Q&A: Tammy Strobel on Life in a Tiny House

This week on the Green Life, we're celebrating the art of downsizing. To learn from a pro, we asked simple-living advocate Tammy Strobel about her 128-square-foot home, avoiding trolls, and what her spirit animal is.

Not a lot of people can say that when they’re cooking a chicken casserole, they can also get dressed and use the potty at the same time. Tell us about your 128-square-foot home.

We live in a super tiny house. It’s really cute. It looks like a miniature cabin. It’s just on wheels. The trailer is 16 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 13 feet tall. It was built according to the international building code standards. You have to make sure it all fits under overpasses when you move it down the road and stuff like that. People are curious about that part. It can literally fit in a car parking space. The thing about our house is that of course it’s small but it’s kind of cool because wherever you are in the house you are looking outside. We have lots of windows, so it makes it feel larger than it actually is and a lot of times when we have friends come over, they remark on that feeling.

Are there any times when you want to run into an open prairie and be one with the Von Trappe family?

I’ve never had the feeling of claustrophobia in our space but no matter what size home I’ve lived in, if I spend too much time inside, I get cabin fever; even if I’m at home with my mom who lives in a 2,000-square-foot house. If I’m inside for a really long time, I get itchy. So for me, it’s really important to go outside everyday to go for a walk or a bike ride and just move my body.

How do you deal with the negative criticism?

Maggie Q, Shark Hugger

In the high-action TV show Nikita, Maggie Q plays the title character, a coolheaded rogue assassin being hunted by secret agents. She's also been a bomb-detonating operative with Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible III and a gun-wielding killer opposite Bruce Willis in Live Free or Die Hard. In real life, though, she wouldn't harm a fly — or any other living thing. She's an ambassador for WildAid, a nonprofit whose slogan is "When the buying stops, the killing can too." A conservation activist for the past 14 of her 33 years, Q cares especially about sharks.

Q: Why sharks?

A: They're a huge part of the ocean ecosystem. If we don't protect our oceans, if we don't allow fish to repopulate, we're in bigger trouble than people realize. It's the biggest ecosystem on the planet, and it's not living and breathing like it should.

Q: Did growing up in Hawaii influence your love of the sea and its animals?

A: Definitely. I got an upfront experience with the natural world, and that was one of the things that led me toward conservation. Then I grew up and went, "Wow, people aren’t getting this."

Q: You tweeted a photo of you swimming with an endangered whale shark. Why did you do that? What did it feel like?

A: I thought there would be fear, but their energy was amazing, and they so honorably allowed me to enter their space. These things are enormous, like dinosaurs. And I was in their home. But they gently maneuvered around me and allowed me up in their face. I had an enormous sense of gratitude. I kept apologizing and thanking them, saying, "I'm so sorry, but this is all for you."

Q: What would you like to see happen in regard to sharks?

A: Now that I'm working in Toronto, I'd love to see shark fin get banned in Canada. If Canada does it, maybe the U.S. will. I’m hoping to do advocacy work for it here.

Q: You’re a vegetarian. Why?

A: Because it’s all related when you’re talking about pollution, global warming, soil contamination. If I care about the oceans, I’m not going to eat beef. That waste is going in our oceans, our soil. It’s all connected. Once you truly get it, you can’t ignore it. I can’t want to advocate for sharks and tigers but then eat chicken sandwiches and have a steak.

App Obsession: Ansel Adams

Who doesn't appreciate the breathtaking photography of Ansel Adams? Whether you're a photo buff, a nature lover, or simply just looking for the latest and greatest apps for your iPhone or iPad, there's a new app out worthy of your attention. The Looking at Ansel Adams: The Photographs and the Man app by MX was created as a companion piece to Andrea Stillman's recently released book of the same name (Little, Brown and Company, 2012). And while the book would probably be more in-depth, you don't have to read the book to appreciate the app.  

First off, what's great about this app is that you can download it for free and upgrade if you choose to. The main menu has a pretty cool interface with period icons like a typewriter, film, and antique cameras. Some fun features of the free version (other than the stunning photos) include: letters, postcards, and notes that give you a glimpse into Adams's every day life; mini-movies about Adams; and a guide through the darkroom process. One thing that is a little frustrating is that it can only be viewed horizontally, so you can't flip the screen vertical to read the letters (zoom helps with this). Remember: if you stick with the free version, you are getting a more condensed version of the full app.  Though if you like what you see, the upgrade is a mere $3 and includes an interactive map for geographic context on the prints amongst other features. 

Either way, this app is definitely worth a look-see if you have some downtime and are looking for an app other than Draw Something or Angry Birds to bide your time with—or if you have an Ansel obsession. Take a closer look at some of the features below: 

Jessica Alba Loves Kids, Hates Chemicals

You might have seen Jessica Alba kill a bad guy with a stiletto heel in the gory action flick Machete. You might also have spotted her on the cover of Maxim (twice). But fewer people probably caught her on C-SPAN lecturing Congress about the urgency of passing laws to regulate the chemicals in the products we buy. A staunch environmental advocate, the 31-year-old star recently launched the Honest Company, which makes nontoxic, ecofriendly baby gear. She took some time to answer our questions about her commitment to safe chemistry. 

Q: Why did you go to D.C. to lobby for the Safe Chemicals Act last year?

