Is living little the wave of the future? Nearly nine out of ten Americans say they would dwell in a tiny home, given the opportunity. People have various reasons for wanting to do so, but one is how this lifestyle can minimize your carbon footprint.
The lifestyle has other advantages, including less time spent on household chores and more for doing what you love. Still, sustainability influences many to reduce their living space.
Multiple factors can affect a home’s impact on the environment, but the more square footage you have under one roof, the more power it takes to keep everything running.
Are you considering downsizing to tread more lightly on the planet? Here’s how tiny homes can make a big impact on your footprint.
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1. Reduce Emissions
Did you know that your home creates more emissions each year than your car? Your carbon footprint increases with each square foot you have to heat and cool. Furthermore, large homes use more of nearly every resource. It takes more raw materials to create the many furnishings needed to fill them, and more occupants equate to higher water use and more solid waste creation.
Tiny homes instantly lower heating and cooling needs, equating to fewer emissions during use. Furthermore, building new lets you take advantage of various energy-efficient upgrades that make even slightly larger models tread lightly on the planet. For example:
- Solar: Your home needs a roof, so install this amenity from the get-go. Although most people choose to connect to the grid, solar power is your most expedient way to go off-grid unless you have wind or water power handy on your property.
- Passive solar: When designing your home, orient living and working areas toward the south and west and use large windows to take advantage of passive solar heating.
- Improved insulation: Many older homes lack sufficient insulation, but you can choose eco-friendly and snug varieties like sheep’s wool, used denim or cork.
A site-built tiny home is only one option. While a tiny home on wheels (THOW) pulled by a conventional vehicle will produce considerable emissions during transit, you have greener options. Today’s new and improved electric trucks, like the Rivian R1T, fall outside traditional weight classifications but nevertheless have sufficient power to tow up to 11,000 pounds.
A 6×10 trailer is the ideal size for a THOW, as it falls within highway width requirements. This configuration also lets you keep the total weight low while sufficiently insulating your home for comfort. Add the right remote career and become an eco-nomad, traveling the country to participate in various environmental initiatives and bringing your lodging with you.
2. Consume Less
Space is a funny thing. It invites you to fill it. People who previously lived quite frugally often complain of lifestyle creep when their income increases and they find new expenses to match, and the same principle applies to empty rooms and cabinets. All that consumerism isn’t fabulous for the planet — it takes energy to make new products, ship them to their destinations and drive them home from the store.
It’s easy to resist the urge to splurge on a supersized pack of everything when you don’t have the storage space. Living tiny forces you to differentiate between wants and needs. Anything frivolous better spark immense joy to deserve a spot amid your limited real estate.
Such living arrangements can help parents teach their children sustainability while reducing tantrums. One-in-one-out living is easier when donating one of their old playthings is the only way to make room for the new toy they absolutely must have.
A THOW is a fabulous way for people of all ages to learn about water conservation. It’s one thing to set a timer when showering at home — going past the bell doesn’t inconvenience you much. However, the dynamic changes when lingering in the spray means depriving everyone else in the household. Dealing with fresh, gray and black water tanks will make you more appreciative of this precious fluid in a hurry.
3. Save Green, Growing Space
What if you bought someone’s old back 40 and have plenty of room to build your dream home? Going tiny is still your most sustainable option. Using that land area for growing space instead of suburban sprawl is beneficial to you and the planet in several ways:
- More plants = more oxygen: Green, growing things take in carbon dioxide and emit fresh oxygen. The more trees, shrubs and gardens the planet has, the better.
- Increased sense of security: Growing food at home makes you independent and increases your chances of survival should supply chains fail.
- Build community: Perhaps the greatest resource people have is one another. Gardening gets you out where you can meet your neighbors, and sharing a few of the fruits of your labor with them is the perfect way to make introductions and develop friendships.
- Save greenhouse space: Depending on your climate zone, year-round growing might not be possible — or is it? The bigger your greenhouse, the more you can sprout within, even as winter’s winds howl outside.
Tiny homes also make sense for communal living among extended family or even groups of friends. Many building and zoning restrictions require you to build such designs as accessory dwelling units occupying the same lot as a larger single-family home. However, you could construct several tiny homes as ADUs around a principal structure that all share for cooking and gathering or provide adult children or older family members with more private lodging than a separate bedroom.
4. Keep More Cash for Spending on Worthy Causes (Including Green Fun)
Tiny homes save on utility bills, even if you stay connected to the grid. That’s more money in your pocket each month. Furthermore, while luxury tiny homes can cost nearly as much as a traditional model, they’re still tens of thousands of dollars less expensive than installing the same features on a larger scale.
More cash in your wallet means more money to spend on environmental causes and not only through donations. You can certainly make a bigger monthly or annual gift to your favorite conservation organization, but you can also enrich yourself. For example, have you yearned for an electric bike? The cash you save on utilities alone in a tiny house can make that dream a reality within months.
Fewer expenses also mean working less to afford your lifestyle. Maybe you’ve always wanted to get involved in a community garden or join your local planning and zoning committee to advocate for greener changes but previously lacked the time. However, living tiny might let you reduce your hours enough to participate in your favorite eco-friendly passion projects.
Tiny Homes Make a Big Impact on Your Footprint
The less space your home occupies, the less energy it takes to heat and cool it — and that’s only one way living little makes you more eco-friendly. Installing green features during construction makes your tiny home friendly to the planet.
Tiny homes also help you consume less overall while decreasing your footprint. You’ll also have more time and money for your favorite sustainable pastimes, and your lifestyle may inspire others to join you in going greener.