Woman lives in house smaller than parking spaceI tag this post under Environment due to the amount of resources utilized in keeping a large house heated/cooled, not to mention the resources spent in trying to fill up the house with things that we would otherwise not even need....
Ok...I am not suggesting we all move into small crawl spaces somewhere... just making a point. Like the lady in the 84 sq ft house is making - with her 300 things limit etc. (though some would argue that the lack of space forces her to this limit.)
Note: In the video, she says her house has a sink and a toilet but not a shower... I don't think I could live without a shower! But $6 for utility bills sounds good :)
Actually, I heard just last week of a guy in San Fransisco (don't want to name him here) who has a regular house but had utility bills last year of $45 only. And that covers all the utility required for his house AND...get this... includes what he would have spent on gas for his car to get around town. Ask how...? He drives an electric vehicle with solar panels and by doing this...not only does the sun get him around town but the excess stored electricity then feeds into his house to run his toaster etc at night! Of course, given the nature of his temperament, I would presume he has energy efficient appliances, does not waste electricity at home by leaving lights on, doesn't leave the TV on for hours in the evening and such... but still...it can be done!
Absolutely cool that one could turn what to many is a gas and resource guzzling vehicle into a source of electricity and actually pay the drivers back! There is a whole movement ...V2G...vehicle-to-grid ...(albeit a fringe and currently futuristic) to make this a more widespread norm.
More power (no pun intended) to the people who think of resourceful and visionary new ways to keep our world going with minimum impact. And woe to those that would rather see us keep our fossil fuel dependency because it means millions and billions of $s for their business interests.
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P.S. Coming soon to a dealership near you (maybe not very near you!).... the very cool looking Tesla Roadster Electric, which can go from 0-60 in 4 seconds. Looks like a car for the rich though with a $100K price tag!
P.S.S. After killing the electric vehicle (EV) (see the documentary, Who killed the Electric Car, for details!), GM and others have reinvested in EV technologies and soon there will be options for everyone to buy EVs and even plug-in hybrids. (Read Sherry Boschert's book - Plug-in Hybrids - The Cars that Will Recharge America - for more details about PHEVs...plug-in electric vehicles, which will drive the V2G revolution.)
Until then, there are already hybrids like the Prius that have changed the dynamics of the car market in the last few years. That said...having a hybrid SUV makes as much sense to me as having a 7500 sq ft Energy Star home does!
1 comment:
I love the clip about the house! Whenever I go to visit my father's house, it amazes me that two adults and two hormonal teen girls lived in such a small space and didn't kill each other. That said, my current apartment is about the size of one floor of that house, and it suits us just fine, I like to think. These cathedral ceiling, multi-floor monstrosities have done nothing but destroy a sense of community and use more resources. It gives me a sense of comfort to live so close to my neighbors, and I hope that wherever I live next, it'll be a similar situation as what I have now.
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