Reducing Your Carbon Footprint Through Tiny Living
If you asked a tiny homeowner why they chose to live tiny, they may tell you it’s a great way to save money. Or they may talk about having a sense of mobility in where they live. Low maintenance, little debt if any, and becoming self- sufficient are also awesome reasons. But maybe one of the most beneficial reasons to live tiny may be to live more environmentally responsible while reducing their carbon footprint upon the planet.
What is a carbon footprint you may ask? A carbon footprint can be defined as the amount of Carbon Dioxide we create through our life choices, consuming fossil fuels and therefore causes environmental harm.
Living in a Tiny Home, can indeed reduce your carbon footprint, but how? Here are three different ways:
Using Fewer Materials to Build
A tiny home is generally no bigger than 400 square feet in total. Compared to the traditional home, less lumber and other materials that produce a vast amount of Carbon Dioxide are produced as a result of their manufacturing. In addition, many tiny houses are made from recycled materials!
Smaller and Fewer Appliances
Because of the size of a tiny home, much consideration must be put into what appliances are used. In addition, those appliances that are found in the home are generally going to be smaller due to room restrictions. Because fewer and smaller appliances are used in the home, fewer Carbon Emissions are produced.
Less Space to Heat and Cool
Not only is it cheaper and easier to heat and cool your tiny home it also produces a smaller carbon footprint because the HVAC system (if available) does not have to work as hard or as long. Almost 80% of Greenhouse Emissions are a result of electricity and fuel consumption. If the heating and cooling system is not working overtime, it is not producing as much CO2.
Most of us enjoy living in our traditional homes where we have plenty of space and room to do as we please. Unfortunately, our traditional homes require a large amount of fossil fuel consumption to build and maintain. By choosing to live tiny, we are making a choice to take it a little easier on Mother Earth.