A: Basically, it's legislation that hasn't been reformed in more than 30 years. It's about regulating chemicals in everyday products. There are more than 80,000 chemicals in the U.S. marketplace right now — only five have been banned. In Europe, 1,100 are banned because they're not safe for humans. When they're creating and selling new chemicals, companies aren't thinking about how they affect people's health — it's about their bottom line.

"Just test the chemicals to make sure they're safe before exposing our children to them."

Q: You had asthma as a kid, right? Does that make you worry more about air pollution?

A: I grew up with asthma and allergies, among other health issues. That forced me from a very early age to look at my environment in a different way. I don't take things at face value. I don't automatically trust the conglomerates. I question processes, I question ingredients, I look for a better way. I always try to find a more natural and holistic approach before just slapping on a Band-Aid. Better to prevent something bad from happening in the first place.

Stray Dog Joins Cyclists on Race to Tibet

A shaggy little stray dog joined a team of cross-country cyclists and raced into the hearts of thousands of fans across China.

The group of cyclists was five days into a 1,700 kilometer race from Sichuan Province to Llasa, Tibet, when they spotted the ball of white fur lying in the sun on the side of National Highway 318.

One of the cyclists, 22-year-old Xiao Yong, tossed a chicken drumstick to the little canine and evidently struck up a bond, because she began to follow them.

After the dog ran alongside the team for a week, proving to be a "cyclist's best friend," they set up a blog that gained 40,000 followers. The story was featured on China.org, where the little dog has become an Internet sensation.

Over 20 days of treacherous mountain cycling, the dog they nicknamed Xiao Sa, or Little Sa, kept running. She ran 50 to 60 kilometers per day, climbing a dozen mountains over 13,000 feet. 

Stunning Time-Lapse Photography of Yosemite

An amazing time-lapse photography video of Yosemite National Park is bringing international attention for photographer Shawn Reeder of Bishop, California.

The two-year project, Yosemite Range of Light, uses nearly 7,000 high-resolution still photos to create an inspiring vision of light and granite, capturing rolling cloud formations and the rainbow-lit waterfalls of Yosemite.

Reeder first came to Yosemite after winning a local waiter contest where he grew up in Maryland. First prize was a trip to Napa Valley wine-country, but the 18-year-old convinced the prize committee to offer a change of venue. Choosing Yosemite as his destination instead, he brought along his best friend, who happened to have a camera. . . .

Movie Review: The City Dark

When filmmaker Ian Cheney moved to the Big Apple from rural Maine, he says he felt like he had "left something important behind." Cheney's new movie The City Dark is an attempt to answer this question: "What do we lose when we lose the night?"

The documentary tracks Cheney's quest, which takes him to the College Of Staten Island, where Professor Irving Robbins shares what it has been like for his Astronomy Department to gradually lose the night sky. "Since 1966 while living in Brooklyn, I've only seen the milky way twice — both times from a blackout," says Robbins. "I could not believe the heavens."

Next Cheney visits the owner of a lightbulb store in Hackensack, New Jersey. His grandfather knew Thomas Edison and he shares a crash course on the incredible evolution of lightbulbs from Edison's original 50 lumen bulb in 1879 to mercury-vapor lights, high-pressure sodium lights and finally today's metal halides, which produce 15,000 to 16,000 lumens.

Xylophone Plays Bach by Itself in the Woods

We're not sure what to make of this video. On the one hand, Kenjiro Matsuo at Invisible Designs — who made the giant xylophone — must've spent a whole lot of time designing an instrument that could conceivably play the theme of Bach's "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" by itself. Also, that the little wooden ball doesn't fall off is amazing. On the other hand, the fact that this is an advertisement for a phone almost ruins it. And the phone is called the Touch Wood SH-08C — which, as one YouTuber points out, is a very unfortunate name. Make of it what you will. At the very least, one can appreciate the scenery of the woods in Kama, which is located in Fukoka — the southernmost island of Japan.

--Justin Cohn

Watch the video below:

Adorable Children vs. David Attenborough

Evidence that children mispronouncing things is the best way to get people's attention: In a brilliant advertisement for BBC America's Planet Earth, the producers pooled together a group of kids to mimic the classic narrations of David Attenborough. Trouble is, the kids weren't ready to stick to the script, let alone pronounce Attenborough's name: "We're good but we're not that good as Aperfallagood."

All I can say is, I'm totally going to watch Planet Earth right now. Just a preview: "Eww, what is he eating!? I would never eat a fly, I like cheeseburgers."

 

 

 Justin Cohn is a blogger for the Sierra Club. He is also a student at the University of California, Berkeley, an aspiring fiction writer, musician, and — occasionally — the guy who gets the mail. Twitter: @justinrcohn

 

[via Gawker, Boing Boing]

Celebrate Earth Day: Design for the Planet

For environmentalists, every day is Earth Day. Nevertheless, April 22 marks an occasion for extra reflection and celebration. This week, we'll show you how to make the most of the planet's party.

Tip #2: Wear Your Favorite Place

If you had to convey the essence of the outdoors without using words, what image would you create? The Sierra Club and Shirt.Woot are asking that question to the T-shirt design community and the responses range from humorous to heartbreaking. To participate, submit your own original T-shirt design to Shirt.Woot or vote for your favorite representation. Voting ends on April 19. In addition to the three shirts with the most votes, we'll pick our favorite design and all four organic shirts will be available for purchase at Shirt.Woot.com beginning April 23.