Summary. As more people pursue simplicity and minimalism, the demand for smaller living spaces is on the rise. The shrinking and convergence of technology make it possible to live comfortably and abundantly in smaller spaces.

The Movement. Jay Shafer is amassing a grass-roots campaign of thousands of people to request the legalization of simpler and smaller living. Jay’s Wee Shall Overcome message is is expanded upon in a proposal to amend the International Residential Code to allow for smaller homes.

Video. In this video, Gregory Johnson discusses the problem with antiquated laws that set minimum size standards.

Summary. Below is a nice video tour by Derek Diedricksen of Relaxshacks.com showing a tiny single person camping sleeper dwelling.

You can learn how to build this by purchasing his book (available on his website). The book is nicely illustrated and features many designs and examples.

Summary. The June 2009 issue of Continental Magazine has as their Idea of the Moment feature article the story The Next Little Thing by Joe Bargmann. Below is an excerpt from the full article.

Johnson is a leading figure in the micro-housing movement. He’s a co-founder of the Small House Society (SHS) and the Small Living Journal (smalllivingjournal.com), a Web site that launched in March, as well as the author of Put Your Life on a Diet: Lessons Learned from Living in 140 Square Feet. Other co-founders of the SHS include Jay Shafer, owner of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company, which sells plans and materials for dwellings measuring between 65 and 837 square feet, and Shay Salomon and Nigel Valdez, who created the influential book Little House on a Small Planet.

The micro-housing trend, once decidedly on the fringes, has hit the mainstream, in part because of the economic downturn. People are looking for ways to live more efficiently, whether that means lowering their utility bills or spending less time vacuuming – just two of the advantages of living in a smaller house.

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Summary. Over the past ten to fifteen years, consumers have loudly spoken by purchasing smaller more efficient cars. During that same time period, numerous reports, studies, focus groups, and research projects all provided the same conclusive and incontrovertible advice: small cars are the wave of the future. This is a Small Car Society report on the decline of large vehicle manufacturers.

Good Policy. Companies like Honda and Toyota listened to consumers and responded to the needs and demands of the marketplace as well as the needs of our environment.

Poor Policy. Companies like For and General Motors were generally less responsive to the needs and demands of consumers and the environment.

Predictable Outcome. As a result, not surprisingly Honda and Toyota have done well financially while Ford and General Motors continue to be declining.

Correction Needed. This kind of behavior pattern among some automotive companies, of ignoring consumers and the environment, is not something a quick bailout will fix. For example, if an obese person has liposuction to remove fat, and then goes back to the same pattern of consumption and habits of inactivity, that person will be back in trouble again in a short period of time unless their behavior is corrected.

Strong Sell Recommendation. The Financial Resource Group in cooperation with the Small Car Society has issued a strong sell recommendation for any stocks even remotely involved in large vehicle production. Owners of larger vehicles should consider selling their vehicles as soon as possible before the bottom drops out of the market and the selling price declines sharply. According to Small Car Society Director, Gregory Johnson, “Unless your large vehicle is actually needed, and used daily for a long-term practical use, we would suggest that you sell it. Use the best tool for the job, and the best car for your actual transportation needs.”

Video Explanation. Below is a thoughtful video presentation by Al Gore regarding why small efficient cars are in demand.

Stock Price Value Charting. From a quick look at the stock value for Ford, General Motors, Honda, and Toyota during the time when small cars have become more popular, it’s easy to see how the stubborn refusal to build small cars has financially harmed the U.S. automotive industry (see charts below).

Members of the Small Car Society have been petitioning U.S. auto manufacturers for years, requesting smaller vehicles. Had U.S. auto manufacturers responded, they could have averted an economic crisis and financial harm to our national economy. They chose not to listen. Ford’s stock value has steadily declined from being almost $40 per share to now being about $6 per share. General Motors stock was worth about $80 per share and now it is worth about 85 cents per share. Companies like Honda and Toyota that listened to our advice have had seen significant increases in their stock value.

