One thing in the tiny house movement that I hope will improve in the future is the narrow demographics of people able to live in them. Sure, it isn’t too terribly hard to find cheaper building supplies at reuse stores, but that can be dangerous. It isn’t always easy to tell when wood is starting to rot. On top of that, many people have work and families and can’t afford the time it takes to build a tiny house. There are people who build tiny houses and sell them, but those are all very expensive as well. I believe that with any forward movement, it is important to make sure everyone can be a part of it. Lower income families are often the most affected by climate change. When droughts occur, many of the upper classes lawns stay green while some people are struggling to have enough drinking water.
There are several tiny house communities being built or have been built for the homeless. I think that this is a great step in the right direction for this movement. One community in particular that comes to mind is the Impossible City project in Seattle, WA. Sawhorse Revolution, a group that provides high schoolers with building and carpentry knowledge from architects and builders, is in charge of the project.
I think we ought to continue the revolution in a direction in which everyone can be involved. If someone wants to help make a change in the environment by living in a more sustainable house, they should be given the tools to do so. Using Indiegogo like Sawhorse did was a good idea. Perhaps some non-profits could form that aid people in building more sustainable houses and more sustainable communities. It’s a multi-faceted problem, but it’s one I think we should be thinking about.
-Izzy
tiny house, tiny waste 