"Yoga studio", modes of living
Very often my fellow humans say that my home looks like a yoga studio. There are no objects that one commonly finds in homes in our society. There is no tv, no couch, no carpets, no rugs, no artworks or decorations. There are no books either, despite both my partner and I being academics. Even though our home feels cosy and welcoming to me, I do not think that this is how everyone should live to call themselves an environmentalist. There are so many ways to live differently. And I would love for a great plurality of modes of living to be normalised. When I think about other modes of living, these real-life examples come to mind:
Living in an eco-community. One of the most inspiring scholars that I've met on my path works part-time at a university and lives in an eco-community. Recently, he even relocated his teaching there for one day. Students were given a tour in the eco-community, harvested vegetables and interacted with the Soil.
Co-living. I've met so many fellow humans who chose to live with their relatives or humans unrelated to them. Some did it for financial reasons (to avoid entangling too much with the capitalist system), others for cultural reasons (they wanted to learn a language quickly), yet others for companionship reasons. When I attended my first university, I chose not to move out from my family home. My mother died when I just began my studies, and I wanted to be close to my brother. Before my partner and I moved in together, I was thinking that it would be interesting to live with a fellow practitioner of sustainable living.
Living in tiny houses. It's such a fascinating and liberating mode of living. Unfortunately, I've never lived in a tiny house, a van or any other mobile home.
Living in a studio apartment. In the past 3 years, I've lived mostly in studio apartments. It was immensely liberating (financially and spiritually), and this kind of home is perfect for the amount of things I live with.
Living in a much smaller home than one can afford. In Sweden, I met a fellow human who held a position in academia that could allow them to live in a large house. Yet, they chose to live in an apartment. They chose to forego status signalling and generally lived a simple life.
Living with old/second-hand/inherited items. My partner's father and stepmother live with many objects, but they very rarely buy something new. Most of the items they have they either inherited or bought long time ago.
Homesteading and living in an allotment house are some of the modes of living I have not tried. But many years ago I lived in a summer house for some time. There was a garden where I could grow some food.
Living furniture-free. I lived furniture-free for 10 months in Finland, and it was wonderful and liberating. When I was moving from Finland, I was glad that there was no furniture to move. I could pack all the items I lived with (apart from the ones I returned or gave away) in a tote bag and a backpack.