Government Funding of Failing Corporations. Because the downward financial spiral of General Motors is largely due to consumer dissatisfaction with their huge vehicles, it’s not surprising that there has been a public outcry about government funding to support the failing corporation. Below is an example of the public response (courtesy Despair.com).

ResourcesForLife.com Launches the Small Car Society

Iowa City, Iowa |12:18 PM

Summary. ResourcesForLife.com announced the launch of the Small Car Society.

After decades in development, the unveiling of the Small Car Society comes at a time when thse use of small cars is on the rise as people are seeking ways to save money and save the planet.

“Small cars represent one of the fastest growing segments in both the U.S. and around the world.” GM President and CEO Fritz Henderson [Source|Print]

The Small Car Society is best known for their Parking Ticket Relief Program. Members of the organization voluntarily pay parking meters and parking tickets for small car drivers. The program is part of an initiative lobby local city governments to allow free parking for smaller cars.

For more information, visit www.SmallCarSociety.org

Summary. The Penguin House uses very innovative engineering and architectural design to achieve a better use of space.

Through creative channeling of light, and specializing designing of walls, hallways, and windows, the home is illuminated using natural light rather than being dependent entirely on artificial lighting.

Notice in the picture here that steps are open to allow air flow and light to pass through.

Video. The National Geographic Channel provided the video tour below.

Dear Friend of Small, Simple, and Sustainable Living,

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

Open Tiny House Event. If you’ve been reading Jay Shafer’s blog, you know about his cross-country trip, the Fencl Coat to Coast Tour. Jay will be having two open house events in Iowa City. One on June 3 at 6PM (Mercer Aquatic Center), and another on June 4 at 12: 30 PM where both of our homes, the Mobile Hermitage and the Fencl, will be available for viewing and purchase (508 Melrose Court).

From last month’s newsletter posted two days ago…

The Clayton i-house. The most recent designer/builder to boldly enter the national stage has been Clayton with their i-house. [see video]

FLYP Media. There was a very nice multi-page article produced by Flyp Media. If you missed it, you’ll want to take a look.

Small House Movement Video Overview. In response to hundreds of email and phone inquires, I’ve created a simple 10 minute video that introduces the Small House Movement. A new and improved version of this video will be produced in the future in response to feedback and suggestions. Please watch the video and let me know if you have any comments.

Rocio Romero. From their latest newsletter, it’s clear that Rocio Romero is continuing to design and build art that you can live in. Take a look.

Tata Housing. The India-based company, Tata made news recently for creating the world’s first $2,500 car, the Tata Nano. It’s not a concept car. It’s an award winning vehicle that people are purchasing and driving. Now Tata has launched Tata Housing. What Tata has achieved with small cars they are now creating in the small house industry. I’ll be going to India on June 26 through July 12 and hope to learn more while I’m there.

Mobile Hermitage – Now For Sale!

The Mobile Hermitage, pictured above, is one of the homes that helped start the Small House Movement back in 2003. The Mobile Hermitage is now being offered for sale at a price of $40,000 $30,000 or best offer. Please contact us to make an offer. This is the same home that was featured on National Public Radio, Public Television, Better Homes and Gardens, and even the Oprah Winfrey show requested to have it on the show. The sale of the home will help advance the Small House Movement and make way for an exciting new development in smaller, simpler, more sustainable living.

The Small House Book. Jay’s newest book, The Small House Book, is now available on the TumbleweedHouses.com website and has received positive reviews among those who have read it. If you use our link to the TumbleweedHouses.com website, some proceeds from book and home sales will help support the Small House Society.

From previous newsletters…

Energy Efficient Construction Video. A video is now available for those interested in extreme energy savings. Take a look.

Small Living Presentation in Wisconsin. On 2 April 2009, at a conference on Temperance at Viterbo University, in La Crosse, Wisconsin, I delivered the keynote presentation on the topic of simple and small living. A complete video of the presentation (1 hour of presentation and 20 minutes of questions and answers) is available for viewing on Blip.tv and Vimeo.com.

