from Grist:
Not one more winter in the tipi, honeyby Michelle Nijhuis
15 Jul 2011 7:00 AM
Cross-posted from The Last Word on Nothing.There are a lot of ways to shrink a carbon footprint. Bike instead of drive. Eat low on the food chain. You know the drill. Where I live, in the boondocks of Colorado, a lot of people -- myself included, but I'll get to that in a minute -- go on a carbon diet by purchasing some cheap land, rigging up a few solar panels, and getting off the grid.
Most of these people are well-educated, well-meaning, and idealistic, determined to build and garden their way toward some version of a better future. But after living here for more than a decade, I've noticed a disturbing susceptibility among these modern homesteaders. I'll call this recurring disease Not One More Winter In The Tipi, Honey (NOMWITTH).
Here's what happens: A couple arrives in our valley, young, strong, in love, and full of plans to build an ultra-energy-efficient house out of straw bales, rammed earth, adobe bricks, or, heck, used bottlecaps. They set to work with equal enthusiasm, buying land and setting up temporary quarters in a yurt or a tipi. The weather's good, the views are great, and the new house is humming along.
But at some point, the weather turns, or the project slows. Or a baby arrives, and everything gets more complicated. For whatever reason, their brio fades, NOMWITTH sets in, and what was once a joint project becomes a battlefield, XX vs. XY. In mild cases, help is hired, the house gets a roof, and all ends well. In more serious cases, one person -- inevitably XX -- splits town for a fully furnished condo with central heating, leaving XY alone with the low-carbon dream. ............(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.grist.org/green-home/2011-07-15-not-one-more-winter-in-the-tipi-honey