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Small House Society News 200807

Small House Society News 200807 | 8 July 2008 | Tuesday

Dear Friend of Smaller and Simpler Living,

I know that time is precious for everyone these days, so I’ll try to keep this update short. The approximate reading time for this message is about 4 minutes. Feel free to reduce your reading time even more by skipping over topics that don’t interest you.

Border to Border Tour. The biggest news this month is the Border to Border Tour. Because of this special tour, the Small House Society conference is rescheduled for 08-08-08 in Iowa City (see below for more details).

Small House Society Conference 2008. The Small House Society Conference 2008 will be included in the Resources for Life Conference 2008 scheduled to take place on 08-08-08 (previously scheduled for July 12 and 13). Last year’s conference took place on July 7 (07-07-07) and it was a great success. Although only a small number of people attended the event locally, we had thousands of people viewing, reading about, and listening to the various presentations that were given. Please let us know in advance if you’re planning to attend this year.

Increased Interest in Smaller Living. The increased interest in simpler smaller living continues to rise and we are getting regular press inquiries and interviews from around the world — with an interview most recently by a journalist in Poland. Thousands of people from around the world continue to visit the Small House Society website on a regular basis. We believe that several factors are driving this movement right now: a housing market in decline, an economy in decline, reacting to climate related natural disasters, and a conscientiousness about doing more to reduce our negative impact on the environment.

New Newsletter Distribution and Format. Since 2002, the Small House Society newsletters have been sent out by e-mail using Yahoo Groups. As of the last installment, newsletters are posted to the web first, and then a notice is mailed out to let subscribers know that the newsletter is available online. In this way, the newsletter will be included with other Resources for Life news distributed via RSS feed technology on the Documents Page. This will allow the Small House Society message to have broader reach. This new method of delivery makes it possible to go back and make changes or corrections as needed to text or links that may have changed.

Resources for Life Website. Some of you have already noticed the new Small House Society website design which provides easier access to the rest of the Resources for Life website. Since its beginning in 2002, the Small House Society website has been hosted on the Resources for Life website, but navigation between the two sites was not easy. The new site design makes it easier to search, navigate, and manage. Some of the resource groups that are part of the Resources for Life website are complementary to the Small House Society mission, yet they don’t quite “fit” under the theme of small houses, such as the Mobile Hermitage, the Environmental Resource Group, and general articles and pages about housing.

Put Your Life on a Diet. Gregory Johnson’s new book on small living, Put Your Life on a Diet, will be available this summer and the official launch will be in Iowa City on July 11. An open house of the Mobile Hermitage is planned for that day.

Membership. Many thanks to all those who have already joined or renewed their membership to the Small House Society this year at the $5 annual level. If you’ve not done so already, please visit the membership page.

Book With Membership Payment. You’ll notice there is now an option for those donating $20 or more to receive a free copy of Put Your Life on a Diet by Gregory Johnson. There’s also still the option for those donating $30 or more to receive a free copy of Living Small by Dennis Fukai.

Thanks. I want to thank the global team of volunteers and workers “behind the scenes” who help make all this possible. I’m very grateful to the many people who continue to uphold and advance the mission of the Small House Society. Thanks again for your support. Please let me know if there is any way that the Small House Society can serve you better.

Regards,
Gregory Johnson, Facilitator
Small House Society

Internet: http://www.smallhousesociety.org
E-Mail: shs @ resourcesforlife.com (without spaces)
Postal: c/o Resources for Life, PO Box 2717, Iowa City, IA 52244-2717
Phone: (319) 621-4911

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By Greg Johnson

Greg Johnson is a freelance writer and tech consultant in Iowa City. He is also the founder and Director of the ResourcesForLife.com website. Learn more at AboutGregJohnson.com