Fascinating. I think the point to be made here is that as we either consciously see through or are involuntarily forced to give up the addiction to constant shopping for more and more and better and better and cheaper and cheaper “material goods” as our primary purpose for living, we may actually prefer to free ourselves up from constantly getting and maintaining and protecting “stuff” to live in, not just a tiny house, but reduce even further, to this kind of minimalist structure, or something similar, that, as we permaculturists say, “stacks functions” in ingenious ways — at least in thoroughly temperate zones, IF any zone can be trusted to remain stable; which it can’t, given climate change. And aha! One more reason to pack light. You may have to turn on a dime. You may have to move.
In any case, the fewer “goods” we have to take care of, the more culturally constricting masks we remove, the more we can free up the enormous engine of creativity, and the many ways we will tasked to serve the whole in care for others, their needs, especially those not yet centered in this new, post-materialist, way of life.
This Is What Tent Cities Will Look Like After Peak Oil
May 2, 2014
by AnnaleeNewitz
This tent could one day be your home. It will provide you with shelter from the elements, food, energy, and purified water. Meet the Urban Algae Canopy — perfect for all your environmental apocalypse needs.
This prototype is the brainchild of Italian design firm Carlo Ratti Associati, and were previewed during last month’s Milan Design Week. The idea is to create a living structure whose very walls are thriving algae colonies. Algae is an incredibly useful life form, and it can be modified to perform a lot of functions, from generating energy through its natural photosynthetic processes to serving as a basic food item.
One day, algae could even be genetically modified to serve as a light source, a chemical sensor, or a water purification device.
For now, Carlo Ratti Associati are just focusing on its potential to serve as a form of living building material, regulating temperatures and providing energy.
