Yesterday morning, the kids and I went on a field trip that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since. It was actually only the first stop in one of those crazybusyexhaustingbutfun kind of days – the kind that had us leaving the house at 9:00 AM and not returning until 6:30 PM – but it’s the stop that won’t leave my mind.
We toured a city home whose owners had transformed it into a sustainable, completely eco-friendly living space. And it was awesome. I will always hold out hope that we’ll have a nice piece of land again someday (sometimes it still befuddles me that a country girl like me wound up in a city the size of Phoenix, of all places) but yesterday’s tour reminded me that I don’t have to have a big chunk of land in order to make some huge – and hugely impactful – changes to the way we live.
On this less than 8,000 square foot plot, this family utilized:
They also had chickens; an outdoor shower; many edible, multi-functional and indigenous plants; bee blocks; a small greenhouse; rebar shade structures… and much more that I’m forgetting. The entire space was careful and deliberately designed, and nothing – not so much as a drop of rainwater – was wasted.
All right there on this little plot, in a regular old neighborhood, right in the middle of a city.
Inspiring.
I came home filled with ideas, and looking at our current housing situation with new perspective. Lately we’ve been talking about the possibility of moving again (locally) and have been sifting through our options. Unfortunately, because like so many millions of other Americans right now we are woefully underwater on our house, our options are few. We’re starting at the only place we can start, by culling our clutter, organizing our finances, and getting the house ready for someone who will really love it. When we do move (and I say “when” instead of “if” because I believe it will happen) if we can recreate even half of what this beautiful family has designed, I will be happy.
Newly accepting of all that I can do (easily) to be a bit more green, I love reading stories like this. It pushes me further and reminds me that the little changes I am encouraged to make, are just that… little. And it starts me thinking about making bigger changes, too.
My 4.5 year old however, has become a bit obsessive about saving the world (not saying that is a bad thing except that he prefers that that we do not use electricity. Like, ever.)
That actually seems kind of cool as I read what I just typed. It’s really not though, because he prefers that we do pretty much everything in the dark.
But between your post and my cohabitational version of the green police, I am pretty happy to be aware of how many things I can easily change that will make a huge difference.
That is so sweet about your son. 🙂
We lived without running water once for nine months. It wasn’t by choice (there was a major drought, and our dug well had run dry. We could have had one drilled, but we didn’t have the money…. and when we finally decided to borrow it, they were booked out for several months because so many people were having the same problem!)
Anyway, I don’t want to live without water again, but in retrospect I am thankful that it happened, because it made my husband and I both very conscientious about water conservation, and thankful for what a luxury it really is!