John Brown, founder of the Slow Home movement, is fighting to slow down the housing process. His enemy is the cookie cutter neighborhoods that focus on quantity and speed, not quality and sustainability. Think of it in terms of food. The Slow Food movement was agaisnt the Fast Food industry and its inherent health risks. Like slow food, a slow home is produced with care and thoughtful design. From Slow Food USA, “in essence, a food system that is good, clean and fair. We seek to catalyze a broad cultural shift away from the destructive effects of an industrial food system and fast life; toward the regenerative cultural, social and economic benefits of a sustainable food system…” From The Slow Home, “These places are shallow substitutes for homes and neighborhoods with meaning and depth. They are created by big businesses that are more interested in profits rather than people. Like fast food, they are bad for us, our families, and the environment.”
I find the comparison surprisingly interesting and increasingly accurate. Organic food has swept America, but still hasn’t put a dent in the “Micky D’s” of the world. Green architecture is a movement on the rise and is becoming so very available to every home owner, but the vast majority of homes are built without thought for sustainability. I wrote about the slump in the housing market about a month ago. At that time, I was conducting research on the connections between our society’s drive for homeownership, and the steps we take collectively to satisfy it. Essentially, we want it bad enough that we sign the dotted line on sub par mortgages which lead to foreclosure, and builders want it bad enough that they build too many too fast. The solution is better planning, patience, and an acute awareness of our home’s affect on our families, society, and the environment. Where we choose to live is a profound statement of who we are. Our houses build us just as much as we build them. When the environment and personal well-being is taken into consideration, we end up with high performance homes that are sensitive to our needs. It just slows the process down.
Check out www.theslowhome.com and see what they’re all about. While you’re at it, take a look at www.slowfood.com. These thought provoking sites will help you understand the big picture, and the value of your home.
