Can the Tiny Housing Movement Help Save the Planet?

Today is the 30th World Population Day. This global holiday started on July 11th, 1987 when the world population approximately hit 5 billion people.

Now, on the 30th anniversary, our World population is around 7.6 billion people. BBC News says, by 2100 the world is projected to have a population of 11.2 billion people. 

Our global society (especially richer countries) is fueled by consumerism, and that is leading to overconsumption of our world's resources. According to research conducted in 2000 by SERI (Sustainable European Research Institute),

"Humans today extract and use around 50% more natural resources than only 30 years ago, at about 60 billion tonnes of raw materials a year. -- On average, an inhabitant of North America consumes around 90 kilograms (kg) of resources each day." The equivalent of about 198 lbs. per day! 

The amount of weight we consume in 2017 is higher and is predicted to keep increasing if we don't start to work towards positive changes as a global society.

via academia.edu

Living more sustainably doesn't mean you need to give up all your modern comforts or break the bank. Biologicaldiversity.org has a list of 12 ways to live more sustainably. 

​In SERI's research conducted in Europe, 31% of their resource consumption came from housing and infrastructure. 

One sustainable living trend that has gained popularity in the last few years is the tiny housing movement. 

via academia.edu

via Cameron Huddleston/Go Banking Rates

Tiny houses come in all styles and range in size anywhere from 100 to 500 square feet. Because of tiny houses size it cuts way down on overall costs and resources to build and maintain them. Let's explore some of the beneficial impacts tiny housing can have on the world. 

Via Zillow

Consume Less Natural Resources

CO2 emissions are one of the main causes of global warming. Tiny House Build provides detailed stats on the difference in CO2 levels between an average home and the average tiny home. For the full infographic with all the stats head to Tiny House Build.

Average Home

• Square footage: 2,598
• Takes 7 trucks of lumber on average to build the average size house.
• Has an average of 45 lightbulbs in the home, consuming 639 kwh/year
• Combined average use of electricity, cooling and heating, resulting in 28,000 lbs CO2 emitted per year. 

Average Tiny Home

• Square Footage: 186
• ​Takes 1/2 a truck of lumber on average to build a tiny home.
• Has an average of 6 lightbulbs throughout the home consuming 85 kwh/year
• Combined average use of electricity, cooling and heating, resulting in 2,000 lbs CO2 emitted per year. 

Students at Laney College in Oakland, California built a "net-zero, solar-powered" tiny home for a competition.​ Named "The Wedge" it's designed to create as much energy as is used in the home. It's solar panels supply most of the homes energy. They also thought about California's issue with water scarcity and put a compost toilet in the house that uses greywater. Read the full article about The Wedge.

---

Uses Less Resources to Build & Cuts Back on General Day-to-Day Consumption. 

Helps minimize the impact on the environment, because tiny homes require far less materials to build than a typical home. With less wood being used, It lessens the impact on the forests and the wildlife that inhabit them.

With overconsumption of resources on the rise, living in a tiny home is a responsible way to cut back. Because they average in size from 100-500 sq. ft., tiny home owners can't frivolously buy things they don't need, which in turn helps lower their day-to-day consumption. 

Environmentally Friendly Materials

A main benefit to building tiny is being able to afford higher quality building materials. Because of the homes small size, people can afford to get really creative with the materials they use to build these tiny houses. Many tiny house owners are using environmentally friendly materials to build their homes. 

Reclaimed, salvaged, and palm wood are the most environmentally friendly woods to use because no trees are unnecessarily cut down.

Another alternative is bamboo. Bamboo has the durability of wood and grows extremely fast so it doesn't having a detrimental impact on the harvesting of forests. 
​

Via Tesla

Tesla's new solar roof tiles are stronger than typical roof tile shingles and cost around $21.85 a tile. The Solar roof tiles also have an infinite warranty for the lifetime of the house. 

​Solar panels are commonly used to power tiny houses. Online you can even buy affordable DIY solar panel kits. ​

Ditch the Mortgage Payment.

There is no doubt that living "tiny" is more affordable, than a traditional 2,000 sq.ft. home. America is going through an affordable housing crisis, especially in bigger cities. Tiny housing and urban micro apartments allow individuals a more affordable mortgage or to be able to purchase their home outright, something that many Americans only dream of. ​​

---

The traveler via Escape Homes

Escape Homes have model tiny homes ranging in cost from $38,600 to $78,500 and financing available. Shown above is their Traveler model starting at $66,000. 

If decreasing the cost of your living expenses and being environmentally conscious by lowering consumption of resources sound important to you, a tiny house might be the perfect solution!  

Comment below and tell me what you think about the tiny house movement!