifestyle, small houses

This entry was posted on Monday, September 15th, 2008 at 5:33 pm and is filed under Eco-News, Voluntary Simplicity, environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.