AtomJohnson Blog

Have you ever left an envelope on top of your car that says in big, black, bold letters, ‘Rent in CASH $575‘? I hadn’t either until Friday. I was picking up the dogs from Nat’s apartment, along with the vacuum cleaner and her mail. Well, the dogs and the vacuum cleaner made it safely into the car, but the mail (including the envelope full of $575 in cash) did not. It was left on the hood of my car…at least until the car started moving, at which time the mail took flight and decorated the street in front of Nat’s apartment. Would you believe me if I told you that I returned 17 hours later to find the envelop in the street, face up, with the money still inside. Its a good thing we live in a society that doesn’t pick up trash off the street.

So, Nat and I have pretty much folded on the idea of purchasing one of the two houses in Nederland. Both were around $300,000 and we agree that is too much of a mortgage to crawl underneath when we want to pursue our dreams of a job that serves the greater good. On our way out of Boulder, we missed a turn and ended up running into a gorgeous community of some of the coolest houses you’ve ever seen. What really caught our eye was the giant sign that said ‘Recycling Construction Waste’. I immediately knew that it was one of the sustainable communities that I’ve been so facinated with.

Just past this awesome community was a sign that advertised the future site for Silver Sage Village. It advertised a Cohousing Community built on sustainable principles…and best of all…affordable housing. It advertised market value houses of $350,000 as low as $109,000. This of course was the perfect living situation for us. I excitedly called my folks about the possibility and to let them know that we had hung up the idea of the moutain home with the hot tub and heavy mortgage. While they were as supportive as ever, my father thought that it sounded a bit like a retirement community. Well, circle gets a square! You were right Dad…its a retirment community…for active, spiritual, community-oriented seniors.

Back to the Yurt.

My name is Adam Johnson, and I used to be addicted to the internet. Two weeks in Wyoming and Colorado has without a doubt cured me. For the past two weeks, Nat and I have been visiting her family out in Wyoming and exploring areas to live in Colorado. During that time, we did not get onto the Internet once, nor did we turn on the TV…and it felt amazing! The only thing I missed was blogging and reading the environmental blogs that I keep up with everyday. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

Yeah, so the trip was amazing. Boulder was everything that I had heard it would be and more. Our first night in Boulder, we found ourselves at an open house of the Environmental Center of the Rockies, drinking locally brewed beer, listening to a local bluegrass band, and chatting it up with the local Sierra Club chapter. It was as if it was meant to be. The next morning, we rode over to the Home Depot to tour the contruction of Colorado University’s entry in the Solar Power Decathlon. I had the opportunity to talk with students in the architecture and building systems programs. It was very inspiring.

Nat and I also looked at about every piece of property for sale in the surrounding mountains. We fell in love with 2 properties in particular…both in Nederland, CO. One is at the base of the ski slope and has a hot tub on the deck that looks out over the mountains. The other is an A-frame in the woods on 1.4 acres with a healthy creek running through the property. Both for the price of a one bedroom condo in this area.

We are still debating whether or not to buy an existing structure or to buy a piece of land that we like and put up a Yurt. As much as I like the idea of sitting out on the deck in that hot tub in winter, I also remember that we are out there with the mission of changing the course of our lives to do something that we are passionate about and that will make a difference in this world. This will probably involve going back to school…which will involve living on the cheap. So, there is still plenty more to think about right now. If anyone wants to sponsor a future world-changing environmentalist, I need stylish organic clothing, four walls and a roof, solar panels and batteries, wool socks and beer.