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<\/a><\/p>\nAt 102 sq. ft., Jay Shafer’s Weebee model home<\/a>, above, is not even the smallest design that he offers through his Tumbleweed Tiny House Company<\/a>. (That honor goes to his 65 sq. ft. XS-House<\/a>.)<\/p>\n But it’s the Weebee that got him into author Mimi Zeiger<\/a>‘s Tiny Houses<\/em><\/a>. In it, Zeiger documents what appears to be a burgeoning movement<\/a>, seemingly driven toward answering one poignant question: What is the absolute least amount of space that I need to take up in order to live, and by which I can meaningfully reduce my burden on the planet?<\/strong><\/p>\n With the opposing, little-lamented “McMansion” boom now made disgustingly quaint by the housing crisis and collapse, “the desire to downsize and be more ecologically and economically prudent is a concept many are beginning to embrace,” says her book’s web page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tiny Houses<\/em>, thus, runs whole hog with this notion, featuring modular as well as prefab homes all the way from a relatively palatial 1187 sq. ft….down to a sliver of 10, though most would agree that her Casulo “house” really stretches the limits of that word.<\/p>\n However, Zeiger’s point is not only to present compelling design, but to have<\/p>\n people challenge themselves to live \u201cgreener\u201d lives. By using a thoughtful application of green living principles, renewable resources for construction, and clever ingenuity, these homes exemplify sustainable living at its best.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Mimi Zeiger is the guest today on my WBAI-NY \/ 99.5 FM radio show, NONFICTION, this afternoon, Friday, April 25, at 2 pm ET.<\/p>\n You can hear her ideas by tuning in at 2 pm. If you’re outside of the New York tri-state, check out our stream<\/a> on the web. If you miss the live show, dig into our archives<\/a> for up to 90 days after broadcast.<\/p>\n