Small Living Journal. The recent launch of the Small Living Journal at www.SmallLivingJournal.com was a huge success. The journal was launched on 23 March 2009 with it’s first issue, and since then thousands of people have visited the site and hundreds signed up for the RSS Feed. The Small Living Journal began as a simple idea put forth by Stephanie Reiley (of ComingUnmoored.com). Stephanie contacted many of the writers (and leading voices) within the small house movement; people who are regularly sharing their own small living experiences on blogs and websites. She brought these writers together, one by one, to join in a kind of collaborative writing project that would be the Small House Journal. Already admired and respected in the movement, it didn’t take Stephanie long to gather a significant base of support, and the dream became a reality. Please take a moment now to visit the Small Living Journal and subscribe to the RSS Feed.

Membership. Many thanks to all those who have already joined or renewed their membership this year at the $5 annual level. If you’ve not done so already, please visit the membership page. Your support helps us support simpler and smaller living initiatives. Thanks to all those who gave above and beyond the $5 suggested membership donation.

New Online Community. In recent months, there has been incredible growth among the small living online comunities and discussion forums. In addition to the Small House Society Online at Yahoo Groups, there is now a new Small House Society Online Community at ResourcesForLife.com with small living topics organized into sub-forums rather than a single discussion list. It’s advertising free and doesn’t require a Yahoo account. Visit the Community Information page for more information including a video tour. Other communities and discussion lists, independent of the Small House Society, include the Tiny House Yahoo Group, The Tiny House Forum by Michael Janzen, and the Tiny House Village Network. The combined membership of these groups represents thousands of people. The messages posted to the forums and lists exceed 10,000 messages. I believe this is a sign that the small house movement has reached critical mass and is about to experience rapid growth in the coming months. The Small House Society Online Community maintains an active listing of current discussion lists and online forums.

New Live Events and Workshops. As of this month, ResourcesForLife.com now offers online events, seminars, classes, workshops, presentations, and teleconferencing. Using this new technology, the Small House Society hopes to offer special live events as well as hosting collaborative meetings for the movement. More news will be in next month’s newsletter.

Media Coverage. There continues to be excellent media exposure for the movement toward smaller and simpler living. Just about every week we receive media inquires from print and television journalists around the world. Most recently the Small House Society was featured in the Financial Times of London and Shedworking (both with photos courtesy of my Fiancée, Makur). There was also a very nice article about the movement in the Economist.

Interviews. Please let me know if you would like to have your website and business featured in a video. The plan is to explore small living websites while interviewing the owner(s) about their work. The narrative can accompany a video tour of the website.

How a House is Built. The latest book from Dennis Fukai and Barbara Fukai offers a detailed and three-dimensional presentation of home construction. Learn more about How a House is Built on their website.

India Tour. In January I completed a second visit to India (from December 25 to January 15). This second trip offered an opportunity to learn more about housing and urban planning issues. I encourage you to read my full report if you didn’t yet get a chance to do so before. During this trip, I learned about a planned community called Lavasa.

Radio Interviews. Audio is now available for recent interviews with Gregory Johnson on ABC News Australia (includes Jay Shafer), National Radio in Ireland, Iowa Public Radio Book Reading/Interview, and Public Radio Interview with Ben Kieffer from February 2007. I hope to have more audio available in December.

Website Redesign. The Small House Society web pages have been significantly upgraded with new navigation links at the top of each page and the addition of a Facebook group.

Kiva Lending Team. Resources For Life now has a Kiva Funding Team. If you’ve not yet heard about Kiva, I encourage you to check it out.

Border to Border Tour. If you’ve not had an opportunity to visit the Border to Border Tour page, I encourage you to do so. The tour was an amazing success. Photos from the tour area now available. Many thanks to all those who attended the tour events and provided us with encouragement and support.

Thanks. I want to thank the global team of volunteers and contributors “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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