Recently, tiny houses have become incredibly popular due to their positive environmental impact, and sustainable design. Tiny houses are homes under 400 square feet and are specially constructed to be mobile, affordable and personal. Popular among environmentalists, minimalists, and retirees, tiny houses are becoming more common as housing prices continue to rise.
In the past two decades, the average size of houses has increased by approximately 20 percent, despite the fact that the average family size is decreasing. Moreover, housing pollution is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, commercial and residential pollution alone accounts for 12 percent of emissions in the United States. Housing also contributes heavily to electricity-based pollution, which makes up 27 percent of US emissions. Thus, the larger a home is, the greater it’s ecological footprint, as it requires more resources to construct and operate on a day-to-day basis.
Luckily, tiny houses are a wonderful green solution as they take far fewer resources to construct. Many are made from recycled/reclaimed materials such as wood, steel, and even recycled blue jeans – thus their construction is much greener.
Tiny houses help to save resources, as they require far less energy to operate. Designed to use the environment around them, many have features like large windows, which help to limit the amount of electricity used for lighting and heating. Additionally, they can be fully retrofitted with solar panels and rainwater collection systems in order to make them almost entirely self-sustaining. Thus, on average, tiny houses are much more sustainable than their regular-sized counterparts.
Moreover, tiny houses help to promote a minimalistic lifestyle – in larger houses, people often feel the need to fill up their space with material goods that they likely do not need. The limited space prevents people from purchasing unnecessary goods, as there is a lack of physical space. This promotes conscious consumption, limiting waste, and unnecessary production.
Tiny houses are clearly an eco-friendly, and more affordable alternative to traditional housing – they can be a great way to save the planet, and your wallet.
