Greeting BEST members,

      It takes a village to raise a child; soon, we may see children 
raising villages.

      The Tiny House Project in Maryland taught children how to build a 
small, sustainable home over the last three weeks.  A partnership 
between the private Key School and the nonprofit Sustainafest has 
created this day camp that seeks to instill kids with the values of 
eco-friendly infrastructure.  The building itself is 210 square feet, 
complete with a solar power amendment and rainwater filtration, all for 
the cost of about $70,000.  The “tiny house movement” has gained 
momentum as part of the solution to the issues that occur with an 
increasing population.  Smaller homes use fewer resources to power, 
allowing for more land that can be utilized for other purposes.  The 
Tiny House Project teaches children not only the physical skills of 
innovative construction, but also takes them to the classroom to teach 
them planning and the importance of living frugally.

      By having hands-on experience, the students will hopefully become 
invested in forming a sustainable society, in addition to gaining skills 
to maintain their personal living spaces.


"Annapolis students build a tiny house with SustainaFest" - Diane Cho - 
WJLA - July 14, 2014
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/07/annapolis-students-build-a-tiny-house-with-sustainafest-105089.html

Tint House Project 'About' page - Sustainafest blog
http://tinyhousebuildsustainafest.wordpress.com/about/


Cheers,
Alec Spaulding
Undergraduate Intern
2014 BioEnergy & Sustainability School
Soil and Water Science Department
aspaulding@ufl