| There is a lot to be said for the new crop of | | | | and battery banks. Conservation and personal |
| environmental-friendly, retiring Baby Boomers | | | | independence rank high. |
| that are refusing the canned retirement | | | | |
| solutions that are out there aplenty. Many | | | | In addition, unique designs for homes that |
| have had to live in the cities that created | | | | circumvent the need for central heating and |
| their employment...complete with smog and | | | | air conditioning are coming to the fore. The |
| crime. Years have gone by, the kids have been | | | | strawbale house is a wonder in temperature |
| protected as much as possible in gated | | | | economy. Thick walls of dry bales of straw |
| communities and the day has finally dawned | | | | are covered with a "skin". The one I recently |
| when it's time to take a look at "what's | | | | viewed was plastered with a mixture of adobe |
| next." | | | | mud and cement. Contractors and architects |
| | | | are getting on the bandwagon as this trend |
| The idea of travel that so held the attention | | | | spreads. Books and seminars on strawbale |
| of their elders has less appeal to our Baby | | | | building are under heavy demand. |
| Boomers. Cruise ship horror stories and the | | | | |
| risks that have become part of RVing have | | | | And then there are the Earth Ships. These are |
| taken the shine off of what their parents | | | | energy-efficient homes dug into hillsides and |
| were satisfied with. Also, many have traveled | | | | constructed with great care to offer shelter |
| extensively in their work and have added | | | | without messing with the environment. The one |
| expensive vacations to far away places with | | | | I visited looked amazingly cozy. |
| strange sounding names to the mix. | | | | |
| | | | Our Baby Boomers want a new kind of challenge |
| Freedom doesn't even have the draw that it | | | | and most of them are extending it into |
| had for earlier generations. Many Baby | | | | organic gardening, another science that |
| Boomers have been connected with web-oriented | | | | offers them simplicity and increased |
| businesses and have been able to work at home | | | | wellness. They want to grow what they eat to |
| some of the time, following their own pace. | | | | a great extent. There's usually plenty of |
| This usually meant longer hours for most of | | | | room to do this because they buy acreage not |
| them, but more personal freedom was involved. | | | | a lot. This movement toward healthy living |
| | | | isn't carefree but that's not what most of |
| As a result this new breed wants to get the | | | | them are about. They are willing to work long |
| heck out of Dodge and do some kind of | | | | and hard. |
| physical work. That's right, they don't want | | | | |
| to be taken care of or sit around the | | | | You will find, in their strange residences, |
| campfire, they want to address the challenges | | | | battery-run, lap top computers! After all, |
| that correspond with their ideals. | | | | email, like life, must go on! Boomers are |
| | | | making sure that the things that matter to |
| Peace and quiet rate high on many Baby | | | | them are included. It's never been about |
| Boomers' lists of priorities. Living more | | | | denial. For lack of a better description, I |
| simply calls to them. "Off the grid" was not | | | | would call their evolving ethic "creating a |
| a phrase most of us were familiar with even | | | | challenging simplicity." |
| ten years ago. If we had heard it, it would | | | | |
| have been with fear and loathing that we | | | | If you get a chance to read up on this |
| would have considered living without being | | | | movement and/or have an opportunity to visit |
| connected to a reliable power source. | | | | someone who is immersed in it, don't pass it |
| However, these up and coming retirees are | | | | up. Rome is being rebuilt, yet again. |
| often extremely interested in solar panels | | | | |