Paula Hildebrandt

For the last five years I have been following with deep interest the Tiny Home movement. It is at the heart of my drive to live with a smaller carbon ‘foot print’ and therefore sustainably.  
 

Companion to living sustainably is learning about permaculture and how to grow enough food to feed yourself and your immediate family. Living the way of a very small ‘foot print’ reminds me of when I backpacked in the Sierra Mountains; leave no trace that you had even passed by. I believe it is well within our reach to live well on minimal resources without deviating to far from living a typical life style we now enjoy.
 

My long-term goal to build a Tiny Home Community was formed at the intersection of living off grid in Coquille, Oregon for three months in 2012, and moving towards living more consciously and sustainably. There I began to envision a community with groups of tiny cob homes; one for artists, one for seniors, one for those who may have a terminal illness, one for homeless getting back on their feet, one for those who are moving towards substance recovery, one for….it just keeps going on.
 

At Cob Cottage in Coquille, Oregon I learned how to build low cost energy saving cob cottages using local earth, sand and straw. I also learned how to construct highly efficient rocket stoves, compost and grow fava beans, garlic and cabbage. I am currently experimenting with growing root crops that do not require pollinators like taro, the root that poi is made from.
 

In 2013, I earned my Gold Master Compostor Badge through a six-week course at The Living Coast Discovery Center. I now significantly reduce waste typically sent to landfill, reuse kitchen scraps and recycle the compost to neighbors and friends. Neighbors bring me their kitchen scraps to compost, then in return I supply them with my special high grade premium compost for their gardens. All done organically.
 

My next step is to test the viability of producing biochar and adding it to the compost. Composting significantly reduces water usage and loss through evaporation in addition to reducing our carbon foot print.
 

In 2014, I registered for the Sustainable Landscape Practices courses at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California. Shortly afterwards I decided to also obtain an associate’s degree in Landscape Architecture Design.
 

It is now 2017 and I am six courses away from obtaining an associate’s degree in both Sustainable Landscape Practices and Landscape Architecture Design combined.
 

This summer I am learning how to operate and maintain small engines like a mower and an edger. Recently in class I operated a Scraper Loader. It confirmed to me that I am fully capable of physically building community and that my goal of building a Tiny Home Cob Cottage community is well within reach.
 

I plan to transfer to a four-year college within two years to major in urban planning. The goal to build a tiny home community using these skills: marketing and advertising, sustainable landscape practices and design and plant management.  

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Offering community outreach and consultation for living sustainably are also on the horizon.
 

Creating my career portfolio has formed a finely-honed focus that perfectly brings together my life experiences, skills, education and goals to build a sustainable community. It helped me realize that I truly do have a solid underling direction and that I am not randomly taking course work.
 

As completion of the current coursework nears, the greater vision is becoming clearer and more defined. I see that the next logical step is in urban planning. The Tiny Home Cob Cottage community is manifesting from a goal to a real and palpable reality.
 

As in the book “Pilgrim’s Progress”, I place on foot firmly above the other and climb.

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All are Welcome,

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Paula

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P.S.

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You can view my resume by clicking the document icon HERE.