“Every human has four endowments - self awareness, conscience, independent will, and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom… The power to choose, to respond, to change.” - Stephen Covey
Veering away from tradition through the creation of self-sufficient homes
Shannan Hill
June 7, 2017
Imagine a day when the oil reserves dry up, the power grids of major cities break and most of the world goes into chaos. This may seem absurd, but some day in the future, humans will face a problem similar to this, where these needed resources for the household can no longer be depended upon. The answer to this imposed problem lies within self-sufficient homes, which includes thinking outside of the box by using creative and sustainable strategies. This solution of household independence will allow a feeling of peace for homeowners, as well as a feeling of control over the future of their home.
Homeowners with self-sufficient homes use unique and sometimes renewable strategies for electricity, water systems, heating and composting. Energy sources may include biomass (solar) and wind power, as well as alternative sources that work when the wind or the sun is not available, such as a generator. Biomass was Canada’s third largest source of electricity generation according to the Government of Canada website, proving the growing interest in this renewable source of power. ("About Renewable Energy.") Since these alternatives are self-sufficient once setup, it gives homeowners a sense of control on the electricity in the home. Water systems can become independent through the collecting of rainwater for watering the lawn or washing the car, and by using water storage tanks that collect potable water. These systems allow a homeowner’s water bill to quickly decrease and will always be available to them as long as there is water, compared to towns who sometimes run out of water supply for customers. Heating of the home involves wood-burning stoves or geothermal energy systems, providing homeowners with reliable sources of heat compared to fossil fuels which will run out eventually. Finally, there is composting that encompasses outdoor composting and vermicomposting which is breaking down organic waste by using worms. Both methods of composting offer homeowners a way to get rid of compost without relying on disposal companies and a source of fertilizer for growing efficient gardens. These self-sufficient strategies offer people alternatives to relying on companies for what is needed for the home, providing them with satisfaction that they are able to do all of this independently.
Creating an independent and sustainable home has multiple negative implications to consider. First of all, strategies such as water tanks, solar panels or geothermal heating systems can have a large cost upfront. They can range from seventy dollars to $35 000, making them out of the price range of many families. Next, they rely on factors that are uncontrollable, like the sun, wind, and rain. Since they are uncontrollable, it is difficult to say whether many of the self-sufficient home strategies would work in different parts of the globe. Finally, some solutions are displeasing to the eye, such as vermicomposting or wind turbines. This is not a huge reason for some people, but many appreciate having a neat looking property which could be disrupted by these self-supporting options. All of the issues created by implicating self-sustaining aspects into the home certainly must be considered.
Now that the negatives are listed, it is crucial to also talk about the positives. Some of the strategies are immensely expensive in the beginning, but they actually save money in the long run compared to traditional energy sources such as petroleum. This is mostly due to the reduced prices or grants awarded from the government that encourages households to switch over to clean, renewable energy. Having a self-sufficient home increases the chances of survival in crisis’, making these types of homes a more appealing option for many. If an incident occurred where entire cities lost power or rivers that supply water went dry, self-supporting households would have the immense advantage of creating its own power and accumulating its own water. Another positive aspect of self-sufficient homes is their minimal carbon footprint created on Earth. Because self-sufficient homes do not rely on traditional and typically harmful sources of energy, they hurt the environment considerably less. Overall, these types of homes bring many positive details to consider as well.
In the future, the excitement of self-supporting homes will either continue rise as they offer renewable energy sources and are vital in cases of survival, or they will slowly decline similarly to other trends due to their hefty cost upfront and uncontrollable needed factors like the sun. Although, the world will eventually run out of what people are dependent on, such as fossil fuels and clean drinking water, so the human race may have no choice other than to go the way of self-sufficient housing.
Veering away from tradition through the creation of self-sufficient homes
Shannan Hill
June 7, 2017
Imagine a day when the oil reserves dry up, the power grids of major cities break and most of the world goes into chaos. This may seem absurd, but some day in the future, humans will face a problem similar to this, where these needed resources for the household can no longer be depended upon. The answer to this imposed problem lies within self-sufficient homes, which includes thinking outside of the box by using creative and sustainable strategies. This solution of household independence will allow a feeling of peace for homeowners, as well as a feeling of control over the future of their home.
Homeowners with self-sufficient homes use unique and sometimes renewable strategies for electricity, water systems, heating and composting. Energy sources may include biomass (solar) and wind power, as well as alternative sources that work when the wind or the sun is not available, such as a generator. Biomass was Canada’s third largest source of electricity generation according to the Government of Canada website, proving the growing interest in this renewable source of power. ("About Renewable Energy.") Since these alternatives are self-sufficient once setup, it gives homeowners a sense of control on the electricity in the home. Water systems can become independent through the collecting of rainwater for watering the lawn or washing the car, and by using water storage tanks that collect potable water. These systems allow a homeowner’s water bill to quickly decrease and will always be available to them as long as there is water, compared to towns who sometimes run out of water supply for customers. Heating of the home involves wood-burning stoves or geothermal energy systems, providing homeowners with reliable sources of heat compared to fossil fuels which will run out eventually. Finally, there is composting that encompasses outdoor composting and vermicomposting which is breaking down organic waste by using worms. Both methods of composting offer homeowners a way to get rid of compost without relying on disposal companies and a source of fertilizer for growing efficient gardens. These self-sufficient strategies offer people alternatives to relying on companies for what is needed for the home, providing them with satisfaction that they are able to do all of this independently.
Creating an independent and sustainable home has multiple negative implications to consider. First of all, strategies such as water tanks, solar panels or geothermal heating systems can have a large cost upfront. They can range from seventy dollars to $35 000, making them out of the price range of many families. Next, they rely on factors that are uncontrollable, like the sun, wind, and rain. Since they are uncontrollable, it is difficult to say whether many of the self-sufficient home strategies would work in different parts of the globe. Finally, some solutions are displeasing to the eye, such as vermicomposting or wind turbines. This is not a huge reason for some people, but many appreciate having a neat looking property which could be disrupted by these self-supporting options. All of the issues created by implicating self-sustaining aspects into the home certainly must be considered.
Now that the negatives are listed, it is crucial to also talk about the positives. Some of the strategies are immensely expensive in the beginning, but they actually save money in the long run compared to traditional energy sources such as petroleum. This is mostly due to the reduced prices or grants awarded from the government that encourages households to switch over to clean, renewable energy. Having a self-sufficient home increases the chances of survival in crisis’, making these types of homes a more appealing option for many. If an incident occurred where entire cities lost power or rivers that supply water went dry, self-supporting households would have the immense advantage of creating its own power and accumulating its own water. Another positive aspect of self-sufficient homes is their minimal carbon footprint created on Earth. Because self-sufficient homes do not rely on traditional and typically harmful sources of energy, they hurt the environment considerably less. Overall, these types of homes bring many positive details to consider as well.
In the future, the excitement of self-supporting homes will either continue rise as they offer renewable energy sources and are vital in cases of survival, or they will slowly decline similarly to other trends due to their hefty cost upfront and uncontrollable needed factors like the sun. Although, the world will eventually run out of what people are dependent on, such as fossil fuels and clean drinking water, so the human race may have no choice other than to go the way of self-sufficient housing.