A change in course

July 3rd 2015-
             My father told me the other day, "a plan is a plan because it never goes exactly the way it was planned"..   He is absolutely correct in my opinion.  After ten years in the construction industry I have seen this theory materialize in front of my very eyes many many times. The best you can do is get the closest to the image projected in the minds eye prior to commencement of any project.  Sometimes this requires a roundabout route or alternate approach all together.
              Shortly after we arrived in Ishigaki Island the inevitable reality of having to get a job materialized according  to plan.   Well almost.  I landed myself a job at a very busy scaffolding company .  This job as predicted has consumed 90 percent of my time with a grueling schedule of a 7am start and 6 pm wrap up on site.  On a day when we are lucky enough to not go into overtime I get home at about 7 pm.... Six days a week as I refused to work Sundays.  As for the work it is intense physical labor in a steady temperature of about 33-40 degrees with 90-93 percent humidity.  The pay??? Bout 85 bucks a day.  But all is relative.  To our readers anywhere in the west this seems ridiculous compared to the 8 hour days with time and a half pay for overtime at anywhere from 15$-40$ an hour for trades workers.
                So where are we finding the time to plan an Earthship build, get permission, source land, and pay for it?? The way things are going rent and bills are just barely covered and time is unfortunately a commodity that must be BOUGHT.  A few weeks ago I got a call from my father asking us to take care of the house in Hyogo prefecture near Kobe, while he is away at work and my mother is in Canada.. TIME BOUGHT!  Well a month anyways..  Two weeks into this month we happen to stumble across an old dilapidated house waaaay up in the mountains of Hyogo.  The price of the house, which is literally falling apart but has a sturdy traditional Japanese timber frame was an astonishing 180 0000Yen.  Thats 18 grand for a house with property attached.
Is this our chance? Is this where we can start? My wife and I talked it over. Think of the possibilities, think of the chance to design and build something new and unique to Japanese society.  We could introduce a new but old style house, a HYBRID home. We are now researching and designing our own earth friendly hybrid home. We will reuse and recycle materials to rebuild this home and will incorporate systems from Earthship Biotecture earthship.com. to achieve this.
Our goal is to do this in a very cost effective manner while leaving as little a carbon foot print as possible. The outcome will be a hybrid, low carbon emission home. We will record and videotape our journey along the way and do our best to keep you all up to date.
Here`s to another exciting adventure!
            

A house is just a box

       When my wife and I initially made the decision to pack our life up and make a big move across the planet we were renting an entire house.  Prior to our three floor character house that cost 1700$ CDN a month to rent,  we were living in a duplex that cost about the same.  50 percent of all living space was taken up with stuff we never used and we were heating rooms we were never in.  For me the move to a bigger house signified a step up in the world or being more successful.  This delusion that living in a large home or owning one would make me a better man was soon shattered.

I mean... How many people live here???

         In the Philippines I witnessed a phenomenon.  I was surrounded by the smiling faces of people who had just had their entire livelihoods blown to kingdom come by a huge typhoon.  I know for a fact, that if some of the million dollar home owners from my hometown were to have their houses destroyed they would not be quite as chipper as the humble people of the small village Batug.  So what is the reason for this?  Well by my observation a few things.  1-a kick ass attitude 2-low expectations 3-less to begin with!  So in short less is better.



      My entire life I had been tricked into thinking a big house on the hill would make me a successful man, well lets look at how that big house on the hill would effect our planet and myself as a human.  Obviously the first thing is the price, to purchase a home in my hometown cost a regular working dude like me anywhere from 300 000$-1000000$.   The initial down payment is more money than the average dude has and leaves him/her paying for it for the rest of their lives and maybe their children too...  I mean, its just a box that we sleep in right??  Well thats just my opinion, and dont get me wrong I like comfort just as much as the next guy.  So the next issue is how are these heated boxes effecting our sacred planet that we all share?  Well Im no expert, but the obvious was made more obvious after my father introduced the "Earthship" concept to me.  Its not rocket science,  modern day homes have been designed to take from the planet and give nothing back but our watered down excrement and burned fossil fuels.  A conventional home pipes in water from afar while the water that falls on the roof is diverted away from the structure.  A modern home uses electricity and fuel to heat itself while the constant energy of the sun is not only neglected, but blocked out.  Our waste is mixed with water to create a larger mass of toxic fluid to be dealt with on a much larger scale. 

         When you think about it in the last century or so mankind has regressed in our ability to live in harmony with our planet.  For those of you with food in your electric freezer and two feet of snow outside of your doorstep, you may or may not begin to see the obvious truth that has been brought to my attention.  WE DONT NEED ALL THIS!!  Do your planet a favor and make a few changes to your homes and lifestyles!