I’m a little obsessed with little living spaces — probably because I like my own small apartment despite the general American trend toward bigger homes. Of course, that trend’s been slowed — and maybe reversed a bit — by the economic downturn. But many people seem to be downgrading (greengrading?) to smaller homes and simpler lifestyles by choice!

Just a couple months ago, I wrote about a whole bunch of small home sweet homes — from teensy apartments to cute little houses to cars turned living spaces. The inhabitants of those spaces sounded pretty happy — and news keeps coming out about Americans who find downgrading (greengrading?) to smaller homes actually makes them happier.

New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof, for example, tells the story of the Salwen family,** who decided to sell their big home and move into a smaller one — donating half the proceeds to the Hunger Project, an international development organization that works to alleviate global poverty. This generous choice, far from making the Salwens feel deprived, brought the family new pleasures.

Mr. Salwen and his wife, Joan, had always assumed that their kids would be better off in a bigger house. But after they downsized, there was much less space to retreat to, so the family members spent more time around each other. A smaller house unexpectedly turned out to be a more family-friendly house.

“We essentially traded stuff for togetherness and connectedness,” Mr. Salwen told me, adding, “I can’t figure out why everybody wouldn’t want that deal.”

While the Salwen family don’t point to environmental benefits of their smaller homes (at least not in the New York Times article; perhaps they do so in their book “The Power of Half”),** shrinking your living space generally shrinks your carbon footprint, which is why many carbon footprint calculators begin by asking how big your home is. In fact, architect Jason McLennan points out in Yes! magazine that even with green features, “eco” mansions are not so eco:**

How, under any circumstances, can a 6,000-square-foot single family home be considered green? …. Such oversized homes—with their three-car garages, bonus rooms, great rooms, etc.—are nothing less than mini-mansions (“starter castles,” as I call them) and have no business being associated with green building, even when they incorporate green features.

Jason calls for a green building standard that sets mandates on size — allotting 200 to 800 square feet per person, for example. I’m happy to say that my little apartment fits Jason’s standards!

Of course, some hardcore tiny space dwellers do away with homes altogether. I’m not sure how big Mark Boyle’s caravan home is, but I’m guessing it’s under 200 square feet. Mark’s one environmentalist with a hardcore M.O. — The guy’s not just living without a regular home, but also living without money** — at least for a year while working on his book The Moneyless Man. (via mnn)** In a blog post for the Guradian UK,** Mark explains that he gets food by foraging and gardening at an organic farm, composts his poop, and gets around on a bike and trailer. He sounds happy:

What have I learned? That friendship, not money, is real security. That most western poverty is of the spiritual kind. That independence is really interdependence. And that if you don’t own a plasma screen TV, people think you’re an extremist.

Mark writes** he’s not suggesting we all go moneyless tomorrow — but just to really start thinking about our consumption:

All I am trying to say is that I believe money is like oil: if we are going to use it, let’s at least use it to build sustainable infrastructure for the future, and not meaningless tat. And I just wanted to show that you can live a really happy, healthy life without so much money or stuff. That’s all.

I also want to encourage people to reconnect with what we consume and make more sustainable choices…. If you can, try to reduce consumption to as much as your specific situation allows you to.

I’m not sure I could ever get to the point when I’m brushing my teeth with a cuttlefish bone with wild fennel seeds, but Mark’s story really makes me rethink what I believe to be essential to live. How big is your ideal home?

Photo by catcubed**

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